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SOC 35-3023
Fast food and counter workers carry out work involving this occupation's objects, processes, quality, and delivery; specific tasks, training, qualifications, protocols, and authority must be checked against original local and employer documentation.
Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((75+0+0)/3+0.5)=25; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.
Responsibility judgment | Real fit depends on whether you can accomplish three things together at peak shop pace: maintain standard service (repeat orders, check assembly, take accurate payments, and serve on time), ensure food safety (temperature and time controls, raw and cooked separation, cleaning and hygiene), and take responsibility for reviewable records while working with customers and colleagues (orders, cancellations, end-of-shift accounts, and abnormality reports). Test this through a verifiable experience, such as peak-period fast food assistance, food safety and hygiene training with practical assessment, or a simulated counter service exercise, rather than relying solely on an interest questionnaire.
Caution signals | O*NET also shows daily contact with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous people (78%), daily exposure to minor burns, cuts, or punctures (29%), bending or twisting about half the time (57%), continual or almost continual repetitive motions (64%) and standing (54%), very close physical proximity (48% very close), conflict more than weekly (42%), and high time and service pressure. Work commonly includes early and late shifts, weekends, and holidays, requiring prolonged standing, moving goods, cleaning and dishwashing, and compliance with food safety and hygiene procedures. If customer conflict, prolonged standing, and repetitive work are difficult, or early, late, and holiday shifts do not suit you, weigh these practical costs carefully.
Adoption conditions | Shop digital tools must produce traceable, reviewable outputs without replacing actual on-site judgment of food and equipment; reminders and records must not displace service and cleaning time; and records involving orders, cancellations, discounts, and accounts require shift-supervisor confirmation before settlement. A technical demonstration does not establish organizational adoption or change food safety and hygiene responsibilities.
Career direction comparison
Introduction | The comparison uses four columns: occupational direction, core work and outputs, key differences, and choices it better suits. Adjacent roles collaborate closely within a shop (counter, kitchen, and washing areas connect), but are not interchangeable. Moving between directions requires learning processes, food safety procedures, and equipment operation anew.
| Career direction | Core work and output | Key differences | Best-fit choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| This occupation: Fast Food and Counter Workers | Outputs are shop service results: order confirmation, assembly and packaging, payments and change, serving and restocking, cleaning, and shift-end reconciliation. | Centers on counter orders, assembly and service, payments, and shop hygiene, emphasizing fast order taking, accurate checks, food safety and temperature control, and customer communication. | Better suited to people who remain steady at a fast peak-period pace, willingly interact frequently with customers, and follow standard procedures; acceptance of repetitive motions and changing schedules supports a closer fit. |
AI impact on this career
Editorial analysis: Counter orders, serving, simple preparation, and cleaning refer to O*NET. Authorized order, inventory, scheduling, and reconciliation work are candidates; no measured medium-to-low generative AI exposure rating, adoption, or effects have been obtained. Self-service ordering is not automatically generative AI. AI Impact Score 25% is an editorial estimate. Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((75+0+0)/3+0.5)=25; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.The three tasks, ratings and sources are listed in the FermatMind method source record on this page.
FermatMind AI Impact Score estimation method v1
FermatMind / 费马测试 · 2026-10-18
Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
Chinese mainland salary reference
Classification comparison | US SOC 35-3023 / O*NET-SOC 35-3023.00 covers workers taking orders, serving food and beverages at counters or steam tables, collecting payments, and possibly preparing simple food and beverages. Mainland China uses national economic industry classifications and relevant accommodation and food service and wholesale and retail categories. Classifications and statistical definitions differ; no numerical conversion is made.
The selected subject is 35-3023 fast food and counter work, not the whole OOH food and beverage serving occupational combination. Tasks include simple cooking, supervision and mentoring, and special-diet meals, without conferring medical nutrition or food compliance authority. National Bureau of Statistics data are annual mean pre-tax wages for urban-unit employees; total wages include labor remuneration under statistical rules and cannot broadly exclude all bonuses, allowances, or overtime payments. National, industry, and job-group means cannot replace individual occupational income or a specific employment contract quote.
Insufficient evidence: No mainland China monthly wages for this occupation verifiable by city or region have been obtained; advertised pay, industry means, and secondhand accounts are not substituted.
US pay reference
Selected modules cover 35-3023 Fast Food and Counter Workers: May2025 median 31200 dollars / year, 15 dollars / hour; 2025 employment 3855900, 2025—2035 growth 5.8% (about 6%), average annual openings 827400. The median is not starting pay; percentiles do not establish causal effects of experience, hours, or team leadership.
| Wage statistical position | Annual wage reference | Conversion boundaries | How to understand this position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% | 10th percentile 22,840 dollars / year (2025, BLS OEWS) | Official annual wage, not personal monthly income | Wage positions are not job levels, experience, or hours groups; the median is not an entry offer. Check income against actual contracts and hours; original exact percentiles were not re-obtained this round. |
| Median (50%) | Median annual wage 31,200 dollars (2025, BLS OEWS presented through O*NET; median hourly wage 15.00 dollars) |
Career fit guide
Interests support exploration, with authorized observation or simulation records capturing experience; a single peak-period task has not been validated as the most reliable predictor.
You may be a closer fit： Fit signals: Willing to interact frequently with customers, take orders and serve quickly and accurately, and work consistently under food safety and hygiene procedures.
Situations requiring care： Caution signals: Difficulty accepting frequent customer contact and emotional conflict, prolonged standing and repetitive labor, or early, late, and holiday shifts.
Try an entry exercise： Validation suggestion: Use a simulated or actual shop peak task to test movement speed, order accuracy, and emotional steadiness before deciding on long-term commitment.
Work pressure, risks, and occupational boundaries
Editorial checking covers temperatures and time limits, preparation and allergen information, heat sources and knives, customer conflict, accounts, and work recovery; no accident rates or ranking of serious consequences have been obtained.
O*NET unpleasant customers 78% daily; conflict 42% weekly, not daily. Minor burn and cut situations 29% daily indicate exposure, not injury rates. Repetition 64% and standing 54% are continually or almost continually, bending 57% about half the time, and proximity 48% very close. Cards are editorial checks; occupational information and NIST are not comprehensive legal sources on food, health, hygiene, alcohol, or authority.
Typical scenario：Scenario | Service continues after a rush without checking holding temperatures, resulting in complaints about inadequate food temperatures.
Roles most affected：Counter and kitchen teams; customers
Possible consequence：
Entry, qualifications, and career development
Editorial path: Receive mentoring under actual hiring and food-hygiene requirements, record order, service, account, and abnormality reviews, then explore leadership or adjacent service / kitchen responsibilities. This is not an official complete promotion sequence or guarantee; check education, practical skills, statutory qualifications, and management authority separately.
Career outlook and transitions to related occupations
Selected modules cover 35-3023 Fast Food and Counter Workers: May2025 median 31200 dollars / year, 15 dollars / hour; 2025 employment 3855900, 2025—2035 growth 5.8% (about 6%), annual average openings 827400. Exact percentiles / industries and Chinese wages and recruitment were not obtained this round; existence of Chinese statistics has not been checked.
United States · SOC 35-3023（Fast Food and Counter Workers）
Current 2025 employment 3855900; 2025—2035 growth 5.8%, annual average 827400.
Employment size, growth rate, and job openings
Current growth 5.8%, annual average 827400 includes growth and replacements, not net additions; cannot be broadly described as repeated recruitment advertisement counts.
Employment projections include self-employment and unpaid family work, unlike the OEWS employee survey; original OEWS count not re-obtained.
