Cooks, Short Order
Hospitality and TourismO*NET 35-2015.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $35,666
- Projected change
- −0.7%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 145.02K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
80.8% of the workforce
Growing to 144.02K by 2035
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The work
What cooks, short order do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables.
- Restock kitchen supplies, rotate food, and stamp the time and date on food in coolers.
- Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.
- Complete orders from steam tables, placing food on plates and serving customers at tables or counters.
- Grill, cook, and fry foods such as french fries, eggs, and pancakes.
- 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.
- Take orders from customers and cook foods requiring short preparation times, according to customer requirements.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $23,039
- 25th percentile
- $30,219
- 50th percentile
- $35,666
- 75th percentile
- $42,454
- 90th percentile
- $47,300
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $35,666 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−0.7%projected to decline
2025145,017 jobs
2035 projected144,022 jobs
995 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 80.8%
- Some college
- 9.5%
- Certificate
- 7.4%
- Associate degree
- 2.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- 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.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Grill Cooks6,560 postings
- 02Breakfast Cooks1,631 postings
- 03Short Order Cooks360 postings
- 04Grill Prep Cooks217 postings
- 05Market Coordinators142 postings
- 06Cooks87 postings
- 07Broiler Cooks34 postings
- 08Grill Cashiers31 postings
- 09Grill Cook Operators30 postings
- 10Cooks/Cocinero/Cocinera19 postings
- 11Saute Cooks19 postings
- 12Cooks/Kitchen Managers18 postings
- 13Prep Cooks13 postings
- 14Line/Prep Cooks12 postings
- 15Grill Masters10 postings
- 16High Volume Recruiters10 postings
- 17Grill Team Members9 postings
- 18Concessions Cooks8 postings
- 19Crew Members - Cook8 postings
- 20Gaucho Chefs8 postings
Top employers
- 01CAVA1,411 postings
- 02Compass Group1,023 postings
- 03Sodexo680 postings
- 04Waffle House541 postings
- 05Hy-Vee296 postings
- 06Aramark114 postings
- 07Bob Evans Restaurants91 postings
- 08Morrison Healthcare91 postings
- 09Hilton90 postings
- 10Marriott International60 postings
- 11Babson College51 postings
- 12Guest Services37 postings
- 13Bon Appetit35 postings
- 14Elior Group32 postings
- 15Hyatt30 postings
- 16Jacksons28 postings
- 17Atrium Hospitality25 postings
- 18FLIK Hospitality Group23 postings
- 19Canteen22 postings
- 20Grazianos20 postings
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