Food preparer vs fast food cashier

The differences between food preparers 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 $27,717 average annual salary of a food preparer.

The top three skills for a food preparer include food handling, work ethic and food products. The most important skills for a fast food cashier are cash handling, basic math, and math.

Food preparer vs fast food cashier overview

	Food Preparer	Fast Food Cashier
Yearly salary	$27,717	$31,913
Hourly rate	$13.33	$15.34
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	134,113	249,916
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 55%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Food preparer vs fast food cashier salary

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

	Food Preparer	Fast Food Cashier
Average salary	$27,717	$31,913
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $37,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Commack, NY	-
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	-
Best paying company	Mount Sinai Health System	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between food preparer and fast food cashier education

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

	Food Preparer	Fast Food Cashier
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food preparer vs fast food cashier demographics

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

	Food Preparer	Fast Food Cashier
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%	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 preparer and fast food cashier duties and responsibilities

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 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 preparer vs fast food cashier skills

Common food preparer skills

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

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 Preparer vs Fast Food Cashier

Updated January 8, 2025

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