Fast food worker vs food preparer

The differences between fast food workers and food preparers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food preparer has an average salary of $27,717, which is higher than the $24,860 average annual salary of a fast food worker.

The top three skills for a fast food worker include food handling, basic math and drive-thru. The most important skills for a food preparer are food handling, work ethic, and food products.

Fast food worker vs food preparer overview

	Fast Food Worker	Food Preparer
Yearly salary	$24,860	$27,717
Hourly rate	$11.95	$13.33
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	156,271	134,113
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 63%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Fast food worker vs food preparer salary

Fast food workers and food preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fast Food Worker	Food Preparer
Average salary	$24,860	$27,717
Salary range	Between $12,000 And $51,000	Between $20,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Franklin Square, NY	Commack, NY
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	New Hampshire
Best paying company	UC Merced	Mount Sinai Health System
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between fast food worker and food preparer education

There are a few differences between a fast food worker and a food preparer in terms of educational background:

	Fast Food Worker	Food Preparer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 63%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fast food worker vs food preparer demographics

Here are the differences between fast food workers' and food preparers' demographics:

	Fast Food Worker	Food Preparer
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%	Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between fast food worker and food preparer duties and responsibilities

Fast food worker example responsibilities.

Operate ovens, deep fryers, grills, cash registers, and other appliances.
Operate large-volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, conventional and microwave ovens.
Experience at POS, always give customer satisfaction and very persuasive with sales.
Landscape public parks utilizing a variety of heavy machinery including weed whackers, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and trimmers.
Cook foods by baking, roasting, broiling, frying, steaming and grilling.
Brew coffee and tea, and fill containers with request beverages.

Food preparer example responsibilities.

Maintain cleanliness, organization and time management of order preparation, customer service
Follow closing procedures and maintain cleanliness of food preparation area and bathrooms.
Operate on a POS system, and would prep and serve food.
Clean fryers daily, closing shop with overhaul of cleaning routines and stocking freezers.
Operate a variety of commercial cooking equipment including grills, deep fryers, and ovens.
Clean and sanitize workstations, utensils and equipment according to sanitation guidelines.

Fast food worker vs food preparer skills

Common fast food worker skills

Food Handling, 28%
Basic Math, 17%
Drive-Thru, 9%
Safety Standards, 4%
Customer Service, 4%
Drink Orders, 4%

Common food preparer skills

Food Handling, 20%
Work Ethic, 13%
Food Products, 11%
Kitchen Utensils, 8%
Safety Standards, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

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Fast Food Worker
Fast Food Worker vs Food Preparer

Updated January 8, 2025

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