Under O*NET-SOC 35-3023.00, workers take orders and serve food and beverages at counters or steam tables, collect payments, and may prepare simple food and drinks (such as sandwiches, salads, soups, pizza, coffee, and cold drinks). Work includes orders and confirmation, assembly and packaging, payments and change, simple preparation, temperature and time controls, cleaning and hygiene, restocking, and shift-end reconciliation. It excludes full hot-dish kitchen cooking and menu development, formal restaurant dine-in service, shop operations management decisions, and checkout-system financial master-data design.
Choose a real task from this page for a small practice project or a conversation with someone in the field. Use the planning guides to set a date, an output and feedback questions before deciding whether to continue.
Fit signals | O*NET highlights: constant contact with others (89% constant contact), teamwork being extremely important (86%), daily face-to-face discussions with customers and colleagues (62%), daily in-person handling of unpleasant or emotionally upset customers (78%), considerable decision freedom (73%), exactness or accuracy being extremely important (50%), repeating the same tasks being extremely important (54%), coordinating or leading others being extremely important (42%), and continually or almost continually performing repetitive motions (64%) and standing (54%). If you remain steady at a fast pace and during peaks, willingly follow standard procedures and communicate frequently with customers, and enjoy teamwork, this occupation's daily demands are closer to your working style.
This checklist supports self-questioning only. It does not constitute hiring criteria, an ability score, or a conclusion about service quality or food safety. This page follows US O*NET-SOC 35-3023.00, Fast Food and Counter Workers (the fixed index assigns this asset the Chinese name for fast food and counter workers; the main work involves taking orders, serving food and beverages at counters or steam tables, collecting payment, and possibly preparing simple food and beverages).
Practice prompt | A fast food shop needs counter service during a completely fictional lunch rush (12 people queuing and delayed kitchen orders). Write a service and food safety proposal covering: (1) taking orders in sequence and repeating them for confirmation (including additions, no ice, and allergen alerts); (2) assembling and packaging meals and checking orders (main items, drinks, sides, and utensils); (3) operating the register, giving change, and reconciling end-of-shift accounts; (4) controlling hot-food and cold-drink temperatures and service time limits and preventing cross-contamination (separating raw and cooked food, changing gloves, and cleaning surfaces); and (5) responding to customers chasing orders and complaints and escalating beyond your authority. Use public information and simulated data; do not use real customer, shop, or payment information.
Safe work sample (a completely fictional task package): Given a simulated fast food lunch rush (12 people queuing, delayed kitchen orders, and one allergen note), complete a counter service and food safety proposal within 60 minutes: order and confirmation records (including additions, no ice, and allergen alerts), assembly and packaging checklist, payment and end-of-shift reconciliation records, temperature and time control plan (hot holding, cold-drink refrigeration, raw and cooked separation, and glove changes), and cleaning and surface-disinfection arrangements. Specify situations requiring a pause and escalation rather than handling them yourself, such as suspected allergen cross-contact, equipment failure, intense customer conflict, or a suspected food safety incident.
Environment and pace | Shops are mostly indoors with controlled environments (O*NET 68% daily), but counters are close to hot holding tables, frying and beverage equipment, and refrigerated areas, with marked temperature and humidity changes. Customer traffic fully drives the pace: lunch and dinner rushes, holidays, and promotions require continuous standing, quick movement, and frequent repetition, with constant trips between kitchen and counter. Shifts include early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays; some shops require rotations and unplanned overtime. Physical demands center on prolonged standing and walking, repeatedly moving goods and water containers, dishwashing, and mopping. Follow procedures to prevent slips and protect against hot surfaces.
Adjacent responsibility boundaries | This page covers O*NET-SOC 35-3023.00. Adjacent but distinct occupations include Waiters and Waitresses (orders and dine-in service in formal restaurants), Cooks, Fast Food (mainly cooking and meal preparation), Food Preparation Workers (mainly ingredient preprocessing), Cashiers (mainly payments and settlement), Dishwashers (mainly cleaning utensils and equipment), and First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (scheduling and on-site management). These differ in objects, techniques, authority, and responsibilities. Menu development, equipment repair, food safety incident determinations, and statutory hygiene inspections belong to relevant roles and authorities; this occupation does not replace their judgment or sign-off.
Difference from food-preparation-workers (Food Preparation Workers): They mainly wash, cut, and preprocess ingredients, usually in the kitchen. This occupation directly serves customers through orders, service, payments, and shop hygiene, with more frequent customer contact and greater communication requirements.
| Dimension | Primary track | Comparison track |
|---|---|---|
| Core purpose | Before choosing this occupation, compare actual tasks (proportions of counter service, simple preparation, cleaning, and restocking), qualification and training routes (on-the-job training, food safety and hygiene training, and beverage service training in some regions), shifts and physical demands (early and late shifts, weekends and holidays, prolonged standing, and repetitive motions), health and safety costs (hot surfaces and fryers, cuts and slips, and customer conflict), and progression (moving to waiting, fast food cooking, food preparation, or shop supervision). Chains and regions differ considerably; check actual vacancies and shop observations. | Difference from cashiers (Cashiers): They mainly scan goods, settle payments, and process returns and exchanges across retail shops. In addition to payment collection, this occupation takes food orders, assembles and serves meals, and follows food safety and cleaning procedures, with broader duties. |
| Main objects and basis | AI task exposure | Digital tools may assist self-service and QR-code ordering, order displays and queue management, inventory and supply reminders, scheduling and shift-end reconciliation records, simple customer questions, and content drafts. Shop staff remain responsible for on-site order taking and confirmation, assembly and service, food safety and temperature judgments, customer emotions, and abnormality escalation. Task exposure does not equal job replacement. | Responsibility boundaries cannot be inferred from similar job titles. Among food-service roles, counter service, formal restaurant service, cooking, ingredient preprocessing, checkout, and dishwashing differ in objects, locations, techniques, and authority. Cross-role work requires learning processes and food safety procedures anew; judgment and sign-off authority do not carry over. Equipment maintenance and food safety incident handling must be performed by the relevant responsible parties. |
| Core process | Human control points and review | Shop staff and shift supervisors must confirm orders and allergens, judge food temperatures and time limits, separate raw and cooked food, clean and disinfect, handle customer emotions, and escalate abnormalities. Tool-generated orders, reminders, inventory findings, and reconciliation conclusions require human review and retained evidence before use. | Data and system prerequisites | Before adoption, check whether order and payment records trace to original orders; inventory and near-expiry reminder definitions and update frequency; access permissions and retention periods for customer and payment information; degraded operation during network or equipment failure; consistency between self-ordering and kitchen displays; and traceable grounds for automatic recommendations and allergen alerts. |
| Main outputs | Failure risks | Unreviewed tool outputs may cause incorrect orders and allergen information, distorted inventory and near-expiry reminders, reconciliation errors, or on-site use of unconfirmed recommendations and substitutions as established plans, causing customer complaints, food safety risks, and shop losses. Before implementation, specify who reviews outputs and which original information they use. | Remaining responsibilities | Matters that must not be automatically approved include whether food is safe to serve (temperature, time limits, suspected contamination), suspected allergen cross-contact risks, cancellations and discounts, and decisions involving customer safety and hygiene compliance. No tool output constitutes a finding of acceptability or authorization. |
| Responsible parties | Practical response | First use digital tools in reversible, auditable, low-risk steps (such as order organization, inventory and near-expiry records, scheduling and reconciliation assistance), subject to shift-supervisor confirmation and actual operations. Decide whether to expand use based on errors and customer feedback; food safety and service judgments must always retain human confirmation. | Employment evidence boundaries | Distinguish statistical scopes for this occupation's employment and wage data. US O*NET and BLS figures are estimates under specific definitions and cannot be directly extrapolated to mainland China or other regions. Chinese industry average wages provide background proxies, not occupational wage conclusions. All generated content should trace to original inputs and sources; fluent wording is not evidence of correctness. |
| Authority and approval | Insufficient evidence: Mainland China has not established public occupational wage statistics precisely matching Fast Food and Counter Workers; industry averages, advertised pay, and third-party estimates are not substituted. | Cross-market statistical boundaries | Mainland China and the United States use different industry and occupational classification systems. Mainland China publishes average wages of employees in urban units by national economic industry category without separate figures for this occupation; the United States provides SOC occupational and industry estimates. The two cannot be combined or converted, and industry averages cannot replace occupational wages. |
| Conclusion boundaries | US wage evidence review points | US figures come from BLS OEWS May 2025 and BLS 2024—2034 Employment Projections (presented through O*NET). Before use, confirm occupational scope (SOC 35-3023), inclusion of tips and bonuses (OEWS includes tips and some bonuses but excludes benefits and overtime premiums), and national rather than specific regional or employer scope. | Mainland China wage evidence review points | This page provides only statistical definitions, industry background proxies, and visible gap records, without estimated occupational pay. Before using figures, confirm whether statistical scope (industry category / occupation), period, units, and covered population are comparable with this occupation. |
Greet customers, take orders, repeat additions and allergen alerts for confirmation, and use checkout equipment to calculate prices, collect payments, give change, and check orders.
