Cooks, Fast Food
What Cooks, Fast Food Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.3/5
- Transportationimportance 3.3/5
- Communications and Mediaimportance 3.2/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.1/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.1/5
- English Languageimportance 3.1/5
- Economics and Accountingimportance 2.7/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 2.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
- Spend Time Standing4.4/5
- Consequence of Error3.9/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate3.9/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team3.9/5
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results3.8/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Animal Control Workers97% skill match
- Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys97% skill match
- Psychiatric Aides97% skill match
- Gambling Cage Workers96% skill match
- Security Guards96% skill match
- Tellers96% skill match
- Bailiffs95% skill match
- Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators95% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.8/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.8/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.5/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.4/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.3/5
- Negotiationimportance 2.1/5
- Instructingimportance 2.1/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro
- Foodman Home-Delivery
- Plexis Software Plexis POS
- RestaurantPlus PRO
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Stress Tolerance
- Cooperation
- Self-Control
- Optimism
- Perseverance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingMedium
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
- InvestigativeLow
Specific Interests
A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where cooks, fast food make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Jacksonville, NC8.45× national avg
- 2Parkersburg-Vienna, WV7.49× national avg
- 3Fayetteville, NC7.19× national avg
- 4Goldsboro, NC6.66× national avg
- 5Beckley, WV6.61× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Flight AttendantsCareer Change
- Driver/Sales WorkersCareer Change
- Parking AttendantsCareer Change
- Animal Control WorkersCareer Change