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Date: 08/21/2025

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

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

    Skills

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Equipment Selection

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

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Operations Analysis

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

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Complex Problem Solving

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

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Systems Analysis

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

    • Critical Thinking

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

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Learning Strategies

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

    • Coordination

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

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Active Listening

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

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Monitoring

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

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

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

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Systems Evaluation

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

    • Operations Monitoring

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

    • Troubleshooting

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

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    WorkKeys®

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

    Abilities

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Depth Perception

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

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Multilimb Coordination

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

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Visualization

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

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Perceptual Speed

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

    • Extent Flexibility

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

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

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

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Control Precision

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

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Rate Control

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

    • Auditory Attention

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

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Inductive Reasoning

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

    • Response Orientation

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

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Glare Sensitivity

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

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

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

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Reaction Time

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

    • 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.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    Knowledge

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Design

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

    • Mathematics

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

    • History and Archeology

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

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Economics and Accounting

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

    • English Language

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

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

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

    • 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.

    • Mechanical

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

    • Biology

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

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Food Production

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

    • 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.

    • Computers and Electronics

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

    • 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.

    • Telecommunications

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

    • Law and Government

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

    • 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.

    • Fine Arts

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

    • Production and Processing

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

    • 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.

    Career Video

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    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    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:
    • Self Control
    • Dependability
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Initiative

    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
    • Web platform development software
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