Retrieve food from service or storage areas and plate or package it according to orders, check main items, drinks, and sides, and deliver promptly while observing service time limits.
Mix cold drinks and milkshakes, brew coffee and tea, prepare simple foods such as sandwiches and salads, operate equipment as instructed, and control portions.
Follow procedures for hot holding and cold-drink refrigeration, check food temperatures, separate raw and cooked foods, change gloves, and observe shelf-life and storage limits.
Clean surfaces, counters, beverage equipment, and utensils, sweep and mop floors, wash dishes, set up and clear dining areas, and maintain sanitary facilities.
Monitor and request food and supplies, replenish promptly, report shortages and special orders to supervisors, and collaborate and mentor new colleagues as assigned.
Mainland China wage evidence—market scope | The National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages of employees in urban units by industry category, covering urban units nationwide without occupational breakdowns. Relevant categories such as accommodation and food services provide background only and cannot replace occupational wages. Employment arrangements vary considerably among chain shops, independent restaurants, and canteens and are difficult for public statistics to cover.
Insufficient evidence: No mainland China median wage for fast food and counter workers verifiable by occupation has been obtained; industry-category averages are not substituted.
Cross-market statistical boundaries | Mainland China industry average wages and US occupational wages differ in statistical subjects, periods, and definitions. This page presents them separately with limitations, without exchange-rate conversion or treating industry averages as occupational wages.
| Waiters and Waitresses | Outputs are dine-in services: greeting and orders, serving and clearing plates, beverage service, bills, and tip settlement. | Centers on table orders, serving, and dine-in service in formal restaurants, usually involving multiple-course pacing and beverage service, multiple customers per table, and complex orders and bills. | Better suited to people wanting more customer interaction and able to remember complex menus and table arrangements; those preferring rapid counter turnover may choose this occupation. |
|---|
| Cooks, Fast Food | Outputs are meals: ingredient preparation and preprocessing, frying and heating, plating and serving, equipment cleaning and care. | Centers on frying, heating, and meal production in the kitchen, emphasizing equipment operation, serving speed, and consistent taste; mainly kitchen-based. | Better suited to people willing to focus on cooking and equipment and tolerate kitchen heat and a physically demanding pace; those preferring direct customer contact suit this occupation. |
|---|
| Food Preparation Workers | Outputs are prepared ingredients and semifinished foods: inspection and storage, washing and cutting, portioning and shelf-life records. | Centers on washing, cutting, and preprocessing ingredients for cooking and serving, mainly repetitive preparation with little customer contact. | Better suited to people preferring quiet preparation and procedural work rather than frequent customer contact. |
|---|
| Cashiers | Outputs are payment results: scanning and pricing, payments and change, returns and discounts, and shift-end reconciliation. | Centers on product scanning, payment settlement, and returns and exchanges, working with goods and orders and emphasizing payment accuracy and loss prevention, usually without food preparation or service. | Better suited to people preferring standard payment processes without handling food and equipment; those wanting food service alongside payments suit this occupation. |
|---|
| Dishwashers | Outputs are clean utensils and equipment: sorting and soaking, washing and sanitizing, returning and checking, and washing-area maintenance. | Centers on washing and returning utensils, cookware, and equipment, emphasizing hygiene and efficiency, with essentially no customer contact and work in washing areas. | Better suited to people preferring independent washing and organizing and able to accept wet, hot environments. |
|---|
Conclusion | The core differences concern what workers mainly do in the shop, where they work, and whom they face. This occupation takes counter orders, assembles and serves food, collects payments, and performs hygiene and restocking duties. Waiters provide table orders and service in formal restaurants; fast food cooks cook and prepare meals in kitchens; food preparation workers preprocess ingredients; cashiers mainly settle product payments; dishwashers mainly clean utensils and equipment. Locations, customer-contact frequency, and authority differ; judgment and sign-off authority cannot carry across roles.
Transition | This page places adjacent roles side by side by responsibility and location to help decide which shop work you want to pursue long term. Whatever direction you choose, work readiness depends on understanding standard procedures and food safety, stable performance under peak pressure, and practical assessment recognized by employers or shift supervisors. Interest questionnaires only raise questions.
Technical feasibility: A task may be technologically reachable by tools. This is only a feasibility judgment, not permission or evidence of organizational adoption.
Institutional adoption: Introduction depends on chain and shop rules, food safety and hygiene requirements, and costs; food and customer safety responsibility cannot transfer because tools are introduced.
Job outcomes: Whether task changes increase or decrease jobs depends on consumption and customer traffic, shop automation, and employment structures, not directly on technical feasibility.
| Work area | Task | Current change | Human control point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editorial candidate: Ordering and form tools can organize records; people confirm. No occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained. | Organizing order and allergen confirmation records | Take orders and repeat additions, no-ice requests, and allergen alerts for confirmation | People handle on-site confirmation and communication; tools only assist records |
| Editorial candidate: Order displays may help; people check. No occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained. | Assembly and serving checks | Retrieve, plate, or package food by order and check items | People perform on-site checks and physical service; tools only assist displays |
| Editorial candidate: Calculation and reconciliation tools may accelerate work; results require human review. No occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained. | Payment and shift-end reconciliation | Calculate prices, collect payment, give change, and check shift-end accounts | People handle on-site checks and confirmation |
| Editorial candidate: Essentially does not involve generative AI; no occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained. | Simple preparation (drinks and light foods) | Mix cold drinks, brew coffee, and prepare sandwiches and salads | Operate as instructed; people control portions and hygiene |
| Editorial candidate: Recording tools may help; people measure. No occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained. | Temperature and time controls | Check food temperatures and apply holding, refrigeration, and storage limits | People perform on-site measurements and judgments |
| Editorial candidate: Essentially does not involve generative AI; no occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained. | Cleaning, hygiene, and disinfection | Clean surfaces and equipment, wash utensils, and disinfect | Processes and manual work are performed on site |
| Editorial candidate: Inventory and reminder tools may assist records; no occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained. | Restocking and abnormality reporting | Monitor inventory, restock, and report shortages and abnormalities to supervisors | People handle on-site judgment and communication |
Evidence introduction | Cite only sources supporting this page's claims; identify jurisdiction, period, and statistical scope. General research mainly covering broad occupational groups must not infer individual job changes here. A technology list does not establish adoption; sources do not replace actual on-site judgment of food and equipment.
