| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
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| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Maintain sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas. |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles. |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Clean food preparation areas, cooking surfaces, and utensils. |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Cook the exact number of items ordered by each customer, working on several different orders simultaneously. |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Clean, stock, and restock workstations and display cases. |
| Importance: 99 (%) | Description: Verify that prepared food meets requirements for quality and quantity. |
| Importance: 99 (%) | Description: Pre-cook items, such as bacon, to prepare them for later use. |
| Importance: 99 (%) | Description: Read food order slips or receive verbal instructions as to food required by patron, and prepare and cook food according to instructions. |
| Importance: 97 (%) | Description: Prepare specialty foods, such as pizzas, fish and chips, sandwiches, or tacos, following specific methods that usually require short preparation time. |
| Importance: 97 (%) | Description: Cook and package batches of food, such as hamburgers or fried chicken, prepared to order or kept warm until sold. |
| Importance: 96 (%) | Description: Measure ingredients required for specific food items. |
| Importance: 95 (%) | Description: Schedule activities and equipment use with managers, using information about daily menus to help coordinate cooking times. |
| Importance: 94 (%) | Description: Serve orders to customers at windows, counters, or tables. |
| Importance: 94 (%) | Description: Take food and drink orders and receive payment from customers. |
| Importance: 93 (%) | Description: Prepare and serve beverages, such as coffee or fountain drinks. |
| Importance: 93 (%) | Description: Wash, cut, and prepare foods designated for cooking. |
| Importance: 89 (%) | Description: Order and take delivery of supplies. |
| Importance: 83 (%) | Description: Mix ingredients, such as pancake or waffle batters. |
| Importance: 81 (%) | Description: Prepare dough, following recipe. |
Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers Careers and Jobs
Select, Find and Prepare for Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers Jobs Matched Across 16 Careers - all on one page
Food service careers combine food preparation, sanitation, guest service, and fast-paced coordination in restaurants, institutions, and events. For people who enjoy cooking, serving guests, and working as part of a hospitality team. Use the tools below to compare related job titles, education requirements, growth, and career resources.
Here is a short Helper Video 
.
This page will take you through 4 steps to (1) Select from Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers careers/jobs, (2) Find Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers job listings, (3) Prepare for matching Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers careers, and (4) Provide Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers career-specific resources.
Step 1: Select a Career/Job: This page starts with 4 ways for you to identify and select from listings of Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers careers/jobs:
A) Fastest Growing Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers Careers - 2023 to 2033 (est.)
These listings are based on job growth estimates and helps you to identify the fastest growing and evolving Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers careers. Some careers may not initially seem related to Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers, so relevant Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers jobs are listed alongside each listing. This can also help us to identify which careers (bottom of the listing) may have negative growth - perhaps due to automation or planned obsolescence.
B) Median Annual Salary U.S. Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers Careers
These listings are sorted (descending) by median annual salary in the U.S. This may help us to identify our ideal career. We may not qualify at this time for the desired career, but this listing and the results provided can help us to explore job details, as well as learn how to appropriately prepare for the career.
C) Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers Career Ladders (Educational Requirements)
These listings will help us to identify Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers careers sorted by educational requirements (with the most difficult to obtain listed first). This may help us to identify career ladders (as we scroll down the list), and help us to get jobs that we qualify for now.
D) Select From a Listing of 511 Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers Job Titles.
The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
Once you have identified a job title of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the chosen career. Information may include (not every career choice includes all of the elements below - updates occur quarterly):
Core Duties: Lists the primary worker-related tasks performed in this occupation
Supplemental Duties: Lists additional tasks that are performed but are secondary to the core duties
Work Activities: Summarizes the broad types of behaviors and actions related to this career
Specific Work Activities: Provides more granular day-to-day activities tied to the work performed
Essential Skills: Provides foundational skills that are core to performing this specific occupation
Transferable Skills: Provides career-portable skills that can be applied across multiple occupations and industries
Day-in-the-Life Summaries: Provides a snapshot of the key activities performed on a typical workday in this career
Knowledge Required: Provides the requirements regarding the acquisition of facts and principles
Software Skills: Lists software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized by category and priority
Preparation Required: Provides a summary of the required experience and education
Education Required: Detailed breakdown of the education required
Training and Experience Required: Detailed breakdown of the training and work experience required
Certifications: Provides appropriate government and private-sector certifications and/or credentials that may be required
Professional Associations: Provides professional associations that are related to the career selected
Job Listings: Provides links to active current job listings for the selected career, along with multiple similar job titles to explore. All information appears on this page without navigating away.
Related Careers to Consider: Lists up to 20 careers that might be of interest to you (related to your initial choice - what they do, what they know, and what they're called), ranked by best fit.
