Fast Food and Counter Workers

Career Overview

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.

Also Known As

• Cafeteria Worker
• Counter Worker
• Food Service Worker
• Server

Alternate Job Titles

• Back of House Team Member (BOH Team Member)
• Bakery Associate
• Barista
• Bistro Team Member
• Cafe Server
• Cafe Worker
• Cafeteria Food Server
• Cafeteria Lunchroom Counter Attendant
• Cafeteria Server
• Cafeteria Worker
• Candy Attendant
• Candy Bar Attendant
• Candy Counter Clerk
• Canteen Operator
• Carhop

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

• Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
• Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food.
• Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper.
• Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.
• Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.
• 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.

Emerging Responsibilities

As this field evolves, you may also:

• Check and monitor food temperatures while cooking.

Knowledge You'll Use

You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:

• Customer and Personal Service
• English Language

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

• Oral Comprehension
• Near Vision
• Speech Recognition
• Speech Clarity
• Oral Expression
• Time Sharing
• Trunk Strength
• Information Ordering
• Manual Dexterity
• Arm-Hand Steadiness

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

• Dependability
• Cooperation
• Social Orientation
• Optimism
• Attention to Detail

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

• Relationships
• Support
• Working Conditions
• Independence
• Achievement

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: Less than a High School Diploma

On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month

Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

• Facebook
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Windows

Tools & Equipment

• Automatic dicers
• Automatic peelers
• Automatic slicers
• Barcode scanners
• Blenders
• Broilers
• Can openers
• Cappuccino makers
• Carbonated beverage dispensers
• Cash registers
• Chefs' knives
• Coffee makers
• Commercial coffee grinders
• Commercial coffeemakers
• Commercial cooking ovens

Work Environment

• Contact With Others
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
• Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
• Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People
• Spend Time Standing

Salary & Job Market

Salary Percentile	Annual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)	$22,620
Median	$30,480
Top Earners (90th percentile)	$38,800

Workers Employed Nationally: 3,780,930

Related Careers

If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:

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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.