Tool candidates for adjacent tasks are editorial suggestions; acceleration, replacement, and adoption have not been measured.
AI primarily changesEditorial candidates: Tools may accelerate self-ordering and order displays, inventory and near-expiry reminders, and scheduling and reconciliation assistance; no occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained.
Human responsibility remainsOn-site order taking and allergen confirmation, assembly and service, and temperature and time controls
AI primarily changesEditorial candidates: Tools may assist customer-answer drafts, FAQs, and menu explanations; no occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained.
Human responsibility remainsHandling customer emotions and escalating complaints, confirming cancellations and discounts, and reporting food safety incidents
AI primarily changesEditorial candidates: Tools may generate training and process-document drafts and sales and loss summaries; no occupational adoption or effect measurements have been obtained.
Human responsibility remainsFood safety procedures, equipment operation and care, and hygiene and compliance responsibilities
The following are editorial review suggestions; check actual food, hygiene, payment, and service responsibilities against jurisdiction and contracts.
Food and customer safety judgments: Shop staff judge temperatures and time limits, suspected contamination, allergens, and site safety; tools do not determine safety.
Order correctness: Selections, additions, no-ice requests, and allergen notes require human review against original orders and customer confirmation before serving and settlement.
On-site execution and hygiene control: Staff perform assembly and service, equipment operation, raw and cooked separation, and cleaning and disinfection under shift procedures.
Authentic and traceable records: Orders, cancellations, inventory, and shift-end reconciliation must reflect actual processes; tools must not generate unverified records or retrospective entries.
Escalation and confirmation: Food safety incidents, equipment failure, cancellations and discounts, and customer conflict require shift-supervisor or shop-manager confirmation and records.
Biased recommendations or accidental inputs cause wrong orders, complaints, and cancellations
Control: Repeat orders for human confirmation before serving and settlement, identify reviewers, and keep records
Skipping measurements can leave hot holding or refrigeration below standard, creating food safety risks
Control: Temperatures and time limits require on-site measurement and records; tools provide reminders only
Customer and payment information may be improperly shared externally or misused
Control: Limit purposes and retention periods; do not upload sensitive data externally
Distorted accounts and loss records affect shop profit and loss and responsibility determination
Control: Reconciliation must reflect real transactions; unverified generated records are prohibited
Responsibility cannot be established after food safety or service incidents
Control: Identify review and confirmation owners and keep records before tool adoption
Use tools in reversible support steps: order and inventory records, near-expiry reminders, schedule viewing, and photo archiving. All order confirmation and food safety judgments depend on on-site and shift-supervisor review.
Use digital tools for ordering and order displays, inventory and restocking reminders, and shift-end reconciliation assistance; personally perform assembly and service, temperature and time controls, and cleaning and disinfection.
Use tools for schedules and staffing forecasts, checklists and corrective-action tracking, and sales and loss records. Cancellation and discount confirmation, food safety, and abnormality handling require on-site review and records.
Use tools for training drafts, process documents, and data summaries; manually confirm food safety procedures, equipment operation, and compliance judgments against shift procedures and laws.
No occupational disappearance timeline or replacement effect has been obtained, and no short-term nonreplacement promise is made; authorized candidates require error and rework measurements.
Source: O*NET 35-3023.00 (tasks and work context)Original source ↗
O*NET lists POS, menu databases, spreadsheets, and other software; this does not prove shop adoption. Self-service, QR codes, and reminders are not automatically generative AI.
Source: BLS Employment Projections (scope notes)Original source ↗
Repeating orders and confirming allergens, accurate and fast assembly and serving, temperature and time controls, hygiene and cleaning execution, and remaining steady during peaks and conflict.
Source: BLS OEWS (wage and employment definitions)Original source ↗
This round obtained no precise Chinese occupational wages, employment, or AI adoption; industry averages provide background only, without deeming statistics unestablished.
Source: ILO Future of Work research (task-exposure mechanisms)Original source ↗
First specify who reviews outputs, which original information they use, and how to revert errors, and check food safety and hygiene procedures. Tools must not automatically approve orders, cancellations, or food safety judgments.
Source: NIST AI RMF (governance principles)Original source ↗
Limit purposes and retention periods for customer information, payment information, and surveillance images; do not upload unauthorized customer or payment data to external services.
Source: O*NET occupational scope (boundaries)Original source ↗
Judge using three evidence layers: technical feasibility, institutional adoption, and job outcomes, together with local consumption and traffic, shop automation, and employment arrangements, rather than tool demonstrations alone.
Source: O*NET occupational interests (preference directions)Original source ↗
Editorial suggestion: Trial authorized order and recording tools, measuring errors and rework; efficiency has not been measured and lighter administration is not guaranteed.
Insufficient evidence: No mainland China monthly wages for this occupation verifiable by city or region have been obtained; advertised pay, industry means, and secondhand accounts are not substituted.
Insufficient evidence: No mainland China monthly wages for this occupation verifiable by city or region have been obtained; advertised pay, industry means, and secondhand accounts are not substituted.
Insufficient evidence: This round obtained no precise Chinese occupational wages or employment; statistics cannot be deemed unestablished.
| Educational background | Common roles | Notes and checking suggestions |
|---|---|---|
| Junior secondary school or below | Counter workers and helpers (order assistance, cleaning, and restocking) | Learn ordering and hygiene procedures under a team lead, without independently taking payment or food safety judgment responsibility. |
| Senior secondary or secondary vocational school | Counter service and checkout | Learn orders, assembly and service, payments, and cleaning through on-the-job training; independent shifts require assessment and supervisor approval. |
| Associate degree (food service or service management related) | Shift supervision and shop training | Focuses on on-site management and training, but scheduling, discounts, and food safety handling authority require separate role authorization. |
| Bachelor's degree or above | Shop management and chain operations | Management roles requiring additional on-site experience and relevant appointment or training credentials. |
National Bureau of Statistics data are annual mean pre-tax wages for employees in urban units; total wages include labor remuneration under statistical rules and cannot broadly exclude all bonuses, allowances, or overtime payments. National, industry, and job-group means cannot replace individual occupational income or a specific employment contract quote.
Editorial checking direction: Check demand by target shop, shifts, traffic, and duties; no Chinese job-size, staff-turnover, or shift-pattern measurements have been obtained.
Editorial checking direction: Check demand by target shop, shifts, traffic, and duties; no Chinese job-size, staff-turnover, or shift-pattern measurements have been obtained.
Editorial checking direction: Check demand by target shop, shifts, traffic, and duties; no Chinese job-size, staff-turnover, or shift-pattern measurements have been obtained.
Editorial suggestion: Trial authorized order, inventory, scheduling, and reconciliation records, measuring errors and rework. Self-ordering is not automatically generative AI; no measured medium-to-low exposure rating or income / job effects have been obtained.
| Official annual wage, not personal take-home pay |
| Wage positions are not job levels, experience, or hours groups; the median is not an entry offer. Check income against actual contracts and hours; original exact percentiles were not re-obtained this round. |
| Highest 10% | 90th percentile 42,650 dollars / year (2025, BLS OEWS) | Official annual wage, not personal take-home pay | Wage positions are not job levels, experience, or hours groups; the median is not an entry offer. Check income against actual contracts and hours; original exact percentiles were not re-obtained this round. |
|---|
Pay · Median annual wage：Median annual wage 31,200 dollars (2025, BLS OEWS)；Scope | US national median； boundary | The distribution midpoint, not starting pay or any particular region's or employer's level.
Pay · 10th percentile：10th percentile 22,840 dollars / year (2025, BLS OEWS)；Scope | Exact US occupation's 10th percentile； boundary | Original 22840 not re-obtained this round； combined OOH10.98 dollars / hour cannot substitute. Percentiles are not hours or experience groups.
