Are colorful food and exotic ingredients your thing? Do you also see yourself as the master chef of the house? Are you too keen on making your food served to everyone around with a big smile always on your face? Here we have the best professionals that can fit your shoes in all aspects. Yes! Read on to more about what it is actually and what all. It needs to move on this path. Guys, this career choice is nothing but the Career in Fast Food. The career in this is allowing yourself to follow your passion and learn and gather useful experience in management, food preparation, and even in customer services. Isn’t that amazing?
Fast Food Industry Brief Description
The fast-food industry builds up a well-known restaurant industry popularly known as Quick Service Restaurants (QSR). But, to everyone’s surprise, this section accounts for nearly 50 percent of sales to the entire restaurant industry sector.
Fast Food Job Opportunities
Nowadays, there have been several career options that one can opt for working in the Food Industry. This is just because of the wide growth witnessed in this industry. This industry generates jobs for about 2 million people every year. Following are some of the areas you can choose from according to your need and the criteria you fall under.
Grill Cook or Prep Cook
Cooks are persons that play a vital role in attracting customers to the delicious yummy filling tummy food. If you want to work as a Prep Cook, you must fulfill the capability of making all. The food items mentioned over the menu and also should be efficient at following the recipe instructions. On the other hand, if your desired position is of Grill cook them, you must be a master in operating grilling gadgets like an oven, microwave, broilers, fryers, and any ore in the bucket list.
Job Qualification: High school diploma with some proof training
Required Age: 15 or 16 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Holds good coordination with other members
- Ability to listen carefully
- Has to be quick and agile
Average Hourly Wage:$12.00 – $15.00
Executive Chef
This is the person that adds seven stars to your restaurant. He decides the main menu for your restaurant and tailors it to the culinary needs as per the requirement of the place. He also makes sure that all the cooking methods are properly followed, and the presentation of the food to the customer is also up to the mark.
Job Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management or Culinary Arts.
Required Age: 18 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Proper knowledge about the Culinary
- Outstanding Organisation Skills
- Energetic
- Relevant Working Experience
- Capability to handle Pressure
Average Hourly Wage:$35.00 – $55.00
Counter Help
These are the support workers working in this industry. This job calls for the responsibility of handling all the properly maintained entries, drinks, side orders, and other items that are needed to be taken care of before being handed over to the cashier.
Job Qualification: Basic maths and reading, writing skills
Required Age: 14 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Good at remembering things
- Quick and efficient
- Excellent Communication Skills
Average Hourly Wage:$8.00 – $11.00
Cashier
If you are good at mathematics, hold a good command over the use of electronic cash registers, and are aware of the policies concerned with payment methods. Then, it is the perfect job that you can go on for choosing in the industry. Besides all the skills, you must be polite and should be ready to be on foot at all times.
Job Qualification: One familiar with basic mathematical operations like addition and subtraction
Required Age: 14 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Proficient in handling numbers( cash)
- Has to be Vigilant
- Excellent listening Ability
- Outstanding people Skills
Average Hourly Wage:$08.00 – $10.00
Manager
This job calls for looking out the restaurant almost entirely right from the hiring process, scheduling working shifts of the employee, equipment, maintenance to ordering inventory, handling customers’ unsolved issues, and maintaining sales records. So if you feel you are good at managing your skills, go for it.
Job Qualification: High School Diploma or Equivalent from a recognized institution. Preference is given to the one with experience.
Required Age: 18 years or above.
Skill Requirements:
- Concerned Management Degree from a recognized institution
- 2-4 years of experience
- Highly and mannerly organized
- Excellent at listening and Speaking Skills
- Problem Solving Attitude
Average Hourly Wage:$20.00 – $29.00
Drive-Thru Operator
This is the one such person who handles all your orders, registers your cash, and even delivers the food through the window as n when you are in a hurry. Therefore, if you are interested in opting for this as a career, you have to hold the skills of being always vigilant and an active listener to listen carefully to all the instructions given by the customer for his order and make sure you come up to his requirements.
Job Qualification: No specific Qualification
Required Age: People of all ages are eligible.
Skill Requirements:
- Cash handling ability
- Should be a careful listener
- Holding the Ability to Satisfy Customer Needs
Average Hourly Wage:$8.00 – $10.00
Server
The server is the one that is entirely responsible for either building up the customers or even breaking them also. Through his friendly and masterful gesture and tone of talking the order, reporting it to the kitchen, and calculation bills, he plays a vital role in the industry.
Job Qualification: Basic maths and reading, writing skills
Required Age: 14 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Good at remembering things
- Quick and efficient
- Excellent Communication Skills
Average Hourly Wage: $3.50 – $12.00 (plus tips)
Runner
Runners ease the servers’ job by making sure to deliver the cooked food from the kitchen to the customer’s table both quickly and safely. He is the one who also has to make sure that there is no delay in reaching order to the table as n when it is cooked maintaining the proper temperature of the food.
