Food service
Fast food and counter workers
Perform duties such as taking orders and serving food and beverages. Serve customers at counter or from a steam table. May take payment. May prepare food and beverages.
Median pay
$31,200
Growth to 2035
+6%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
827,400
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Fast food and counter workers
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Fast food and counter workers: 17% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
- Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food.
- Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper.
- Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.
- Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.
- Serve food, beverages, or desserts to customers in such settings as take-out counters of restaurants or lunchrooms, business or industrial establishments, hotel rooms, and cars.
- Monitor and order supplies or food items, and restock as necessary to maintain inventory.
- Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary.
Also called: Cafe Server · Cafeteria Server · Cafeteria Worker · Counter Worker · Deli Worker (Delicatessen Worker) · Dietary Aide · Food Server · Food Service Worker
Outlook and AI
Fast food and counter workers held 3,855,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 4,079,100 by 2035 (+6%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Food preparation worker
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Waiters and waitresses
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Cooks, restaurant
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Cooks, short order
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Dishwasher
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Bartender
- Fast food and counter workers vs. Cooks, fast food