Pay · 25th percentile：25th percentile 27,700 dollars / year (2025, BLS OEWS)；Scope | Lower quartile of the US national wage distribution； boundary | In the lower distribution, with large regional and employer differences.
Pay · 75th percentile：75th percentile 36,070 dollars / year (2025, BLS OEWS)；Scope | Exact US occupation's 75th percentile； boundary | Original 36070 not re-obtained； cannot represent senior, team-lead, or regional groups.
Pay · 90th percentile：90th percentile 42,650 dollars / year (2025, BLS OEWS)；Scope | Exact US 90th percentile； boundary | Original 42650 not re-obtained； not an overall ceiling or an individual's probability of reaching it.
The median is not starting pay; original exact percentiles have not been re-obtained, and the distribution does not establish shifts or hours as causes.
OEWS measures employees' pre-tax regular-hours wages, including commissions, incentive pay, production bonuses, and tips; excluding overtime premiums, nonproduction bonuses, and employer benefit costs, and not covering the self-employed. Regional and industry differences appear in wage distributions and cannot be broadly described as excluded. Employee part-time and piece-rate remuneration cannot be categorically excluded.
Multiple roles, mentoring, and management are editorial exploration; entering supervision involves adjacent responsibilities and does not guarantee an income ceiling.
Usage suggestion: Consider median, percentile, and employment figures together, checking local markets and target employers; do not infer individual pay from one number.
| Industry | Median wage for this occupation within the industry | How to understand this value |
|---|---|---|
| Food service and fast food chains | Insufficient evidence: This round obtained no industry median wage readable for this occupation; industry averages and third-party estimates are not substituted. | Exact 35-3023 industry medians not obtained this round; OOH industry hourly wages cover a food-and-beverage-serving occupational combination and cannot substitute. Check actual hiring and demand separately. |
| Accommodation and food services (hotels and canteens) | Insufficient evidence: This round obtained no industry median wage readable for this occupation; industry averages and third-party estimates are not substituted. | Exact 35-3023 industry medians not obtained this round; OOH industry hourly wages cover a food-and-beverage-serving occupational combination and cannot substitute. Check actual hiring and demand separately. |
| Convenience stores and retail food-service departments | Insufficient evidence: This round obtained no industry median wage readable for this occupation; industry averages and third-party estimates are not substituted. | Exact 35-3023 industry medians not obtained this round; OOH industry hourly wages cover a food-and-beverage-serving occupational combination and cannot substitute. Check actual hiring and demand separately. |
| Leisure, entertainment, and event venues | Insufficient evidence: This round obtained no industry median wage readable for this occupation; industry averages and third-party estimates are not substituted. | Exact 35-3023 industry medians not obtained this round; OOH industry hourly wages cover a food-and-beverage-serving occupational combination and cannot substitute. Check actual hiring and demand separately. |
Check target-region offers and living costs; no occupational regional net-purchasing-power comparison has been obtained.
Check multi-role and mentoring samples and actual contracts; effects on income ceilings or bargaining have not been measured.
Check shifts, hours, allowances, and wage payments against contracts; no measurement of generally applicable night / holiday allowances for the exact occupation has been obtained.
Scope | Older 2024 employment 3796000 is historical； boundary | Current 2025 projection 3855900 includes self-employment and unpaid family work, unlike the OEWS employee survey； original OEWS count 3854050 not re-obtained.
Scope | US projected employment growth category (above average)； boundary | A growth category is not an absolute job count and does not apply to other jurisdictions.
Scope | Older 2024—2034 annual average 904300 is historical, retaining the original annual-average unit； boundary | Current 2025—2035 exact occupational annual average 827400 includes growth and replacements, not net additions； OOH combined 1078500 cannot substitute.
O*NET occupational interest baseline
Interest experience: Enjoys frequent customer interaction in shops, fast and accurate ordering and serving, and satisfaction from teamwork and completing peak service.
Understanding this interest code: CRS combines Conventional (organizing work by processes and standards), Realistic (hands-on operation and physical activity), and Social (directly helping and serving others); it explains task preferences rather than predicting performance.
Which Holland interest types are closer to fast food and counter work?
Holland (RIASEC) | Helps understand your relative Conventional, Realistic, and Social preferences. This occupation's O*NET interest code is CRS (Conventional—Realistic—Social), corresponding to standard procedures, hands-on operation, and direct service to others. The questionnaire only raises questions and does not judge suitability or readiness for work.
Do not use it this way: If you strongly dislike frequent customer contact, prolonged standing, and repetitive work, or struggle with early, late, and holiday shifts, high interest-questionnaire scores cannot change those practical costs.
Test my Holland career interestsWhich Big Five traits are more relevant to this work?
Editorial suggestion: Observe order review, abnormality reporting, and customer communication samples; Big Five predictive validity for performance in this occupation has not been validated.
Do not use it this way: Do not use an assessment saying your personality is unsuitable as grounds to give up or avoid entry; rely on on-site experience and practical assessments.
View my Big Five personality traitsCan MBTI determine whether fast food and counter work suits me?
MBTI | Typology supports reflection on communication preferences; this occupation requires in-person confirmation and feedback with customers and colleagues. Preferences do not determine competence.
Do not use it this way: Use types only as communication-style references; do not infer whether you or others can perform counter service and shop work well.
Understand my MBTI preferencesCan the Enneagram show whether this occupation suits me?
Enneagram | Helps observe reactions under pressure. When customers chase orders or complain during peaks, confirming before acting as required matters more than a type label.
Do not use it this way: Do not explain service or food safety failures with type labels; examine whether processes, equipment, and authority were in place.
Explore my Enneagram patternsCan I do fast food and counter work if I am not good at math?
Observe cognitive tests separately from memory, multi-role, and operational work samples; occupational predictive validity and relative importance of abilities have not been validated.
Do not use it this way: Scores do not show whether someone can learn counter service and shop operations; test this through practice and practical assessments.
Understand my intelligence and reasoning performanceDoes fast food and counter work require high emotional intelligence?
Customer and team communication can support work-sample reflection; emotional intelligence's predictive validity for occupational performance or safety has not been validated.
Do not use it this way: Emotional skills can improve through shop experience and deliberate practice; assessment scores need not limit you.
Understand my emotional intelligence abilitiesFits better when: Can serve multiple tables simultaneously, remember menus, and maintain frequent customer interaction
Watch for: Not recommended if you do not want complex orders and table arrangements or have little interest in beverage service.
Explore related career: Waiters and Waitresses directionFits better when: Can tolerate kitchen heat and a physically demanding pace and focus on equipment and consistent meals
Watch for: Not recommended if kitchen heat and sustained physical demands are difficult to adapt to.
Explore related career: Fast Food Cooks directionFits better when: Has procedural preparation skills and accepts repetitive preparation with less customer contact
Watch for: Not recommended if you want frequent customer interaction.
Explore related career: Food Preparation Workers directionFits better when: Has settlement accuracy and loss-prevention awareness and follows standard payment procedures
Watch for: Not recommended if numbers and payment checking are not your strength and you prefer food and customer service.
Explore related career: Cashiers directionFits better when: Has stable peak-period performance and multitasking skills and follows food safety and hygiene procedures
Watch for: Not recommended if prolonged standing, repetitive movements, customer conflict, or early, late, and holiday shifts are difficult to accept.
Explore related career: This occupation (Fast Food and Counter Workers) directionFits better when: Has beverage consistency and bar workflow skills and is willing to learn coffee knowledge
Watch for: Not recommended if you do not want to learn drink recipes and equipment operation or have little interest in coffee and drinks.
