# Cooks, Short Order

> Prepare and cook to order a variety of foods that require only a short preparation time. May take orders from customers and serve patrons at counters or tables.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-short-order
- SOC code: 35-2015.00
- Career family: Food service
- Median annual pay: $35,880 (10th percentile $23,440, 90th percentile $46,460)
- Projected growth: Decline, -5.2%
- Openings a year: 17,400
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 86 |
| Investigative (I) | 0 |
| Artistic (A) | 21 |
| Social (S) | 37 |
| Enterprising (E) | 45 |
| Conventional (C) | 56 |

## What you'd do

- Processing Information (importance 66/100)
- Getting Information (importance 60/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 57/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 57/100)
- Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information (importance 55/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 55/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 54/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 53/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 53/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 52/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Coordination, Service Orientation, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making

## Knowledge

Food Production, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Production and Processing, Communications and Media, Chemistry, Public Safety and Security, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Computers and Electronics

## Also called

Barbecue Cook, Bed and Breakfast Cook (B&B Cook), Breakfast Cook, Breakfast Line Cook, Broiler Cook, Chuck Wagon Cook, Cook, Deli Cook (Delicatessen Cook), Food and Beverage Attendant, Food Clerk

## Related careers

- [Cooks, Restaurant](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-restaurant): $37,390 median pay
- [Cooks, Fast Food](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-fast-food): $30,890 median pay
- [Food Preparation Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-preparation-workers): $35,320 median pay
- [Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-institution-and-cafeteria): $37,450 median pay
- [Bakers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bakers): $37,160 median pay
- [Butchers and Meat Cutters](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/butchers-and-meat-cutters): $40,140 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.