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Food Preparation Workers

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.

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.

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 $35,320 Median per year · $16.98/hr Most earn $25,810–$45,340

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Inform supervisors when equipment is not working properly and when food and supplies are getting low, and order needed items.
  • Remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers.
  • Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor.
  • Scrape leftovers from dishes into garbage containers.
  • Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware.
  • Wash, peel, and cut various foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to prepare for cooking or serving.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Numerous Job Openings

United States
3% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 135,700 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 restaurants23.5%
  • Grocery and specialty food retailers20.6%
  • Special food services7.0%
  • Elementary and secondary schools3.1%
  • General merchandise retailers3.1%

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

Food Preparation Worker is an entry-level job. You can often start with just a high school diploma, and most people get some hands-on experience of about 3 to 6 months in food service before they settle into the role.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school and build basic kitchen skills through classes, clubs, or a part-time food job. This is the usual minimum education for the field.

  2. Fast Food and Counter Worker

    3-6 months

    Start with a counter or food service job that needs no prior experience. You learn customer service, food handling rules, and how a busy kitchen runs, which prepares you for prep work.

  3. Food Preparation Worker

    Entry level

    Move into prep duties such as slicing meat, preparing cold foods, washing and cutting produce, and brewing coffee or tea. Your experience from the earlier job helps you start here.

Where it can lead

  1. Cook, Restaurant

    3-6 months of experience first

    Once you know your way around a kitchen, you can learn to cook full dishes on the line. This usually means learning recipes, timing, and cooking methods.

  2. Butcher or Meat Cutter

    1-2 years of experience first

    With more practice cutting meat and poultry, you can move into butchering work. It takes more training in knife skills, cuts of meat, and food safety.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take a foods or family and consumer sciences classThese classes teach knife skills, kitchen safety, and basic food prep that you will use right away on the job.
  • Get a part-time job in food serviceA job at a restaurant, grocery deli, or concession stand gives you real prep experience and a head start on the 3 to 6 months most people need.
  • Join a cooking or culinary club if your school has oneClub projects let you practice working in a team and following food safety rules under pressure.
  • Volunteer at a community kitchen or food pantryHelping prepare meals for large groups builds speed, teamwork, and comfort working around hot food and sharp tools.
  • Learn basic food safety rulesKnowing how to handle raw meat, seafood, and cold foods safely is a core skill for this job and makes you a stronger applicant.

In college

  • Take a food safety or sanitation courseMany community colleges and local health programs offer these, and they prepare you for the safety rules every food prep employer expects you to know.
  • Work in a campus dining hall or catering crewCampus food jobs give you steady prep experience, often with training provided, and help you build a work history.
  • Get a food handler or food manager certificationA short certification shows employers you know food safety, and it can help you move up to cook or supervisor roles later.
  • Work at a grocery store deli, seafood, or meat counterThese jobs teach slicing, portioning, and cold food prep, which are the core tasks of this career.
  • Take a nutrition or hospitality classUnderstanding food handling, ingredients, and how restaurants run helps you advance from prep work into kitchen leadership.

Tips for getting started

  • Get a food handler card or a basic food safety course. Many local health departments offer them, and they show employers you take safety seriously.
  • Ask about shifts that let you learn prep work, like a deli, salad station, or dish and prep help, not just cashier duties. Those skills move you toward this job faster.
  • Keep a simple record of your work hours and what you learned. It helps you show experience when you apply for the next job.

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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