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Cooks, Fast Food

  • Bright Outlook
  • Numerous Job Openings

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.

What you’d do

  • Read food order slips or receive verbal instructions as to food required by patron, and prepare and cook food according to instructions.
  • 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.
  • Take food and drink orders and receive payment from customers.
  • 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.
  • Verify that prepared food meets requirements for quality and quantity.

Skills that matter

  • Service Orientation
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Coordination
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Cook
  • Grill Cook
  • Line Cook
  • Pizza Cook
  • Cook Line Worker
  • Fast Food Cook

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