Cooks, Short Order
What Cooks, Short Order Do
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.
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.
- Food Productionimportance 4.0/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.4/5
- English Languageimportance 3.2/5
- Production and Processingimportance 2.6/5
- Communications and Mediaimportance 2.5/5
- Chemistryimportance 2.4/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.3/5
- Foreign Languageimportance 2.2/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Spend Time Standing4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.5/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.1/5
- Physical Proximity4.1/5
- Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings4.0/5
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.
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers96% skill match
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners96% skill match
- Flight Attendants95% skill match
- Waiters and Waitresses94% skill match
- Gambling Cage Workers94% skill match
- Bartenders94% skill match
- Food Preparation Workers93% skill match
- Fast Food and Counter Workers93% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.6/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.6/5
- Instructingimportance 2.4/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.3/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro
- Foodman Home-Delivery
- Inventory control software
- Plexis Software Plexis POS
- RestaurantPlus PRO
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Attention to Detail
- Self-Control
- Cooperation
- Social Orientation
- Optimism
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
- SocialMedium
- ArtisticLow
- InvestigativeLow
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, short order make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Rapid City, SD6.31× national avg
- 2Guayama, PR5.10× national avg
- 3Sioux Falls, SD-MN4.12× national avg
- 4Manchester-Nashua, NH4.00× national avg
- 5Kingston, NY3.95× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Food Preparation WorkersLateral Move
- Fast Food and Counter WorkersLateral Move
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender HelpersLateral Move
- Food Servers, NonrestaurantLateral Move