The primary duty of a food prep is to accomplish various food handling and preparation tasks according to the direction of supervisors, chefs, or cooks. One can work in different establishments or industry where there is food involved. Among the responsibilities will mostly revolve around doing light to moderate chores such as cleaning the kitchen and sanitizing utensils, preparing the required ingredients and ensure its quality and quantity, be in charge of food storage, and assist by performing basic cooking tasks.

Food Prep Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real food prep resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • 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.
  • Use of slicers to slice cheese and vegetables, along with other major commercial restaurant equipment!
  • Operate large-volume cooking equipment including but not limit to grills, fryers, steamers and ovens.
  • Handle food prep after receiving orders from customer service, operate grill, food handler and are a dishwasher.
  • Process transactions using POS system, verifying cash given to customer and cash match end of shift till count.
  • Answer questions that the guest may have about any of the food that is being serve, due to food allergies.
  • Prepare orders, inventory management, POS, independent marketing management ,
  • Cook, dishwasher, waiter, delivery driver, supervisor, answer phones, opening and closing, housekeeping, etc.
  • Prep salsa's, grate lots of cheese, cut and grind meats, fry station, expediter, etc.
  • Make sure food is stored and cook at correct temperature in the ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.

Food Prep Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 17% of Food Preps are proficient in Food Service, Food Handling, and Taking Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Physical strength.

We break down the percentage of Food Preps that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Food Service, 17%

    Instructed food service personnel on hazard analysis and proper cookery enhancing awareness and improving food preparation that eliminated food borne illnesses.

  • Food Handling, 13%

    Sound ability to understand basic sanitation requirements related to personal hygiene, food handling, and equipment safety and sanitation.

  • Taking Care, 12%

    Minimized waste by taking care when moving orders to and from vehicle.

  • Cleanliness, 9%

    Provided quality customer service while providing assistance in food preparation and maintaining store cleanliness.

  • Good Communication, 6%

    Prepare food in a timely and creative fashion Teamwork Time Management Stocking Taking Inventory Use of good communication skills

  • Math, 5%

    Learned how to deal with customers face to face, how to deal with fast math involving money .

Some of the skills we found on food prep resumes included "food service," "food handling," and "taking care." We have detailed the most important food prep responsibilities below.

  • Communication skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a food prep to have. According to a food prep resume, "food and beverage serving and related workers must listen carefully to their customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared to the customers’ request." Food preps are able to use communication skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "prepared food for customers and developed good communication skills and courteous customer approach. "
  • Another trait important for fulfilling food prep duties is customer-service skills. According to a food prep resume, "food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry." Here's an example of how food preps are able to utilize customer-service skills: "serve food to customers, place food in food warmers for immediate service. "
  • Food preps are also known for physical strength, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a food prep resume: "food and beverage serving and related workers need to be able to lift and carry stock and equipment that can weigh up to 50 pounds." We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "performed cashier duties assisted with food preparation and greeted patrons at door maintained physical appearance and sanitation of store"
  • See the full list of food prep skills.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious food preps are:

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Food Prep Resume templates

    Build a professional Food Prep resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Food Prep resume.

    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume
    Food Prep Resume

    resume document icon

    Don't Have A Professional Resume?

    What Kitchen Staffs Do

    The kitchen staff consists of preparation workers who execute several routine tasks as directed by chefs, food service managers, and cooks. These works should have the ability to follow cooking instructions and deliver well-prepared meals. Their responsibilities include the cleanup of dishes, cooking equipment, and the working stations. They also take charge of food safety regulations, storing and sorting of ingredients, and preparing foodstuff.

    In this section, we compare the average food prep annual salary with that of a kitchen staff. Typically, kitchen staff earn a $3,976 higher salary than food preps earn annually.

    Even though food preps and kitchen staff have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require food service, food handling, and cleanliness in the day-to-day roles.

    These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A food prep responsibility is more likely to require skills like "taking care," "good communication," "math," and "dexterity." Whereas a kitchen staff requires skills like "quality food," "meal preparation," "food preparation," and "clean environment." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

    Kitchen staff receive the highest salaries in the education industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $30,914. But food preps are paid more in the retail industry with an average salary of $28,945.

    The education levels that kitchen staff earn is a bit different than that of food preps. In particular, kitchen staff are 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a food prep. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Cafe Associate?

    A cafe associate performs various support tasks to help maintain the smooth flow of operations at a cafe and ensure customer satisfaction. They ensure that the shelves are stocked with fresh and high-quality products by conducting regular evaluations and inspections, disposing of expired goods, and adding new products as necessary. They may also prepare or serve orders, make drinks using machines, and assist customers by answering inquiries or processing their payments. Moreover, a cafe associate must maintain an open communication line with co-workers and report to managers regularly.

    The next role we're going to look at is the cafe associate profession. Typically, this position earns a higher pay. In fact, they earn a $4,241 higher salary than food preps per year.

    While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both food preps and cafe associates are known to have skills such as "food service," "food handling," and "taking care. "

    In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, food prep responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "good communication," "math," "dexterity," and "manual dexterity." Meanwhile, a cafe associate might be skilled in areas such as "groceries," "sam," "culinary," and "product knowledge." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

    On average, cafe associates earn a higher salary than food preps. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, cafe associates earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $29,858. Whereas, food preps have higher paychecks in the retail industry where they earn an average of $28,945.

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, cafe associates tend to reach similar levels of education than food preps. In fact, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Prep Cook/Dishwasher Compares

    A prep cook and dishwasher is responsible for cleaning and sanitizing kitchen items and utensils, and performing basic cooking tasks under the supervision of chefs or cooks. It is also their responsibility to prepare ingredients by washing, chopping, weighing, and ensuring that they are the correct quantity and quality. Furthermore, a prep cook and dishwasher may also have to maintain cleanliness in the kitchen, clear tables, monitor inventory of ingredients in storage, coordinate with the kitchen staff, and meet all health standards and policies.

    The prep cook/dishwasher profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of food preps. The difference in salaries is prep cook/dishwashers making $5,847 higher than food preps.

    By looking over several food preps and prep cook/dishwashers resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "kitchen equipment," "safety standards," and "clean kitchen." But beyond that the careers look very different.

    As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from food preps resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "food service," "food handling," "taking care," and "cleanliness." But a prep cook/dishwasher might have skills like "wash dishes," "food preparation equipment," "cooking equipment," and "line cooks."

    Additionally, prep cook/dishwashers earn a higher salary in the retail industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $30,948. Additionally, food preps earn an average salary of $28,945 in the retail industry.

    Prep cook/dishwashers typically study at similar levels compared with food preps. For example, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Line Server

    A line server is responsible for assisting the guests with their needs to ensure an overall satisfying dining experience with the highest quality service. Line servers take and verify guests' orders, provide recommendation for orders, respond to the guests' inquiries regarding the menu, manage the food preparation and serving, assist guests with additional requests, and ensure strict adherence to the sanitary standards and hygienic procedures at all times. Line servers must have excellent communication and time-management skills to interact with different guests and identify their dining needs.

    Now, we'll look at line servers, who generally average a higher pay when compared to food preps annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $2,460 per year.

    According to resumes from both food preps and line servers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "safety standards," "food products," and "customer service. "

    Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a food prep might have more use for skills like "food service," "food handling," "taking care," and "cleanliness." Meanwhile, some line servers might include skills like "excellent guest," "food safety," "food trays," and "buffet line" on their resume.

    The average resume of line servers showed that they earn similar levels of education to food preps. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 0.0% less. Additionally, they're less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.