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Date: 10/15/2025

Fast Food and Counter Workers

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.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
    • Scrub and polish counters, steam tables, and other equipment, and clean glasses, dishes, and fountain equipment.
    • Deliver orders to kitchens, and pick up and serve food when it is ready.
    • Select food items from serving or storage areas and place them in dishes, on serving trays, or in take-out bags.
    • Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.
    • Prepare and serve cold drinks, frozen milk drinks, or desserts, using drink-dispensing, milkshake, or frozen-custard machines.
    • Collect and return dirty dishes to the kitchen for washing.
    • Scrub and polish counters, steam tables, and other equipment, and clean glasses, dishes, and fountain equipment.
    • 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.
    • Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper.
    • 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.
    • Perform personnel activities, such as supervising and training employees.
    • Take customers' orders and write ordered items on tickets, giving ticket stubs to customers when needed to identify filled orders.
    • Brew coffee and tea, and fill containers with requested beverages.
    • Clean and organize eating, service, and kitchen areas.
    • Plan, prepare, and deliver meals to individuals with special dietary needs.
    • Deliver orders to kitchens, and pick up and serve food when it is ready.
    • Notify kitchen personnel of shortages or special orders.
    • Replenish foods at serving stations.
    • 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.
    • Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper.
    • Monitor and order supplies or food items, and restock as necessary to maintain inventory.
    • Prepare and serve cold drinks, frozen milk drinks, or desserts, using drink-dispensing, milkshake, or frozen-custard machines.
    • Add relishes and garnishes to food orders, according to instructions.
    • Plan, prepare, and deliver meals to individuals with special dietary needs.
    • Set up dining areas for meals, and clear them following meals.
    • Plan, prepare, and deliver meals to individuals with special dietary needs.
    • Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary.
    • Arrange tables and decorations according to instructions.
    • Wash dishes, glassware, and silverware after meals.
    • Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.
    • Wrap menu items such as sandwiches, hot entrees, and desserts for serving or for takeout.
    • Distribute food to servers.
    • Clean and organize eating, service, and kitchen areas.
    • Set up dining areas for meals, and clear them following meals.

    Skills

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    N/A
    Workplace Documents
    N/A
    Graphic Literacy
    N/A

    Abilities

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    Knowledge

    • Administration and Management

      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.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Public Safety and Security

      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.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Sales and Marketing

      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.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      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.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 28100/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 13.51/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 138,420
    • Yearly Projected Openings 31590

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Integrity
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Concern for Others
    • Cooperation

    Tools

    • Bar code reader equipment
    • Belt conveyors
    • Cappuccino or espresso machines
    • Carbonated beverage dispenser
    • Carts
    • Cash registers
    • Commercial use blenders
    • Commercial use broilers
    • Commercial use coffee grinders
    • Commercial use coffee or iced tea makers
    • Commercial use convection ovens
    • Commercial use cutlery
    • Commercial use deep fryers
    • Commercial use dishwashers
    • Commercial use dough machines
    • Commercial use electric can openers
    • Commercial use food choppers or cubers or dicers
    • Commercial use food grinders
    • Commercial use food processors
    • Commercial use food slicers
    • Commercial use food warmers
    • Commercial use graters
    • Commercial use grills
    • Commercial use heat lamps
    • Commercial use microwave ovens
    • Commercial use mixers
    • Commercial use molds
    • Commercial use ovens
    • Commercial use peelers
    • Commercial use ranges
    • Commercial use scales
    • Commercial use scoops
    • Commercial use steamers
    • Commercial use toasters
    • Desktop computers
    • Domestic kitchen or food thermometers
    • Food grade sanitizers
    • Ice dispensers
    • Intercom systems
    • Laser printers
    • Magnetic stripe readers and encoders
    • Milk dispensers
    • Milkshake machines
    • Non carbonated beverage dispenser
    • Personal computers
    • Pocket calculator
    • Point of sale POS receipt printers
    • Point of sale POS terminal
    • Slush machines
    • Soft serve machines
    • Touch screen monitors

    Technology

    • Computer based training software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Point of sale POS software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Web page creation and editing software

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