Cooks, Short Order

Overview

Cooks, Short Order has a national median salary of $35,880 per year, with -5.2% 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 to order a variety of foods that require only a short preparation time. May take orders from customers and serve patrons at counters or tables.

Work Values

• Independence
• Relationships
• Support

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables.
• Grill and garnish hamburgers or other meats, such as steaks and chops.
• Restock kitchen supplies, rotate food, and stamp the time and date on food in coolers.
• Complete orders from steam tables, placing food on plates and serving customers at tables or counters.
• Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.

Work Activities

• Processing Information
• Getting Information
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Detailed Work Activities

• Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

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, Short Order:

Video Resources