Cooks, Fast Food
Food Preparation and Serving Related
The cooking is fast and narrow: a few basic items, cooked to the ticket, on large-volume equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles. Several orders run at once, so counts have to match what each customer asked for. Food is washed, cut, and prepped; set methods cover short-cook items like pizzas, sandwiches, or tacos; coffee and fountain drinks are made as well. Order slips or spoken requests set the pace, surfaces and utensils get cleaned through the shift, and supplies are ordered and taken in. Suits people who like repeating a tight set of tasks at speed while keeping many tickets moving.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$30'890
Median Wage Market Position
$30'890
What you might do
- Cook several ticket orders at the same time
- Run the grill, fryer, or griddle
- Wash and cut items before they hit the heat
- Build pizzas, tacos, or sandwiches to order
- Pour coffee and fountain drinks for customers
- Scrub prep tables, cooktops, and utensils
Skills that matter
- Cooking several ticket orders at once
- Working the grill, fryer, or griddle
- Reading order slips as they arrive
- Hearing verbal orders from the counter
- Preparing coffee and fountain drinks
- Cleaning cook surfaces and utensils
AI & the future of this role
Repetitive prep on specialized equipment means kitchen automation could take over more fixed-menu steps. Hands-on speed, food-safety habits, and adapting during rushes still matter, so the role looks only partly exposed.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details