Food Preparation Workers
Food Preparation and Serving Related
Gets ingredients ready for cooks rather than cooking the meals: weighing and measuring, slicing meat, preparing cold foods and shellfish, and brewing coffee or tea. The day also means carrying supplies between storage and work areas, storing food so it does not spoil, and recording temperatures in refrigerators and freezers. Cleaning is constant—sanitizing work areas, dishes, and utensils, sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming dining spaces, and emptying trash. The work fits people who want physical kitchen support, careful measuring, and a steady routine that keeps a crew supplied.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$35'320
Median Wage Market Position
$35'320
What you might do
- Prepare cold foods, shellfish, and sliced meats
- Weigh and measure ingredients for cooks
- Carry supplies from storage to work areas
- Check and record fridge and freezer temperatures
- Store food so it does not spoil
- Wash dishes and sanitize work areas
Skills that matter
- Preparing cold foods, shellfish, and sliced meats
- Ingredient weights and measures for cooks
- Refrigerator and freezer temperature logs
- Supplies fetched for cooks during service
- Sanitizing dishes, utensils, and work areas
- Close attention to cooks' next requests
AI & the future of this role
Much of this work involves routine slicing, portioning, and cold prep that automation could gradually take on. Physical presence and hygiene standards still count, though demand for purely repetitive prep tasks may soften as kitchens adopt more tools.
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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