Occupations · Food Preparation and Serving
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 35-2011.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 109% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $36,360 | 55,760 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $28,310 | 18,560 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $30,380 | 18,130 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $34,180 | 17,550 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $35,110 | 17,370 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $35,730 | 12,450 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $29,920 | 12,420 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $31,780 | 11,460 |
| Raleigh, NC | $27,440 | 10,610 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $41,980 | 10,540 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $35,360 | 10,190 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $22,710 | 9,630 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: No formal educational credential · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Order and take delivery of supplies.
- Cook the exact number of items ordered by each customer, working on several different orders simultaneously.
- Prepare specialty foods, such as pizzas, fish and chips, sandwiches, or tacos, following specific methods that usually require short preparation time.
- Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.
- Wash, cut, and prepare foods designated for cooking.
- Prepare and serve beverages, such as coffee or fountain drinks.
- Clean food preparation areas, cooking surfaces, and utensils.
- Read food order slips or receive verbal instructions as to food required by patron, and prepare and cook food according to instructions.
- Serve orders to customers at windows, counters, or tables.
- Clean, stock, and restock workstations and display cases.
- Maintain sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas.
- Cook and package batches of food, such as hamburgers or fried chicken, prepared to order or kept warm until sold.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2019-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2019-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Take out garbage.
O*NET 30.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 3
No longer listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| quick service restaurant crew member | 9411.2 | close |
| cook | 5120.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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