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Skilled Trades

Cooks, Fast Food

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.

Median salary

$30,160

Typical range

$22k – $39k

Job outlook

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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Typical progression

  1. Junior Cooks, Fast Food

    Entry / Junior

    $22,370

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Cooks, Fast Food

    Established

    $30,160

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Cooks, Fast Food

    Senior

    $34,570

Key skills

A typical day

  • Order and take delivery of supplies.
  • Cook the exact number of items ordered by each customer, working on several different orders simultaneously.
  • Prepare specialty foods, such as pizzas, fish and chips, sandwiches, or tacos, following specific methods that usually require short preparation time.
  • Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.
  • Wash, cut, and prepare foods designated for cooking.

Fields of study

Any field

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