Cooks, Short Order
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.
What it pays
Cooks, Short Order earn a median of $17.25/hr — about $36,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $11.27/hr; the top 10% earn $22.34/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Cooks, Short Order earn a median of $17.25/hr — about $36,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $11.27/hr; the top 10% earn $22.34/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables.
- Perform food preparation tasks, such as making sandwiches, carving meats, making soups or salads, baking breads or desserts, and brewing coffee or tea.
- Perform general cleaning activities in kitchen and dining areas.
- Restock kitchen supplies, rotate food, and stamp the time and date on food in coolers.
- Grill, cook, and fry foods such as french fries, eggs, and pancakes.
- Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
You're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of cooks, short order are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, organized and detail-focused and take-charge.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Chefs and Head Cooks
- Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
- Food Preparation Workers
- Waiters and Waitresses
- Dishwashers
Quick questions
- How much does a cooks, short order make?
- The median pay is $17.25 per hour — roughly $36,000 a year, with the real range running from about $11.27/hr (10th percentile) to $22.34/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a cooks, short order?
- The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a cooks, short order actually do all day?
- Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables. Perform food preparation tasks, such as making sandwiches, carving meats, making soups or salads, baking breads or desserts, and brewing coffee or tea. Perform general cleaning activities in kitchen and dining areas.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.