Explore related career: Baristas directionWhat personality suits this work? Emotional steadiness, responsibility, and willingness to communicate matter more than a particular type. O*NET interest code CRS (Conventional—Realistic—Social) can be an exploration starting point.
Can introverted people fit? They can adapt. Counter and kitchen coordination mainly uses brief, procedural communication, but you must actively confirm orders and requirements. If facing customer emotions is extremely difficult, consider kitchen or washing roles.
What should I prepare before entry? Understand actual shop pace (continuous peak-period standing, repetitive motions, early and late shifts, and holidays), and basic food safety and hygiene. You can start as a counter helper or hourly worker.
Unpleasant customers: 78% daily; conflict: 42% weekly, not daily. These are not actual violence or injury and illness rates.
Are there physical requirements? Prolonged standing and walking, moving goods, and equipment operation are required. Specific employment and medical examination requirements depend on employers and local laws; this page provides no medical examination conclusions.
US occupational education: 56% below high school / 24% high school / 17% some college without a degree; BLS typically requires no formal education. JobZone1—2 is a general preparation description; check Chinese announcements separately.
Can long-term work harm health? Prolonged standing, repetitive movements, hot surfaces and fryers, cuts, and slippery floors are practical costs. Use protective equipment, take work breaks, and follow procedures.
Career progression and transitions? Progress from counter work and assistance to skilled service, shift supervision, and shop management, or move to waiting, fast food cooking, food preparation, barista work, or checkout. Moving between directions requires relearning processes and procedures.
US CRS, JobZone1—2, education 56 / 24 / 17, and BLS typical no formal education; US alcohol training is required only in some localities and does not directly apply to China. Check target Chinese hiring, health, food, or alcohol entry requirements separately; not all provisions have been obtained.
How can I test fit? Use a real or simulated peak-period shop task: Can you maintain accurate orders and serving speed under pressure, accept repetitive labor and shifts, and handle customer emotions appropriately?
How to reduce risk：Check and record temperatures at procedural intervals, handle expired holding times as required, and immediately stop use and notify the shift supervisor when temperatures are abnormal
Evidence：O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information · O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information
Typical scenario：Scenario | An allergen note reaches the counter but food is prepared normally without changing tools or gloves, causing cross-contamination.
Roles most affected：Counter and kitchen teams; customers with allergies
Possible consequence：Failure to separate raw and cooked food, change gloves, or implement allergen notes during preparation; cross-contamination creates allergen risks and potentially serious health consequences
How to reduce risk：Separate raw and cooked food and designate tools by area, change gloves as required, confirm and repeat allergen notes for each order, and escalate when unable to confirm
Evidence：O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information · O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information
Typical scenario：Scenario | Handling frying equipment or knives bare-handed causes hot-oil burns or blade cuts.
Roles most affected：Counter and kitchen teams; shops
Possible consequence：Improper protection and operation around hot surfaces, fryers, knives, and broken glass cause burns, cuts, and punctures
How to reduce risk：Use protection according to procedures, attend to heat sources and knife storage, promptly handle wet floors and breakages, and treat and report cuts as required
Evidence：O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information · O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information
Typical scenario：Scenario | A customer becomes upset about a long wait; the counter worker handles it alone and conflict escalates.
Roles most affected：Counter staff; shops and customers
Possible consequence：Poor handling of customers chasing orders or becoming upset, or facing them alone; escalating conflict, damaged service experience, and personal safety risks
How to reduce risk：When threatened, withdraw under safety procedures and seek appropriate support. For ordinary complaints, confirm needs and refer beyond-authority issues to supervisors without promising compensation. Do not universally require calming customers first while remaining in danger.
Evidence：O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information · O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information
Typical scenario：Scenario | Unrecorded cancellations and discounts and unbalanced shift-end accounts create discrepancies and responsibility disputes.
Roles most affected：Counter staff and shift supervisors; shops
Possible consequence：Missing payment, cancellation, or discount processing or shift-end reconciliation errors; account discrepancies, distorted loss records, and unclear responsibility
How to reduce risk：Operate registers and reconcile under procedures, report abnormalities promptly, and obtain authorized cancellation and discount confirmation with records
Evidence：O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information · O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information
Typical scenario：Scenario | Wet floors are not promptly addressed, combined with continuous standing and repetitive motions all day, resulting in falls and strain.
Roles most affected：Counter workers and helpers; shops
Possible consequence：Prolonged standing, repetitive motions, slippery floors, and improper lifting cause strain, falls, and sprains
How to reduce risk：Use nonslip shoes and protection, take breaks and lift correctly, promptly clean wet areas and post warnings, and rotate roles under procedures
Evidence：O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information · O*NET Fast Food and Counter Workers detailed information
| Occupational direction | Starting tasks | Evidence you can prepare | Work samples you can show without experience | Distinction from this occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waiters and Waitresses | Assist greeting and guidance, orders and serving, plate clearing and table tidying | Shop practice records, mentor evaluations, and service evaluations | A fictional multi-table order and serving-route plan | Formal restaurant table service involving complex menus and drinks |
| Fast Food Cooks | Assist preparation and preprocessing, frying and heating, and equipment cleaning | Food safety training records and proof of job shadowing | A fictional fast food serving and equipment-operation process card | Mainly kitchen cooking and serving, with little customer contact |
| Food Preparation Workers | Assist inspection and storage, washing and cutting, portioning and shelf-life records | Food safety and hygiene training records | A fictional ingredient preprocessing and shelf-life record | Mainly repetitive ingredient preprocessing, without customer contact |
| Cashiers | Assist scanning and pricing, payments and change, and shift-end reconciliation | Checkout system training and shop practice records | A fictional settlement and returns-handling process explanation | Mainly product settlement and returns, without food preparation |
| Baristas | Assist bar cleaning, utensil preparation, and simple drink production | Beverage training and shop practice records | A fictional beverage recipe and consistency checklist | Mainly beverage preparation and bar service, requiring coffee-equipment knowledge |
Related education supports exploration; Chinese hiring advantages have not been measured.
Check education, training, practice, and statutory qualifications separately; do not assert a single hiring factor.
Some regions and shops require beverage service training records (if alcohol is served).
Equipment and cleaning-agent use must follow shift instructions; specifics depend on employer and local requirements.
Work context emphasizes constant contact (89%), repetitive motions (64%), continuous standing (54%), and unpleasant customers (78% daily).
Interest and personality data support self-questioning only, not hiring or performance conclusions.
Common materials: food ingredients, wrapping paper and meal containers, utensils and straws, disposable gloves and hairnets, cleaning agents and disinfectants.
Food safety parameters (holding and refrigeration temperatures, storage limits, disinfectant concentrations) follow procedures and product instructions valid for the shift.
A blank order and confirmation record (items, additions, no ice, and allergen alerts).
A blank assembly and packaging checklist (main items, drinks, sides, and utensils).
A blank temperature and time record (holding, refrigeration, and storage limits).
A cleaning and disinfection schedule (surfaces, equipment, and dining areas).
A process flowchart (order—confirm—payment—assembly—delivery—cleaning).
A pen and calculator (for trial pricing and reconciliation).
A timer (60-minute limit).
Complete trial order pricing and shift-end reconciliation and describe at least two risks of complaints or food safety problems and corresponding measures.
Specify situations requiring a pause and escalation rather than handling them yourself (such as suspected allergen cross-contact, equipment failure, or intense customer conflict).
Specify order items, additions, allergens, and service deadlines.
Specify temperatures, time limits, raw and cooked separation, and disinfection methods for food and cleaning.
Mark whether each step was completed independently or with guidance.
Mark steps requiring escalation rather than independent judgment.
Record review comments, time, and basis for later reflection.
Show the process and checking records from ordering to delivery, not only results.
Do not include customer names, payment information, contact details, or any identifying information in the summary.
