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Dishwasher Job Description: Duties and Sanitation Training
Most dishwasher job descriptions say 'wash dishes and keep the kitchen clean.' Here is what the job really involves, why it is a food safety role, and what it pays.
Key takeaway
A restaurant dishwasher cleans and sanitizes the dishes, utensils and equipment that touch food. Under the FDA Food Code that makes a dishwasher a food employee, so the sanitation and hygiene rules that apply to cooks apply to the dish pit too.
A restaurant dishwasher cleans and sanitizes the dishes, utensils, pots and equipment a kitchen uses, keeps the dish area and floors clean, and handles trash. No formal education is required. According to O*NET OnLine, which publishes Bureau of Labor Statistics data, dishwashers earned a median of $16.73 per hour in 2025. Many kitchens also expect a food handler card.
The typical posting undersells the job. "Wash dishes, keep the kitchen clean, assist as needed" makes it sound like the least important role in the building. It is not. Every plate, cutting board and tong that reaches a cook has passed through the dish station first. If the sanitizing step fails, the kitchen is serving food on equipment that can spread illness, and no amount of good cooking fixes that. This page covers what the job really involves, for people applying and for managers writing the posting.
What does a restaurant dishwasher do?
The work follows the rhythm of the shift.
Before service: setup. Fill the dish machine or three-compartment sink, check that the machine reaches temperature or that the sanitizer is mixed to the right strength, stock racks, and make sure there is a clean supply of the things cooks will run out of first: sheet pans, hotel pans, cutting boards and small wares.
During service: keeping up. Dirty plates come back from the dining room and dirty pans come back from the line. The dishwasher scrapes, sorts, racks, runs the machine and puts clean items back where cooks and servers expect them. In a busy kitchen this is a speed job. A backed-up dish pit means the line runs out of pans and the floor runs out of plates.
After service: closing. Run the last loads, clean the dish machine itself, drain and scrub sinks, take out trash and recycling, sweep and mop. Many dishwashers also clean floor mats, drains and other areas cooks do not reach.
Smaller kitchens often combine the role with prep. You may peel vegetables between rushes or help receive deliveries, which is why many cooks start their careers in the dish pit.
Why a dishwasher is a food safety job
The FDA Food Code, which most states adopt in some version, defines a food employee as someone who works with unpackaged food, food equipment or utensils, or food-contact surfaces. A dishwasher handles food equipment, utensils and food-contact surfaces all shift. By that definition, a dishwasher is a food employee, with the same handwashing, illness-reporting and hygiene duties as the cooks.
The core of the job is the difference between cleaning and sanitizing. Cleaning removes food and grease you can see. Sanitizing reduces the pathogens you cannot see to safe levels. A plate can look spotless and still carry enough bacteria to make someone sick if the sanitizing step was skipped or done wrong. The cleaning versus sanitizing hub explains the distinction, and the dishwashing and three-compartment sink hub covers the warewashing steps in detail.
A dishwasher also controls a second risk: moving clean items back into the kitchen without contaminating them. Clean racks stored next to dirty ones, wet pans stacked before they air-dry, or a dishwasher who handles a dirty plate and then grabs a clean one without washing their hands can undo the whole process.
The two ways kitchens wash dishes
Most kitchens use one or both of these methods. The person running the station needs to know how to check that each one is working.
| Method | How it sanitizes | What the dishwasher checks |
|---|---|---|
| High-temperature dish machine | Very hot final rinse water | That the rinse reaches the temperature the machine's data plate requires |
| Chemical dish machine | A chemical sanitizer added to the final rinse | Sanitizer strength with test strips, and that the chemical supply has not run out |
| Three-compartment sink | Items soak in a sanitizer solution for a set contact time | Sanitizer concentration, water temperature, and contact time |
The exact temperatures, concentrations and contact times depend on the machine, the chemical and the manufacturer's label, and they are spelled out in the sanitizer types and concentrations hub. The practical point for a job description is simpler: a good dishwasher tests, rather than assumes. Test strips sitting unused next to the sink are one of the first things an inspector notices.
Skills dishwasher postings screen for
Postings list a lot of skills. These are the ones that matter on a real shift.
- Speed and stamina. Long stretches on your feet, lifting full racks and stock pots, in a hot and wet station.
- Organization. Sorting dirty items so the machine runs efficiently and returning clean ones to the right place.
- Following a process exactly. Scrape, wash, rinse, sanitize, air-dry, in that order, every time.
- Chemical safety. Reading labels, never mixing products, and storing chemicals away from food. The chemical and physical contaminants hub covers why this matters.
- Reliability. A kitchen cannot run a shift without a dishwasher, so showing up on time counts more here than in almost any other role.
- Communication. Telling the chef when the machine is not reaching temperature or the sanitizer has run low, before it becomes a problem.
Do dishwashers need a food handler card?
