What You Need to Know About Fast Food Cook
Fast Food Cook Job Description 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 Do Fast Food Cooks Do On a Daily Basis?
- 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.
- Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.
- Prepare and serve beverages, such as coffee or fountain drinks.
- Cook and package batches of food, such as hamburgers or fried chicken, which are prepared to order or kept warm until sold.
- Pre-cook items, such as bacon, to prepare them for later use.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Fast Food Cook?
Fast Food Cooks state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Related Job Titles
- Pancake Professional
- Line Cook
- Grill Cook
- Fast Food Fry Cook
- Fast Food Cook
Fast Food Cook Job Outlook
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 517,600 jobs in the United States for Fast Food Cook. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Fast Food Cook. There will be an estimated 67,200 positions for Fast Food Cook per year.

The states with the most job growth for Fast Food Cook are Washington, Alaska, and Arizona. Watch out if you plan on working in Ohio, West Virginia, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Fast Food Cook Salary
The typical yearly salary for Fast Food Cooks is somewhere between $17,390 and $29,290.

Fast Food Cooks who work in Hawaii, Washington, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
How much do Fast Food Cooks make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $19,220 |
Alaska | $26,420 |
Arizona | $23,620 |
Arkansas | $20,840 |
California | $25,330 |
Colorado | $24,130 |
Connecticut | $27,040 |
Delaware | $21,450 |
District of Columbia | $29,220 |
Florida | $22,550 |
Georgia | $20,430 |
Hawaii | $28,160 |
Idaho | $19,360 |
Illinois | $21,690 |
Indiana | $20,000 |
Iowa | $20,500 |
Kansas | $19,760 |
Kentucky | $20,670 |
Louisiana | $19,440 |
Maine | $23,700 |
Maryland | $24,830 |
Massachusetts | $28,620 |
Michigan | $22,580 |
Minnesota | $24,370 |
Mississippi | $18,270 |
Missouri | $20,800 |
Montana | $22,550 |
Nebraska | $22,490 |
Nevada | $22,230 |
New Hampshire | $22,400 |
New Jersey | $23,410 |
New Mexico | $20,840 |
New York | $26,210 |
North Carolina | $19,020 |
North Dakota | $25,000 |
Ohio | $21,630 |
Oklahoma | $19,380 |
Oregon | $26,350 |
Pennsylvania | $20,530 |
Rhode Island | $24,950 |
South Carolina | $19,810 |
South Dakota | $22,280 |
Tennessee | $20,490 |
Texas | $21,000 |
Utah | $23,750 |
Vermont | $25,660 |
Virginia | $20,320 |
Washington | $28,960 |
West Virginia | $21,330 |
Wisconsin | $22,780 |
Wyoming | $20,210 |
What Tools do Fast Food Cooks Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Fast Food Cooks:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Outlook
- Point of sale POS software
- Plexis Software Plexis POS
- RestaurantPlus PRO
- Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro
- Foodman Home-Delivery
Becoming a Fast Food Cook
Learn what Fast Food Cook education requirements there are.

How many years of work experience do I need?

Fast Food Cooks Sector

Fast Food Cooks work in the following industries:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Fast Food Cook might also be interested in the following careers:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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