Like many schools throughout the country, Collierville High School has a shortage of cafeteria workers. Why do people not want to have a job working with children and serving food? It should be a fun and simple job, right?
Wrong. Cafeteria jobs actually have very time-consuming tasks and high stress-levels. Cafeteria workers (also called “lunch ladies,” “school cooks,” or “food service workers”) are on tight schedules. They must ensure that the food is cooked at the right temperature for the right amount of time. They cannot let it overcook or get cold, especially with meat and the Temperature Danger Zone.
Another factor that can contribute to the stress-levels of cafeteria workers are the interactions. Being a cafeteria worker usually takes place in a friendly environment. Cafeteria workers get the chance to interact with kids as they serve them food or ring up their meals. Kids provide joy to people’s lives, and being a lunch lady can be rewarding. However, students waiting to eat their food are hungry, and hungry people can sometimes get grumpy! Moreover, studies show that lunchtime for students is getting shorter. With shorter lunches, school cafeteria workers are put on a tighter time crunch. They must serve all of the lines of students as quickly as they can so that the students still have time to eat their lunch!
Also, when it is not a current mealtime, it does not mean that cafeteria workers have free time. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Another factor that can add to stress-levels is what must be done outside of working with the students. Cafeteria workers must stock shelves to keep them full, clean supplies, and prepare the food and area for the next day’s meals. Additionally, they have to attend dietary meetings to ensure that the food they are serving meets the state’s requirements and is considered “healthy.” Most states even require cafeterias to follow nutritional meal plans. As a side income, some cafeterias even offer food catering for events. All combined, that is a lot of work for the cafeteria staff to do, and it can be extremely stressful!
Although high stress-levels and time-consuming tasks make some cafeteria staff reluctant to work there, the main reason cafeterias are short on staff is the low wages that are offered. Studies show that the average salary for cafeteria workers and other food industry-workers in the country is around $13 an hour. As of January 2025, cafeteria workers make between $16 an hour (in Washington DC and Washington…funny coincidence!) and $10.75 an hour (Florida). Tennessee’s cafeteria workers fall in the middle, making around $13 an hour, which, as previously mentioned, is the U.S.’s average.
Ever since COVID-19, remote jobs have become more common, and some people decided that they prefer to work from home. Cafeteria workers are physical in-person jobs where it is not possible to work from home. Restaurants are also short-staffed, just like cafeterias. So, people who are looking to get a job in food services might decide to go work at a restaurant instead of at a school cafeteria.
Ultimately, due to the low wages, tight schedules, and high stress included with being a cafeteria worker, cafeterias are short on staff. Cafeteria workers have exhausting jobs, and they are not paid nearly enough for all the work that they do!
