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Date: 08/11/2025

Food Preparation Workers

Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.

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  • Work Activities
  • Skills
  • WorkKeys®
  • Abilities
  • Knowledge
  • Career Video
  • Pay
  • Ohio Employment Trends
  • Typical Education
  • Personality
  • Tools
  • Technology
  • Portion and wrap food, or place it directly on plates for service to patrons.
  • Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage.
  • Place food trays over food warmers for immediate service, or store them in refrigerated storage cabinets.
  • Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas, such as refrigerators and freezers.
  • Add cutlery, napkins, food, and other items to trays on assembly lines in hospitals, cafeterias, airline kitchens, and similar establishments.
  • Prepare and serve a variety of beverages, such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
  • Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware.
  • Mix ingredients for green salads, molded fruit salads, vegetable salads, and pasta salads.
  • Package take-out foods or serve food to customers.
  • Keep records of the quantities of food used.
  • Stock cupboards and refrigerators, and tend salad bars and buffet meals.
  • Distribute food to waiters and waitresses to serve to customers.
  • Remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers.
  • Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor.
  • Operate cash register, handle money, and give correct change.
  • Butcher and clean fowl, fish, poultry, and shellfish to prepare for cooking or serving.
  • Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor.
  • Inform supervisors when equipment is not working properly and when food and supplies are getting low, and order needed items.
  • Scrape leftovers from dishes into garbage containers.
  • Wash, peel, and cut various foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to prepare for cooking or serving.
  • Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware.
  • Operate cash register, handle money, and give correct change.
  • Assist cooks and kitchen staff with various tasks as needed, and provide cooks with needed items.
  • Prepare and serve a variety of beverages, such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
  • Stir and strain soups and sauces.
  • Receive and store food supplies, equipment, and utensils in refrigerators, cupboards, and other storage areas.
  • Distribute menus to hospital patients, collect diet sheets, and deliver food trays and snacks to nursing units or directly to patients.
  • Assemble meal trays with foods in accordance with patients' diets.
  • Carry food supplies, equipment, and utensils to and from storage and work areas.
  • Stock cupboards and refrigerators, and tend salad bars and buffet meals.
  • Weigh or measure ingredients.
  • Place food trays over food warmers for immediate service, or store them in refrigerated storage cabinets.
  • Use manual or electric appliances to clean, peel, slice, and trim foods.
  • Cut, slice or grind meat, poultry, and seafood to prepare for cooking.
  • Prepare a variety of foods, such as meats, vegetables, or desserts, according to customers' orders or supervisors' instructions, following approved procedures.
  • Load dishes, glasses, and tableware into dishwashing machines.
  • Package take-out foods or serve food to customers.
  • Make special dressings and sauces as condiments for sandwiches.
  • Use manual or electric appliances to clean, peel, slice, and trim foods.
  • Portion and wrap food, or place it directly on plates for service to patrons.

Work Activities

Work Activities

  • Portion and wrap food, or place it directly on plates for service to patrons.
  • Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage.
  • Place food trays over food warmers for immediate service, or store them in refrigerated storage cabinets.
  • Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas, such as refrigerators and freezers.
  • Add cutlery, napkins, food, and other items to trays on assembly lines in hospitals, cafeterias, airline kitchens, and similar establishments.
  • Prepare and serve a variety of beverages, such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
  • Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware.
  • Mix ingredients for green salads, molded fruit salads, vegetable salads, and pasta salads.
  • Package take-out foods or serve food to customers.
  • Keep records of the quantities of food used.
  • Stock cupboards and refrigerators, and tend salad bars and buffet meals.
  • Distribute food to waiters and waitresses to serve to customers.
  • Remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers.
  • Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor.
  • Operate cash register, handle money, and give correct change.
  • Butcher and clean fowl, fish, poultry, and shellfish to prepare for cooking or serving.
  • Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor.
  • Inform supervisors when equipment is not working properly and when food and supplies are getting low, and order needed items.
  • Scrape leftovers from dishes into garbage containers.
  • Wash, peel, and cut various foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to prepare for cooking or serving.
  • Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware.
  • Operate cash register, handle money, and give correct change.
  • Assist cooks and kitchen staff with various tasks as needed, and provide cooks with needed items.
  • Prepare and serve a variety of beverages, such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
  • Stir and strain soups and sauces.
  • Receive and store food supplies, equipment, and utensils in refrigerators, cupboards, and other storage areas.
  • Distribute menus to hospital patients, collect diet sheets, and deliver food trays and snacks to nursing units or directly to patients.
  • Assemble meal trays with foods in accordance with patients' diets.
  • Carry food supplies, equipment, and utensils to and from storage and work areas.
  • Stock cupboards and refrigerators, and tend salad bars and buffet meals.
  • Weigh or measure ingredients.
  • Place food trays over food warmers for immediate service, or store them in refrigerated storage cabinets.
  • Use manual or electric appliances to clean, peel, slice, and trim foods.
  • Cut, slice or grind meat, poultry, and seafood to prepare for cooking.
  • Prepare a variety of foods, such as meats, vegetables, or desserts, according to customers' orders or supervisors' instructions, following approved procedures.
  • Load dishes, glasses, and tableware into dishwashing machines.
  • Package take-out foods or serve food to customers.
  • Make special dressings and sauces as condiments for sandwiches.
  • Use manual or electric appliances to clean, peel, slice, and trim foods.
  • Portion and wrap food, or place it directly on plates for service to patrons.

Skills

  • Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

  • Equipment Maintenance

    Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

  • Science

    Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

  • Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • Mathematics

    Using math to solve problems.

