A great day at work looks like a cold, busy morning followed by a cup of coffee. If a student were to shadow me for the day at work he/she would see one cashier taking orders at the window and up front for customers who choose to dine in. I have to take orders, receive payment, give out change and serve food following work safety rules.
CAREER
Fast Food and Counter Workers
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$25,100
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+7.6% (as fast as the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
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.
Other Job Titles Fast Food and Counter Workers May Have
Cafe Server, Cafeteria Server, Food Service Assistant, Food Service Worker
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
It’s usually chill except when we get super busy, then it’s more hectic.
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.
- Scrub and polish counters, steam tables, and other equipment, and clean glasses, dishes, and fountain equipment.
- Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
- Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary.
- Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Fast Food and Counter Workers
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Less than high school diploma (54%)
Less than high school diploma
High school diploma or equivalent
Some college, no degree
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
High School
Suggested Path
Graduate
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
In order to do my job a person needs good communication skills. It's required to be able to take orders. You have to be able to deal with multitasking. Fast learning matters because it is a job in which you constantly walk or stand so slow working pace can interfere with other workers.
Being pretty good at math and reading because you maybe have to read something to a customer or you may have to handle cash.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
High School Students
First step is to take a first step - start somewhere.
Make sure you know what you want to go for and after you do look it up see if you need school or what you have to do to get on the right path instead of taking a whole bunch of different roads so when you graduate you can be one step ahead of everybody because you know what you want to do.
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