Job Qualification: Basic maths and reading, writing skills
Required Age: 14 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Has to be quick
- Efficient
- Calm and Serene under Pressure
Average Hourly Wage:$9.00 – $11.00
Bussers or Bus Person
“Cleanliness is next to Godliness” is a famous saying. Who doesn’t like dining in a clean and ambiance environment? Of course, everyone! So these are the people who are responsible for maintaining all the cleanliness around the place. They keep the dining table ready for the next upcoming customers and sometimes assist servers in filling up water glasses for the customers.
Job Qualification: High school diploma or general education degree (GED). Preference is given to the experience holder.
Required Age: 16-18 years old and above
Skill Requirements:
- Ability to handle pressure
- Calm in nature
- Quick at work
Average Hourly Wage:$7.00 – $9.00
Dishwashers
These also hold an essential in any restaurant. They make dishwashers spotless and look after things like keeping the kitchen clean from hazardous garbage and clutter.
Job Qualification: No typical qualification as such required
Required Age: 14 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Efficient in cleaning
- Quick
- Ability to work in a team
Average Hourly Wage: State minimum wage
Barista
These are generally found preparing your favorite drinks like tea, coffee, smoothie drinks in any coffee shop or cafe.
Job Qualification: High School Diploma or equivalent from a recognized institution.
Required Age: 18 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Ability to handle pressure
- Calm in nature
- Quick at work
Average Hourly Wage:$9.00 – $12.00
Barbacks
They are no one but barista assistants. They are generally multi- takers, but their main focus is to see that bartenders get everything in hand needed to carry out the work. They also cater to the needs of arranging required bottles, items like(fruits, sugar, coffee, etc.) and restocking the bar with kegs and ice cubes.
Job Qualification: High School Diploma or equivalent from a recognized institution.
Required Age: 16-17 years and above
Skill Requirements:
- Mind-blowing Communication Skills
- Team h workability
- Jolly and Positive Attitude
- Should be A Multitasker
Average Hourly Wage:$9.00 – $11.00 (plus small commission of the tips)
General Skills and Competencies Needed
In this industry, if you want to work, then you need to have a variety of essential skills and traits of which few are listed below:-
- Physical Fitness – This job calls for you to be full time on your foot during your working shift. You are required to be at every place where you are needed at that particular point in time.
- Teamwork – You should always be ready to work in a team and hold a good team spirit. Working together will help your institution to meet the desired goals on time or even before time also.
- Interpersonal Skills – To work in this industry one needs to be very calm, polite and respectful. You should have a good sense of humor to tackle the customers who are very fussy and get on your nerves sometimes. You have to understand the fact that people visiting your place may be in a hurry or have to rush somewhere, for that matter you need to hold your serenity and work accordingly.
Work Environment of Fast Food Industry
Working in this area of the industry involves some innate safety risks. Fast-food workers are usually found to suffer from work-related illness and gash due to exposure to things or tools like ovens, hot vessels, burners, stoves, sharp utensils, and wet flooring many times. Undoubtedly none of them is prolonged and serious and gets cured in a few days.
Working Schedule
Because of the unavoidable growing competition in this industry, fast food restaurants are working almost every day a week to outshine themselves. Therefore, the employees working in this sector have to have flexible schedules. The sad thing is these schedules are even followed on weekends and holidays also.
Conclusion
With the increase in the awareness and craze of good health, people sometimes wrongly assumed that this Fast Food Industry is on the decline. But on the contrary, this industry is alive and thriving with all its new ideas of offering all the healthy and hygienic food kinds of stuff to its customers. So if you are passionate about cooking and serving others with a smile, this industry will be the right choice for you to pursue your career in. So what is the wait for? Find a suitable job that fits your shoe and walk down the lane of the Fast Food Industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this career that is the highest paid one? No, it’s not. Depending on the brand the wages vary.
- What about the job hours of the Fast Food Industry? This job offers flexible job hours.
- Is this good for college going students? Yes! if you want to earn simultaneously while carrying out your studies, this is a good option to go with.
- Which are the top companies in their arena? You can go on for working with organizations like:
- Starbucks Corp.
- McDonald’s Corp
- Yum China Holdings, Inc.
- Darden Restaurants Inc.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
- Auto grill SpA
- Yum! Brands, Inc.
- Burger King
- Subway
- Domino’s Pizza
- Pizza Hut
- Dunkin’ Donuts
- Wendy’s
- Taco Bell
- Dairy Queen
- Is there any option for night shifts? Yes, indeed this industry also provides you with flexible job hours including your weekends and night shifts.
- Is it a good option to open a Fast food Franchise? Yes! a brilliant one but this option requires the investment of a huge amount of cash.
