WHAT DO SHORT ORDER COOKS DO?
Order up! New job on the fly! Short order cooks work in restaurants and diners that prepare fast, simple food: sandwiches, eggs, fries, burgers and other similar food. They usually work on many orders at once, getting them all out as fast as possible for their hungry customers.
Short order cooks use fryers, grills, microwaves, and other industrial cooking apparatus, measure and weigh ingredients, monitor food for freshness and safety, maintain a clean kitchen and store ingredients properly.
HOW MUCH DO SHORT ORDER COOKS MAKE?
The Bureau of Labor statistics states that in 2010, the median hourly income for short order cooks was $9.42.
WHAT ARE THE EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS?
No formal education is required, and most training for short order cook jobs is done on-the-job. You can choose to attend cooking school, or choose to pursue vocational or apprenticeship training.
On-the-job, your training will start with the basics of the kitchen, food and workplace safety and cooking methods, and advances from there.
JOB SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS
- Communication Skills: Communication is crucial in a kitchen. Short order cooks will need to read orders, understand instruction and talk to their fellow cooks to make sure the food is delivered hot and delicious.
- Customer Service Skills: Customers may have special requests or complaints. If working in a place where they can see the kitchen, short order cooks might need to interact with the customer. Service with a smile will be necessary.
- Hand-Eye Coordination: Cooking requires great knife skills, proximity to fire and many dangerous elements. A steady hand will help greatly.
- Sense of Taste and Smell: Knowing when food has gone bad, understanding proper seasoning and what tastes good will help keep customers.
- Stamina: Kitchen hours can be long and grueling. Short order cooks need to be able to stand on your feet for long periods and lift heavy objects from storage.
- Teamwork: Very often, cooks are part of a large team, reporting to a head chef. They will need to be able to work as a team to create a great dining experience for customers.
CAREER PATHS FOR SHORT ORDER COOKS
Chef
Food service managers
Head cook
THE FUTURE OF SHORT ORDER COOKS
Cook jobs will grow slowly over the next 10 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
