What Do Fast Food Cook Do?
Position 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.
Fast Food Cook Responsibilities
- Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.
- Maintain sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas.
- Take food and drink orders and receive payment from customers.
- Clean, stock, and restock workstations and display cases.
- Pre-cook items, such as bacon, to prepare them for later use.
- Schedule activities and equipment use with managers, using information about daily menus to help coordinate cooking times.
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Fast Food Cook Needed Skills
These are the skills Fast Food Cooks say are the most useful in their careers:
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.
Types of Fast Food Cook
- Fryline Attendant
- Line Cook
- Fast Food Cook
- Specialty Cook
- Pancake Professional
Is There Job Demand for Fast Food Cooks?
There were about 517,600 jobs for Fast Food Cook in 2016 (in the United States). 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.
Average Fast Food Cooks Salary
The salary for Fast Food Cooks ranges between about $17,390 and $29,290 a year.

Fast Food Cooks who work in Hawaii, Washington, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Fast Food Cooks in different U.S. states.
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?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Fast Food Cooks may use on a daily basis:
- 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
How do I Become a Fast Food Cook?
What education is needed to be a Fast Food Cook?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Fast Food Cooks Work

The table below shows the approximate number of Fast Food Cooks employed by various industries.

Related Careers
Those interested in being a Fast Food Cook may also be interested in:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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