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Cooks, Short Order

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they 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.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $35,880 Median per year · $17.25/hr Most earn $23,440–$46,460

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Order supplies and stock them on shelves.
  • 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 food preparation tasks, such as making sandwiches, carving meats, making soups or salads, baking breads or desserts, and brewing coffee or tea.
  • Take orders from customers and cook foods requiring short preparation times, according to customer requirements.
  • Grill and garnish hamburgers or other meats, such as steaks and chops.

Job outlook

United States
5% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 17,400 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Full-service restaurants21.6%
  • Grocery and specialty food retailers7.6%
  • Special food services6.4%
  • Gasoline stations5.5%
  • Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)4.5%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 3 to 6 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 3 to 6 monthsEntry-level

Short order cook is an entry-level job. You can often start with a high school diploma, and most people pick up the basics on the job in about 3 to 6 months.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school, where you can build basic math, reading, and food-handling skills that employers look for in a kitchen.

  2. Fast Food and Counter Workers

    Under 1 year

    Start at a counter or in a busy kitchen to learn customer service, order taking, and working fast under pressure.

  3. Cooks, Restaurant

    3 to 6 months

    Learn to cook on a line with a team, following recipes and food-safety rules, which gives you the hands-on practice short order cooking needs.

  4. Cooks, Short Order

    3 to 6 months

    Prepare quick-cooking foods to order, take orders from customers, and serve patrons at counters or tables.

Where it can lead

  1. Chef or Head Cook

    2-4 years of experience first

    Usually after gaining kitchen experience, you can move into a role that plans menus, supervises staff, and manages food costs; many people add a culinary program to get there.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take a foods or culinary classHands-on cooking classes teach knife skills, kitchen safety, and recipe following that you will use right away.
  • Get a part-time job in a restaurant or food counterEven a dishwashing or prep job shows you how a busy kitchen runs and builds your work habits.
  • Take math and reading coursesMeasuring, timing, and reading tickets or recipes all depend on solid basic math and reading.
  • Learn food-safety basicsReading about safe food handling helps you start strong and shows employers you take the job seriously.
  • Volunteer at a community kitchen or food pantryHelping prepare meals for groups builds speed, teamwork, and comfort working around heat and deadlines.

In college

  • Work a campus food jobDining hall, café, or catering jobs on campus give you real experience with fast service and customer orders.
  • Take a food safety or food handler courseA short certification shows employers you know safe handling and sanitation rules.
  • Take a nutrition or culinary electiveCourses in cooking techniques or food science help you understand how food is prepared and why it is safe.
  • Get restaurant experience on weekends or breaksWorking shifts at a diner or quick-service restaurant builds the speed and teamwork short order cooking needs.
  • Join a campus food or cooking clubClubs that cook for events give you practice working in a team under time pressure.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for a job at a diner, breakfast spot, or café. These places often train you on the grill and tickets from day one.
  • Learn food-safety basics early. Many kitchens value a food handler card, and it can make you a stronger applicant.
  • Ask to shadow the cook on the grill during a shift to see how orders are timed and called out.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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