State sources and assumptions, distinguishing measured values from estimates.
Explain who reviewed outputs before use.
Label assumed tool parameters (loss rates, discount assumptions, and so on) as assumptions.
| Stage | Points that may be checked | Observable evidence | Boundary note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resume and initial screening | Food safety and hygiene knowledge, service willingness, and schedule acceptance | Training records, shop practice, and verifiable past-work descriptions | Self-assessment cannot replace proof of food safety and hygiene training |
| Interview | Understanding ordering, serving, and payment processes, and awareness of handling customer conflict and food safety | Order confirmation and temperature-control judgments in on-site questions and answers |
Record observed shop traffic and shift pace.
Write the practical cost you find hardest to adapt to and judge whether you can accept it.
List key food safety parameters from shift procedures (holding and refrigeration temperatures, storage limits, disinfectant concentrations).
Write responses and escalation contacts for two typical failures (abnormal temperatures and allergen cross-contact).
Find at least two deviations against the checklist and record corrective methods.
| Qualification or preparation item | Applicable population | Role in this occupation | Generally required? | Conditions for obtaining it | Approximate investment | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education (check the target role) | Target entry roles | US typically no formal education; check China separately | Requirements for most Chinese roles have not been checked | Complete senior secondary education or obtain recognized equivalent education |
Typical scope：Clean and restock, prepare simple supplies, and assist packaging under guidance; do not independently take payment or food safety judgment responsibility.
Readiness evidence：Job-shadowing records and lead evaluations; ability to explain food safety essentials and order processes.
Credential boundary：Food safety and hygiene training records.
Next moves：Follow a lead to learn order processes, menus, and common ingredients, recording daily learning points.
Typical scope：Independently complete orders, assembly and service, payments, and cleaning, follow temperature and time controls, and report abnormalities.
Readiness evidence：Order accuracy across consecutive shifts and supervisor review comments.
Credential boundary：On-the-job training records; checkout and hygiene procedure training.
Next moves：Build peak-period experience and practice multitasking and order checks.
Typical scope：Perform multiple roles during peaks, lead a small team through handovers, and handle on-site order and abnormalities.
Readiness evidence：Peak-period performance and handover records; complaint and abnormality outcomes.
Credential boundary：Leadership training records; employer appointment or shift authorization.
Next moves：Learn schedules, staffing, loss and inventory controls, and practice on-site communication.
Typical scope：Manage schedules, costs and losses, food safety and hygiene compliance, handle complaints, and coordinate suppliers.
Readiness evidence：Operating, cost, and compliance records for the shop managed.
Credential boundary：Employer appointment; shop management and food safety training records.
Next moves：Systematically learn financial and settlement definitions and participate in inventory and staffing management.
Typical scope：Wash utensils and equipment, disinfect surfaces, and maintain washing-area hygiene under procedures, keeping authentic, traceable records.
Readiness evidence：Hygiene inspection records and their review status.
Credential boundary：Hygiene and cleaning training; no authority to determine food safety incidents.
Next moves：Learn disinfectant concentrations and washing processes and the basis for common hygiene judgments.
Typical scope：Check food temperatures and storage limits, review disinfection and cleaning records, and track corrections under procedures.
Readiness evidence：Temperature and hygiene inspection records and corrective-action completion.
Credential boundary：Food safety role training and employer appointment.
Next moves：Learn food safety procedures and common failure causes and responses.
Typical scope：Help develop shop food safety and hygiene processes, address abnormalities and corrections, and train staff.
Readiness evidence：Process documents and training records; abnormality and correction outcomes.
Typical scope：Check food and supply arrivals, register batches and near-expiry items, maintain inventory, distribute as needed, and record usage.
Readiness evidence：Inventory and loss ledgers and stocktaking discrepancies.
Credential boundary：Warehouse and near-expiry management training; no purchasing decision authority.
Next moves：Learn inventory and loss accounting and storage requirements.
Typical scope：Arrange shifts and staffing, coordinate peak-season overtime and hours records, and handle temporary adjustments.
Readiness evidence：Scheduling records and staffing-cost data.
Credential boundary：Scheduling and employment-rule training; employer appointment.
Next moves：Learn staffing forecasts and labor-hour costs and master scheduling rules.
Typical scope：Track sales and losses, follow equipment maintenance, and coordinate suppliers and nearby shops.
Readiness evidence：Operating records and loss and cost improvements.
Learn ordering, food safety and hygiene, and basic equipment use under a lead or skilled employee. Perform support steps only; the lead handles payments and food safety judgments.
Independently complete routine ordering, assembly and service, payments, and cleaning, follow temperature and time controls, and pause and escalate abnormalities and beyond-authority requests.
Perform multiple roles during peaks, lead a small team through handovers, and handle on-site order, abnormalities, and shift-end reconciliation review.
Participate in scheduling, cost and loss management, training, and compliance systems; relevant appointment and management-training credentials are required.
United States · SOC 35-3023（OEWS May 2025）
Median annual wage 31,200 dollars (median hourly wage 15.00 dollars); percentiles 22,840 / 27,700 / 36,070 / 42,650 dollars
Wages (median and percentiles)
The median is not starting pay; exact original percentiles were not re-obtained, and the range does not establish shifts, hours, or region as causes.
Does not establish：OEWS measures employees' pre-tax wages for regular hours, including commissions, incentive pay, production bonuses, and tips; excludes overtime premiums, nonproduction bonuses, and employer benefit costs; and does not cover the self-employed. Regional and industry differences appear in wage distributions and cannot be broadly described as excluded.
Mainland China · National Bureau of Statistics average wages of employees in urban units (industry categories)
Insufficient evidence: This round obtained no precise Chinese occupational wages or employment; existence of statistics has not been checked.
Industry average wages (background proxy)
National Bureau of Statistics data are annual mean pre-tax wages for employees in urban units; total wages include labor remuneration under statistical rules and cannot broadly exclude all bonuses, allowances, or overtime payments. National, industry, and job-group means cannot replace individual occupational income or a specific employment contract quote.
Does not establish：Annual industry figures differ from US occupational wage definitions; no combination or conversion is made.
These are capability relationships, not automatic promotions or credential waivers.
Transfers：Customer communication, service pace, teamwork; relatively close, both food service but differing in form and setting. Editorial exploration; check actual processes, qualifications, and jurisdiction separately.
Build next：Needs additional table service, complex menu, and beverage service skills
View career profileTransfers：Equipment operation, serving efficiency, hygiene rules; moderate proximity, moving from counter to kitchen. Editorial exploration; check actual processes, qualifications, and jurisdiction separately.
Build next：Needs additional kitchen cooking, equipment, and meal-consistency skills
View career profileTransfers：Procedural preparation, hygiene, storage; relatively close, both shop operations but with less customer contact. Editorial exploration; check actual processes, qualifications, and jurisdiction separately.
Build next：Needs additional ingredient washing, cutting, preprocessing, and shelf-life management skills
View career profileTransfers：Payment accuracy, cash and payment processing; relatively close, both counter work but moving from food to goods. Editorial exploration; check actual processes, qualifications, and jurisdiction separately.
Build next：Needs additional product settlement, returns, loss-prevention, and system-operation skills
View career profileTransfers：Recipe memory, bar pace, equipment cleaning; moderate proximity, requiring coffee and beverage knowledge and equipment learning. Editorial exploration; check actual processes, qualifications, and jurisdiction separately.
Build next：Needs additional beverage recipe, equipment, and consistency skills
View career profileTransfers：Staffing, abnormality handling, training and mentoring; moderate proximity, moving from frontline work to on-site management. Editorial exploration; check actual processes, qualifications, and jurisdiction separately.