It depends on your state and county. There is no federal requirement. Each jurisdiction decides who must hold a card, and they define the covered workers differently. Some rules cover anyone who handles food-contact surfaces, which includes dishwashers. Others focus on workers who prepare or serve food.
Even where the law does not name dishwashers, the FDA Food Code makes the person in charge responsible for making sure employees are properly trained in food safety. Many employers meet that duty by requiring a food handler course from every new hire, including the dish crew. Our state guides cover the specifics for California, Texas and other states.
The ServSafe Food Handler exam is 40 questions and passes at 75%, which means 30 correct. ServSafe sets its own course and exam pricing and changes it from time to time, so check servsafe.com for current options. Before you buy any card, confirm that your county accepts it, because some counties recognize only their own program.
How dishwashers compare with other entry-level kitchen roles
| Role | Primary focus | Main food safety responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Dishwasher | Cleaning and sanitizing equipment and utensils | Warewashing, chemical safety, clean storage |
| Prep cook | Preparing ingredients before service | Cross-contamination, cooling, date marking |
| Line cook | Cooking and plating during service | Cooking temperatures, holding, allergens |
| Busser | Clearing and resetting tables | Keeping dirty and clean items separate |
The dish pit is a common way into the kitchen. Many cooks start there, move to prep, and then to the line. See the line cook job description for the next step up.
What dishwashers get paid
According to O*NET OnLine, which reports Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, dishwashers earned a median of $16.73 per hour, or about $34,810 a year, in 2025. A median is the midpoint: half of dishwashers earned more and half earned less.
Job boards and salary sites publish their own dishwasher figures. Those are largely self-reported by users rather than drawn from a survey, so treat them as a rough guide. Local minimum wage laws, the kitchen's volume and whether the restaurant shares tips with back-of-house staff all move actual pay more than the national number suggests.
What this means for you
If you are applying: get the food handler card your county accepts before your first shift. It is cheap, it takes a few hours, and it shows a chef you understand why the dish station matters. Learn the wash, rinse, sanitize order and how to read a test strip. Those two things will set you apart from other applicants.
If you are hiring: write the posting honestly. Say the job involves cleaning and sanitizing, chemical handling and heavy lifting, and say whether a food handler card is required or must be obtained within the first week. Then train on the specific machine and sanitizer you use, because labels and settings vary.
If you manage the kitchen: treat the dish station as a control point, not an afterthought. Check sanitizer strength and machine temperatures as part of your shift routine, and keep test strips stocked. The staff training hub covers how to build that into onboarding.
Frequently asked questions
What are the duties of a dishwasher in a restaurant?
A restaurant dishwasher scrapes, washes, rinses and sanitizes dishes, utensils, pots and equipment, then returns clean items to the kitchen and dining room. The job also covers cleaning the dish machine and sinks, handling trash and recycling, and mopping floors. In smaller kitchens dishwashers often help with prep and receiving deliveries as well.
How do you describe a dishwasher job on a resume?
Focus on the parts that show reliability and food safety knowledge. Mention the volume you handled, the equipment you ran, such as a high-temperature or chemical dish machine or a three-compartment sink, and that you tested sanitizer strength. List your food handler card if you hold one, since many kitchens require it for new hires.
Is dishwasher a difficult job?
It is physically demanding rather than complicated. You stand for long shifts in a hot, wet area, lift heavy racks and pots, and need to keep pace during the busiest part of service. The process itself is learnable in a few shifts. The hardest part is staying fast without skipping the sanitizing step.
What category does a dishwasher fall under?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies dishwashers as a food preparation and serving related occupation. Under the FDA Food Code, a dishwasher also counts as a food employee because the job involves food equipment, utensils and food-contact surfaces. That is why hygiene and illness-reporting rules apply to dishwashers, not just to cooks.
Do dishwashers need a food handler card?
It depends on where you work. Some states and counties require a card for anyone who handles food-contact surfaces, which includes dishwashers, while others focus on cooks and servers. Many employers require one regardless. Check with your local health department before buying a course, since some counties accept only their own program.
How much do restaurant dishwashers make?
O*NET OnLine reports a median of $16.73 per hour, about $34,810 a year, for dishwashers in 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Pay varies with local minimum wage, the restaurant's volume and whether tips are shared with kitchen staff. Salary site figures are mostly self-reported and should be treated as a rough guide.
Starting out in a kitchen? The free Food Handler track covers everything a food handler card tests, including cleaning and sanitizing.
Sources
- FDA Food Code 2022, including the definition of food employee and the person in charge's duty to ensure staff are trained
- FDA: FDA Food Code overview, how states adopt the Food Code
- CDC: Food Safety, foodborne illness and the practices that prevent it
- FoodSafety.gov: Keep Food Safe, cleaning and sanitizing basics
- ServSafe Food Handler, the frontline credential, with current options and pricing
- O*NET OnLine: Dishwashers wages, Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data for dishwashers
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