Cooks, Fast Food
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.
Also known as: Cook, Deep Fat Fryer Operator, Fast Food Cook, Fast Food Fry Cook, Fast Food Worker, Food Service Cook, Fry Cook, Fryer, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Declining)
What You'd Do
- 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.
- Verify that prepared food meets requirements for quality and quantity.
- Take food and drink orders and receive payment from customers.
- Read food order slips or receive verbal instructions as to food required by patron, and prepare and cook food according to instructions.
- Wash, cut, and prepare foods designated for cooking.
- Measure ingredients required for specific food items.
- Cook and package batches of food, such as hamburgers or fried chicken, prepared to order or kept warm until sold.
- Cook the exact number of items ordered by each customer, working on several different orders simultaneously.
- Serve orders to customers at windows, counters, or tables.
- Clean, stock, and restock workstations and display cases.
- Prepare specialty foods, such as pizzas, fish and chips, sandwiches, or tacos, following specific methods that usually require short preparation time.
- Prepare dough, following recipe.
- Schedule activities and equipment use with managers, using information about daily menus to help coordinate cooking times.
- Prepare and serve beverages, such as coffee or fountain drinks.
- Mix ingredients, such as pancake or waffle batters.
- Order and take delivery of supplies.
- Pre-cook items, such as bacon, to prepare them for later use.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.