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Cooks, Short Order: Career Profile
Prepare and cook to order a variety of foods that require only a short preparation time. May take orders from customers and serve patrons at counters or tables.
What Tasks Do Cooks, Short Order Perform?
The core tasks performed by cooks, short order cover:
- Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables.
- Restock kitchen supplies, rotate food, and stamp the time and date on food in coolers.
- Complete orders from steam tables, placing food on plates and serving customers at tables or counters.
- Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.
- Grill, cook, and fry foods such as french fries, eggs, and pancakes.
- Perform food preparation tasks, such as making sandwiches, carving meats, making soups or salads, baking breads or desserts, and brewing coffee or tea.
- Perform general cleaning activities in kitchen and dining areas.
- Take orders from customers and cook foods requiring short preparation times, according to customer requirements.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful cooks, short order rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Barbecue Cook
- Bed and Breakfast Cook (B&B Cook)
- Breakfast Cook
- Breakfast Line Cook
- Broiler Cook
- Chuck Wagon Cook
- Cook
- Deli Cook (Delicatessen Cook)
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 1,875,354 cooks, short order working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +1.8% over the projection horizon.
Cooks, Short Order Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $40,823 |
| Hourly median | $19.63 |
| 10th percentile | $25,292 |
| 25th percentile | $33,058 |
| 75th percentile | $48,589 |
| 90th percentile | $56,354 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Cooks, Short Order Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Arizona | $46,240 |
| Washington | $46,010 |
| Massachusetts | $44,770 |
| Colorado | $44,090 |
| Hawaii | $41,100 |
| Alaska | $39,940 |
| Vermont | $39,140 |
| California | $39,010 |
| Nevada | $38,970 |
| District of Columbia | $38,340 |
| New Mexico | $38,130 |
| Connecticut | $36,970 |
| New York | $36,830 |
| Illinois | $36,700 |
| Utah | $36,680 |
| Oregon | $35,620 |
| Wyoming | $35,620 |
| Missouri | $35,300 |
| Maryland | $35,280 |
| New Jersey | $35,190 |
| North Dakota | $34,700 |
| Rhode Island | $34,410 |
| Florida | $34,320 |
| Maine | $34,070 |
| Delaware | $31,960 |
| Iowa | $31,520 |
| Montana | $31,490 |
| Idaho | $31,280 |
| Nebraska | $31,200 |
| South Dakota | $31,160 |
| Oklahoma | $31,040 |
| Indiana | $30,700 |
| Michigan | $30,670 |
| North Carolina | $30,530 |
| Virginia | $30,270 |
| Arkansas | $29,410 |
| Minnesota | $29,260 |
| South Carolina | $29,180 |
| Kentucky | $29,120 |
| New Hampshire | $29,000 |
| Tennessee | $29,000 |
| Texas | $28,770 |
| Ohio | $28,400 |
| West Virginia | $27,480 |
| Wisconsin | $27,300 |
| Louisiana | $27,050 |
| Kansas | $26,780 |
| Mississippi | $25,710 |
| Alabama | $25,340 |
| Guam | $22,350 |
| Georgia | $22,160 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,200 |
| Pennsylvania | $18,400 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Compensation for cooks, short order vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountains | $41,260 | 2.5% | 0.60 |
| Far Western US | $39,057 | 33.8% | 1.86 |
| New England | $37,814 | 7.6% | 2.21 |
| Plains States | $31,831 | 7.2% | 1.90 |
| Southwest | $30,675 | 5.0% | 0.49 |
| Great Lakes | $29,571 | 13.2% | 0.95 |
| Southeast | $27,893 | 23.6% | 1.12 |
| Middle Atlantic | $26,869 | 6.4% | 0.71 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Cooks, Short Order
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | HI | $48,970 | 140 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | AZ | $48,700 | |
| Barnstable Town, MA | MA | $46,830 | 190 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $46,010 | |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $44,270 | |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $44,090 | 1,160 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | WA | $43,740 | 50 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $43,610 | 4,070 |
Which Industries Hire Cooks, Short Order
Most cooks, short order work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and Food Services | 124,350 | $35,620 |
| Retail Trade | 14,940 | $35,170 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 5,670 | $33,390 |
| Manufacturing | 1,360 | $37,190 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,250 | $30,540 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 1,030 | $44,430 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 640 | $39,760 |
| Information | 360 | $46,860 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Cooks, Short Order Use
- Point of sale POS software: Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro
- Point of sale POS software: Foodman Home-Delivery
- Inventory management software: Inventory control software
- Point of sale POS software: Plexis Software Plexis POS
- Point of sale POS software: Point of sale POS software
- Point of sale POS software: RestaurantPlus PRO
What the Workplace Is Like
The on-the-job environment of cooks, short order is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Standing
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Physical Proximity
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level cooks, short order positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Food Service Managers (Supplemental)
- Chefs and Head Cooks (Primary-Long)
- Cooks, Fast Food (Primary-Short)
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria (Primary-Short)
- Cooks, Private Household (Primary-Long)
- Cooks, Restaurant (Primary-Short)
- Food Preparation Workers (Primary-Short)
- Fast Food and Counter Workers (Primary-Long)
References
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 35-2015.00 (Cooks, Short Order).
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