Description
Food counter attendants and food preparers prepare, heat and finish cooking simple food items and serve customers at food counters. Kitchen helpers, food service helpers and dishwashers clear tables, clean kitchen areas, wash dishes, and perform various other activities to assist workers who prepare or serve food and beverages. They are employed by restaurants, cafés, hotels, fast food outlets, cafeterias, hospitals and other establishments.
Job Titles
- Barista
- Cafeteria worker
- Dietary aide
- Food counter attendant
- Food preparer
- Food service counter attendant
- Hospital meal attendant
Main Duties
- Take customers’ orders
- Clean, peel, slice and trim foodstuffs using manual and electric appliances
- Use deep fryer, grill, oven, dispensers and other equipment to prepare fast food items such as sandwiches, hamburgers, fries, salads, ice cream dishes, milkshakes and other beverages
- Portion, assemble, and wrap food or place it directly on plates for service to patrons, and package take-out food
- Use equipment to prepare hot beverages such as coffee and tea specialties
- Serve customers at counters or buffet tables
- Stock refrigerators and salad bars and keep records of the quantities of food used
- May receive payment for food items purchased.
Workplaces
- Cafeterias
- Coffee shops
- Fast-food outlets
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Private clubs
- Restaurants
Skills
- Numeracy
- Quality Control Testing
- Coordinating
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
Abilities
- Dynamic Strength
- Gross Body Coordination
- Stamina
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Auditory Attention
Personal Attributes
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Concern for Others
- Stress Tolerance
- Analytical Thinking
Similar Occupations
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be Good for food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (NOC 65201) in Prince Edward Island for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
- High employee turnover in this occupation could lead to additional employment opportunities.
The prospect for employment in this occupation is good as there continues to be a shortage of workers and unfilled vacancies in the province. Employers rely on the Temporary Foreign Worker program to fill temporary jobs/vacancies in this occupation when qualified Canadian labour is not available.
Employment opportunities are expected primarily from a high labour turnover rate, which can be explained by challenging working conditions and a young and mobile labour force.
Here are some key facts about Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 1,750 people work in this occupation.
- Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations mainly work in the following sectors:
- Food services and drinking places (NAICS 722): 71%
- Hospitals (NAICS 622): 10%
- Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 9%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 52% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 48% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 41% of food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations work all year, while 59% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 36 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- Less than 5% of food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 28% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 72% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: 31% compared to 11% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: 41% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 15% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 6% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupation
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $16.50 | $16.50 | $20.98 |
| Canada | $15.00 | $16.55 | $21.50 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.