Fast Food and Counter Workers
What Fast Food and Counter Workers Do
Perform duties such as taking orders and serving food and beverages. Serve customers at counter or from a steam table. May take payment. May prepare food and beverages.
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
- 0.1%
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.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.8/5
- English Languageimportance 3.5/5
- Food Productionimportance 3.4/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.7/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.6/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 2.5/5
- Production and Processingimportance 2.4/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Contact With Others4.9/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.4/5
- Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People4.4/5
- Spend Time Standing4.4/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.4/5
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.
- Office Clerks, General97% skill match
- Waiters and Waitresses97% skill match
- Cashiers96% skill match
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators95% skill match
- Animal Caretakers95% skill match
- Tellers95% skill match
- Flight Attendants95% skill match
- Library Assistants, Clerical95% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.4/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.4/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.0/5
- Instructingimportance 2.0/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 2.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- Aldelo Systems Aldelo for Restaurants Pro
- Compris software
- Foodman Home-Delivery
- Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale
- MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series
- Menu and nutrition database software
- NCR Advanced Checkout Solution
- NCR NeighborhoodPOS
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Social Orientation
- Optimism
- Attention to Detail
- Self-Control
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ConventionalMedium
- RealisticMedium
- SocialMedium
- EnterprisingMedium
- 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 fast food and counter workers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Lawrence, KS2.25× national avg
- 2Eagle Pass, TX2.18× national avg
- 3Hinesville, GA2.04× national avg
- 4Warner Robins, GA1.93× national avg
- 5Lubbock, TX1.92× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Waiters and WaitressesLateral Move
- BartendersLateral Move
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee ShopLateral Move
- CashiersCareer Change
See the full career path from Fast Food and Counter Workers →