Food prep vs fast food cashier

The differences between food preps and fast food cashiers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fast food cashier has an average salary of $31,913, which is higher than the $25,840 average annual salary of a food prep.

The top three skills for a food prep include food service, food handling and taking care. The most important skills for a fast food cashier are cash handling, basic math, and math.

Food prep vs fast food cashier overview

	Food Prep	Fast Food Cashier
Yearly salary	$25,840	$31,913
Hourly rate	$12.42	$15.34
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	168,743	249,916
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 55%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Food prep vs fast food cashier salary

Food preps and fast food cashiers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Prep	Fast Food Cashier
Average salary	$25,840	$31,913
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $35,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	Grand Ledge High School	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between food prep and fast food cashier education

There are a few differences between a food prep and a fast food cashier in terms of educational background:

	Food Prep	Fast Food Cashier
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food prep vs fast food cashier demographics

Here are the differences between food preps' and fast food cashiers' demographics:

	Food Prep	Fast Food Cashier
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 51.1% Female, 48.9%	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%
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 food prep and fast food cashier duties and responsibilities

Food prep example responsibilities.

Provide quality customer service while providing assistance in food preparation and maintaining store cleanliness.
Operate blenders, stoves, and steamers.
Fast pace and quick learning worker also good math skills.
Clean dishes, meat and cheese slicers, refrigerators and coolers.
Detail cleaning include, broilers, fryers, walk in refrigerator/freezer, dining and restrooms.
Operate flat top grill, salamander grill, deep fryer, mixer and tortilla steamers.

Fast food cashier example responsibilities.

Insure the cleanliness of the food line and the restaurant front line area to include the lobby and entry way.
Cook, clean, take orders on the cash register and drive-thru, handle monetary transactions and provide customer service.
Work with accuracy and quick math skills.
Used math and language skills daily at cash register
Prepare food in accordance with Wendy's corporate guidelines.
Collect monies due or apply charges to credit card or guest account using POS terminal.

Food prep vs fast food cashier skills

Common food prep skills

Food Service, 17%
Food Handling, 13%
Taking Care, 12%
Cleanliness, 9%
Good Communication, 6%
Math, 5%

Common fast food cashier skills

Cash Handling, 17%
Basic Math, 15%
Math, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
POS, 8%
Cleanliness, 6%

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Food Prep vs Fast Food Cashier

Updated January 8, 2025

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