** If you clicked on a link from section D (as described in Step 1 above), you will see one or more links to an occupation that is usually a bit more general than your initial job title selection - the link(s) is directly related to the specific job you identified through your prior selections.
*NOTE: It is possible that there may not be a career path identified for the specific job you selected in Step 1. If this is the case, scroll up the page and click on a different career/job.
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that provide detailed (updated) links specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview. Can also assist with coffee chats.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career/Job
15 Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers careers are listed below (sorted by Percentage Change in Total Job Openings - 2023 to 2033 est.). Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers-related jobs specific to each career are also provided. This shows which careers are emerging and growing the fastest. Please Scroll and Select below:
| Occupations | U.S. Job Openings 2023-2033 (% change) | Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers-Related Jobs |
16 Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers careers are listed below (sorted by U.S. National Median Salary). Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers-related jobs specific to each occupation are also provided. Please Scroll and Select below::
| Occupations | National Median Salary | Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers-Related Jobs |
16 Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers careers are listed (sorted by Education/Preparation Requirements - descending) to provide career ladders. Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers-related jobs specific to each career are also provided.
|
Education/Preparation Categories: 5 = Usually requires graduate school (e.g., Master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.) 4 = Usually requires a four-year Bachelor's degree 3 = Usually requires vocational training, related on-the-job experience, or Associate's degree 2 = Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, but not always Please Scroll and Select below: |
||
| Occupations | Education/Preparation | Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers-Related Jobs |
Scroll through the picklist (below). There are 511 specific Food Preparation and Serving Related Careers job titles listed. Select those that may be of interest - you will get active job listing links, along with detailed resources to help you prepare for a career related to that job.
You can use this form two ways:
Filter - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles below
Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title (Scroll and Select) :
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Job Listings
.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
No selection made: Please make a selection from 1) SELECT A CAREER/JOB(at top of page)
Cooks, Fast Food
Description: Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of these cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Cooks, Fast Food":
U.S. Total Employment (2023):
547,800U.S. Total Employment (2033 est.):
536,200
Employment Change (2023-2033 est.):
-11,600 (-2.1%) Average Annual Job Openings (2023-2033 est.):
77,100
Core Duties
Specific Work Activities
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
|
| Check quality of foods or supplies. | |
| Clean food preparation areas, facilities, or equipment. | |
| Cook foods. | |
| Coordinate timing of food production activities. | |
| Measure ingredients. | |
| Mix ingredients. | |
| Order materials, supplies, or equipment. | |
| Prepare breads or doughs. | |
| Prepare foods for cooking or serving. | |
| Prepare hot or cold beverages. | |
| Process customer bills or payments. | |
| Serve food or beverages. | |
| Stock serving stations or dining areas with food or supplies. | |
| Take customer orders. | |
Day-in-the-Life Summaries
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas. |
| Activity: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures. |
| Activity: Execute financial transactions. |
| Activity: Inspect completed work or finished products. |
| Activity: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment. |
| Activity: Prepare foods or beverages. |
| Activity: Prepare mixtures or solutions. |
| Activity: Provide food or beverage services. |
| Activity: Purchase goods or services. |
| Activity: Stock supplies or products. |
Knowledge Required
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Transportation: Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Communications and Media: Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions. |
| Importance: 60 (%) | Description: English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar. |
Software Skills
| Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
| Emerging Tech Skills |
| Electronic mail software: |
| Microsoft Outlook |
| Spreadsheet software: |
| Microsoft Excel |
| Word processing software: |
| Microsoft Word |
| General Software Tools |
| Point of sale POS software: |
| Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro Foodman Home-Delivery Plexis Software Plexis POS RestaurantPlus PRO |
Preparation Required
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed |
| Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. |
| Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. |
| These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards. |
Education Required
| Education Required - by frequency of educational attainment This shows you details about the level of education most commonly held by workers in this occupation. How can you begin planning the educational pathway that will prepare you best for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Education |
| Frequency of Attainment: 58.0 (%) | Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 42.0 (%) | Level of Education: Less than a High School Diploma |
Training and Experience Required
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 74.6 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
| Frequency of Attainment: 21.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Up to and including 1 month |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.4 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
Local Salary Information
Select a State (scroll and Select) :
Please select a State to see State and National Salaries
Certifications
| Certifications These are examples of certifications that may be important for this occupation. How can you begin exploring which certifications fit your goals and what steps you would need to take to earn them? |
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Certified Fundamentals Cook
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Job Listings
| Job Listings and Similar Occupational Titles Scroll and click to see current job listings. How can you use these listings to identify common requirements, keywords, and skills you should highlight on your resume? |
Related Careers to Consider
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources
This section contains detailed external resources appropriate to "Cooks, Fast Food". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Videos
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Job Description
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
Interviews
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Step-by-Step
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Cooks, Fast Food
LinkedIn®
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
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