Cooks, Fast Food

Overview

Cooks, Fast Food has a national median salary of $30,890 per year, with +0.6% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists no formal educational credential as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

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.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Support
• Independence

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Read food order slips or receive verbal instructions as to food required by patron, and prepare and cook food according to instructions.
• Maintain sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas.
• Clean food preparation areas, cooking surfaces, and utensils.
• Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.
• Take food and drink orders and receive payment from customers.

Work Activities

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Getting Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Processing Information
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Performing General Physical Activities

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists no formal educational credential as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished an associate's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Associate's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for no formal educational credential.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Cooks, Fast Food:

Video Resources