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>Fast Food and Counter Workers
Fast Food and Counter Workers
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed
Experience
Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.
Education
Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.
Examples
These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include food preparation workers, dishwashers, sewing machine operators, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, logging equipment operators, and baristas.
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.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $17K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $19K
Median Salary: $23K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $27K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $31K
Demand
Core Tasks
Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.
Scrub and polish counters, steam tables, and other equipment, and clean glasses, dishes, and fountain equipment.
Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.
Perform cleaning duties such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary.
Request and record customer orders, and compute bills using cash registers, multi counting machines, or pencil and paper.
Take customers' orders and write ordered items on tickets, giving ticket stubs to customers when needed to identify filled orders.
Clean and organize eating, service, and kitchen areas.
Prepare daily food items, and cook simple foods and beverages, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, pizza, or coffee, using proper safety precautions and sanitary measures.
Serve food, beverages, or desserts to customers in such settings as take-out counters of restaurants or lunchrooms, business or industrial establishments, hotel rooms, and cars.
Monitor and order supplies or food items and restock as necessary to maintain inventory.
Brew coffee and tea, and fill containers with requested beverages.
Collect and return dirty dishes to the kitchen for washing.
Distribute food to servers.
Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food.
Set up dining areas for meals and clear them following meals.
Wash dishes, glassware, and silverware after meals.
Add relishes and garnishes to food orders, according to instructions.
Notify kitchen personnel of shortages or special orders.
Wrap menu item such as sandwiches, hot entrees, and desserts for serving or for takeout.
Deliver orders to kitchens, and pick up and serve food when it is ready.
Prepare and serve cold drinks, or frozen milk drinks or desserts, using drink-dispensing, milkshake, or frozen custard machines.
Select food items from serving or storage areas and place them in dishes, on serving trays, or in take-out bags.
Replenish foods at serving stations.
Arrange tables and decorations according to instructions.
Plan, prepare, and deliver meals to individuals with special dietary needs.
Perform personnel activities such as supervising and training employees.
Arrange reservations for patrons of dining establishments.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Customer and Personal Service
83%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Food Production
79%
Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
English Language
71%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Public Safety and Security
71%
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Sales and Marketing
71%
Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Administration and Management
63%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Mathematics
62%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Production and Processing
61%
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Computers and Electronics
57%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Education and Training
57%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Top 10 Skills
Active Listening
69%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation
65%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Speaking
62%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness
60%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination
59%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring
59%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making
58%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Critical Thinking
57%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension
55%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Instructing
54%
Teaching others how to do something.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Comprehension
74%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Recognition
68%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Near Vision
62%
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Expression
62%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Clarity
62%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Information Ordering
60%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Problem Sensitivity
58%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Selective Attention
58%
The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Trunk Strength
58%
The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
57%
The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Top 10 Work Activities
Getting Information
77%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
70%
Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
67%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
66%
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
65%
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Training and Teaching Others
64%
Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
Developing and Building Teams
63%
Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
62%
Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
Assisting and Caring for Others
61%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Coaching and Developing Others
61%
Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
Detailed Work Activities
Communicate with customers to resolve complaints or ensure satisfaction.
Process customer bills or payments.
Clean food preparation areas, facilities, or equipment.
Clean tableware.
Balance receipts.
Operate cash registers.
Take customer orders.
Serve food or beverages.
Cook foods.
Clean food service areas.
Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
Prepare hot or cold beverages.
Collect dirty dishes or other tableware.
Package food or supplies.
Communicate dining or order details to kitchen personnel.
Arrange food for serving.
Stock serving stations or dining areas with food or supplies.
Train food preparation or food service personnel.
Move equipment, supplies or food to required locations.
Arrange tables or dining areas.
Add garnishes to food.
Deliver items.
Prepare foods or meals.
Manage preparation of special meals or diets.
Schedule dining reservations.
Interests
Realistic
81%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
62%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Social
62%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Enterprising
55%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Artistic
19%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Investigative
15%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Top 10 Work Styles
Dependability
89%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self Control
86%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Stress Tolerance
86%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Cooperation
85%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Adaptability/Flexibility
84%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attention to Detail
84%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Integrity
83%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Initiative
81%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Independence
79%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Social Orientation
78%
Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Work Values
Relationships
65%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Working Conditions
28%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Independence
27%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Achievement
24%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition
24%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