  • Active Listening

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

  • Complex Problem Solving

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

  • Repairing

    Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

  • Management of Financial Resources

    Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

  • Systems Evaluation

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

  • Coordination

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

  • Technology Design

    Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

  • Monitoring

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

  • Judgment and Decision Making

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

  • Operations Analysis

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

  • Reading Comprehension

    Reading work-related information.

  • Equipment Selection

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

  • Installation

    Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

  • Learning Strategies

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

  • Active Learning

    Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

  • Management of Material Resources

    Managing equipment and materials.

  • Operation and Control

    Using equipment or systems.

  • Negotiation

    Bringing people together to solve differences.

  • Management of Personnel Resources

    Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

  • Quality Control Analysis

    Testing how well a product or service works.

  • Critical Thinking

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

  • Time Management

    Managing your time and the time of other people.

  • Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • Programming

    Writing computer programs.

  • Troubleshooting

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

  • Social Perceptiveness

    Understanding people's reactions.

  • Operations Monitoring

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

  • Service Orientation

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • Systems Analysis

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

  • Speaking

    Talking to others.

WorkKeys®

Applied Math
3
Workplace Documents
3
Graphic Literacy
3

Abilities

  • Oral Expression

    Communicating by speaking.

  • Deductive Reasoning

    Using rules to solve problems.

  • Gross Body Coordination

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

  • Visual Color Discrimination

    Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

  • Originality

    Creating new and original ideas.

  • Number Facility

    Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

  • Auditory Attention

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

  • Extent Flexibility

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

  • Selective Attention

    Paying attention to something without being distracted.

  • Glare Sensitivity

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

  • Problem Sensitivity

    Noticing when problems happen.

  • Reaction Time

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

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness

    Keeping your arm or hand steady.

  • Perceptual Speed

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

  • Spatial Orientation

    Knowing where things are around you.

  • Speech Clarity

    Speaking clearly.

  • Manual Dexterity

    Holding or moving items with your hands.

  • Explosive Strength

    Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

  • Dynamic Strength

    Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

  • Dynamic Flexibility

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

  • Speed of Closure

    Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

  • Near Vision

    Seeing details up close.

  • Control Precision

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

  • Flexibility of Closure

    Seeing hidden patterns.

  • Finger Dexterity

    Putting together small parts with your fingers.

  • Stamina

    Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

  • Time Sharing

    Doing two or more things at the same time.

  • Written Expression

    Communicating by writing.

  • Night Vision

    Seeing at night or under low light.

  • Peripheral Vision

    Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

  • Oral Comprehension

    Listening and understanding what people say.

  • Memorization

    Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

  • Inductive Reasoning

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

  • Written Comprehension

    Reading and understanding what is written.

  • Gross Body Equilibrium

    Keeping your balance or staying upright.

  • Fluency of Ideas

    Coming up with lots of ideas.

  • Speech Recognition

    Recognizing spoken words.

  • Multilimb Coordination

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

  • Wrist-Finger Speed

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

  • Speed of Limb Movement

    Quickly moving your arms and legs.

  • Static Strength

    Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

  • Depth Perception

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

  • Rate Control

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

  • Mathematical Reasoning

    Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

  • Sound Localization

    Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

  • Trunk Strength

    Using your lower back and stomach.

  • Response Orientation

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

  • Category Flexibility

    Grouping things in different ways.

  • Information Ordering

    Ordering or arranging things.

  • Hearing Sensitivity

    Telling the difference between sounds.

  • Visualization

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

  • Far Vision

    Seeing details that are far away.

Knowledge

  • Mechanical

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

  • Telecommunications

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

  • History and Archeology

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Food Production

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

  • 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.

  • Transportation

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Economics and Accounting

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

  • 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.

  • Production and Processing

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

  • 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.

  • Design

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

  • 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.

  • Law and Government

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

  • 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.

  • Sociology and Anthropology

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • English Language

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

  • 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.

  • Computers and Electronics

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

  • 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.

Career Video

Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

Pay

  • Typical Salary
  • $39,290
    $31,590
    $24,680
    Ohio
    US
    $44,260
    $34,220
    $23,490
  • Typical Hourly Wage
  • $19
    $15
    $12
    Ohio
    US
    $21
    $16
    $11

Ohio Employment Trends

  • Currently Employed 21,500
  • Yearly Projected Openings 3800

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:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Self Control
  • Independence
  • Initiative
  • Integrity

Tools

  • Belt conveyors
  • Cappuccino or espresso machines
  • Carbonated beverage dispenser
  • Commercial use blenders
  • Commercial use broilers
  • Commercial use coffee grinders
  • Commercial use coffee or iced tea makers
  • Commercial use cotton candy machines or accessories
  • Commercial use cutlery
  • Commercial use deep fryers
  • Commercial use dishwashers
  • Commercial use dough machines
  • 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 griddles
  • Commercial use grills
  • Commercial use measuring cups
  • Commercial use microwave ovens
  • Commercial use mixers
  • Commercial use ovens
  • Commercial use pizza ovens
  • Commercial use popcorn machines
  • Commercial use ranges
  • Commercial use rotisseries
  • Commercial use scales
  • Commercial use steamers
  • Commercial use toasters
  • Commercial use woks
  • Ice dispensers
  • Ice shaver machines or accessories
  • Milkshake machines
  • Non carbonated beverage dispenser
  • Personal computers
  • Point of sale POS terminal
  • Roasting machinery
  • Slush machines
  • Soft serve machines

Technology

  • Computer based training software
  • Data base user interface and query software
  • Office suite software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Video creation and editing software
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