Build next：Needs additional scheduling, on-site management, and food safety responsibility skills
View career profileTransfers：Cleaning processes, hygiene standards, efficiency; relatively close, both shop operations but with less customer contact. Editorial exploration; check actual processes, qualifications, and jurisdiction separately.
Build next：Needs additional washing, disinfection, equipment maintenance, and hygiene record skills
View career profileTransfers：Physical ability and safety, inventory and scanning; relatively close, both frequent repetitive work but in different settings. Editorial exploration; check actual processes, qualifications, and jurisdiction separately.
Build next：Needs additional goods handling, scanning, inventory, and restocking skills
View career profileWaiters handle table orders, serving, and beverages in formal restaurants; fast food cooks handle kitchen cooking and preparation; food preparation workers preprocess ingredients; cashiers focus on product settlement; dishwashers clean utensils and equipment. This occupation takes counter orders, assembles and serves food, collects payments, and performs shop hygiene and restocking, with frequent direct customer contact and standard procedures. Locations and responsibility boundaries differ.
2025 median annual wage 31,200 dollars (median hourly wage 15.00 dollars); 2024 employment about 3,796,000 (BLS occupational projection base year); projected 2024—2034 growth above average (about 5%–6%), with about 904,300 average annual openings (including replacements). These are US O*NET / BLS definitions, not applicable to other jurisdictions.
Mainland China has not established public occupational wage statistics precisely matching this occupation. The National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages of urban-unit employees by industry (such as accommodation and food services: non-private units 62,461 yuan / year, private units 55,123 yuan / year), without occupational distinctions, providing background proxies only. Visible Insufficient evidence: markers remain in the mainland China section; industry means, advertised pay, and third-party estimates are not substituted.
O*NET work context shows constant contact 89%, continual or almost continual repetitive motions 64%, continuous standing 54%, bending or twisting about half the time 57%, and very close proximity 48%; daily unpleasant customers 78% and daily exposure to minor burns, cuts, and punctures 29%. Rotation, protection, and breaks can reduce strain, but prolonged standing, repetition, and heat-source risks remain practical costs.
Effects mainly concern records, schedules, and self-service: tools may assist self-ordering and QR-code ordering, order displays and queues, inventory and near-expiry reminders, scheduling and reconciliation, and simple customer questions. Shop staff and shift supervisors retain on-site order and allergen confirmation, assembly and service, temperature and time controls, customer emotions, and abnormality escalation. Task exposure does not equal replacement.
O*NET shows this occupation typically does not require formal education (56% of respondents consider below high school sufficient, 24% require high school or equivalent, and 17% some college), with skills learned on the job (Job Zone 1-2, SVP below 6.0). Actual requirements depend on employers and shops.
Training, certification, employer appointment, and scheduling, discount, and food safety handling authority are four different states. Food safety and hygiene training are generally common requirements; alcohol-serving shops may require local beverage-service training. Equipment training does not confer repair or management authority. Listed preparation items are not any organization's formal qualification list.
Common failures include inadequate temperature and time control, raw and cooked cross-contamination and mishandled allergens, burns and cuts from hot surfaces, fryers, and knives, customer conflict outside procedures, payment, cancellation, and reconciliation errors, and slippery floors, lifting, and repetitive-motion strain. Key controls are following procedures and keeping records, pausing, and escalating.
US 2024—2034 growth is projected above average (about 5%–6%), with openings mainly from replacements. Projections do not equal personal opportunities, which depend on local consumption and traffic. Adjacent roles include waiting, fast food cooking, food preparation, checkout, barista work, frontline supervision, dishwashing, and stocking and picking (requiring learning processes and procedures anew), or shift supervision and shop management.
Source card | Research process: First check O*NET-SOC 35-3023.00 scope, tasks, and context, then obtain wages and employment from BLS OEWS May 2025 and BLS 2024—2034 Employment Projections, and finally use National Bureau of Statistics 2025 industry-category average wages (accommodation and food services) as mainland China background proxies. US and mainland China data are separate, without combination or conversion.
2026-10-11
Source card | Source register: Lists O*NET profiles and details, BLS OEWS, BLS Employment Projections, National Bureau of Statistics industry wages, and FermatMind scope rules; each fact's source_refs points to an id in the register.
Limitations：US occupational information does not automatically establish mainland China professional licenses, institutional authority, or employer requirements.
Limitations：Certification entries do not replace local licenses, employment qualifications, or independent handling authority.
Limitations：Do not interpret projected changes or annual openings directly as personal income or hiring guarantees.
Limitations：Wage statistics and employment projections are different statistical programs and cannot be combined into personal starting pay or income guarantees.
Limitations：Keep mainland China's exact occupational wage gap visible; do not present industry proxies as occupational wages.
Limitations：Not an external occupational fact source or replacement for official statistics or jurisdictional rules.
Limitations：Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
Author revisions to nine modules this round await independent review. Selected modules cover 35-3023 Fast Food and Counter Workers; May2025 median 31200 dollars / year, 15 dollars / hour; 2025 employment 3855900, 2025—2035 growth 5.8% (about 6%), annual average openings 827400. CRS, JobZone1—2, education 56 / 24 / 17 retained. 73% is decision freedom, task priorities 43%; conflict 42% weekly, not daily; injury situations are not injury rates. US substitutions removed from Chinese recruitment tables, wage and projection subjects corrected, self-ordering not automatically generative AI. OOH group percentiles / industries / total openings cannot substitute for 35-3023; original exact percentiles, OEWS count, and Chinese wages and recruitment not re-obtained. Older shared projections protected and Hero / FAQ retained; personality validity, AI adoption effects, and complete food, health, and alcohol rules unchecked. No HTML, independent review, Git, or publication.
MBTI (English) · Big Five (English) · MBTI (Chinese) · Big Five (Chinese)
Insufficient evidence: No mainland China wages for fast food and counter workers verifiable by region or employment arrangement have been obtained; individual offers and secondhand accounts are not substituted.
US wage evidence—market scope | BLS OEWS provides sample-survey estimates representing employer-reported wages, including tips and some bonuses but excluding the self-employed. The median is the distribution midpoint, not starting pay or the level at a particular region or employer.
US wage evidence—units | Published in dollars / hour and dollars / year. Annual mean wages are converted to a full-year full-time basis; converting hourly and annual figures does not establish personal actual income, which also depends on hours, shifts, tips, and seasonality.
US wage evidence—occupational scope | Figures correspond to SOC 35-3023 (Fast Food and Counter Workers), excluding waiters and waitresses (35-3031), fast food cooks (35-2014), food preparation workers (35-2021), cashiers (41-2011), and dishwashers (35-9021). Wages across occupations must not be mixed.
Finish with a reflection on which compressed steps would cause which consequences.
The sample only shows you can organize tasks and records in this occupation's manner, not qualifications or competence.
| Scenario answers cannot replace practical assessment |
| Practical assessment or work trial | Complete ordering, assembly, and serving and handle abnormalities in a peak simulation | Trial order accuracy, serving speed, and hygiene and tidying records | Passing a trial does not confer statutory qualifications |
|---|
| Onboarding and probation | Follow standard procedures and food safety rules and report abnormalities | Temperature and hygiene records, abnormality reports, and correction records | Suitability and employment confirmation depend on employer assessment |
|---|
Record objections and responses without avoiding counterexamples.
List missing abilities and training if continuing, and next actions.
| Education does not determine practical ability |
| Food safety and hygiene training | All shop workers | Basic temperature-control, hygiene, and personal-protection abilities | Generally needed | Attend shop or third-party training and assessment | Check specific courses, mentoring, and jurisdiction; no uniform cross-provider duration has been verified | Training records cannot replace on-site food safety responsibilities |
|---|
| On-the-job training and shop practice | Entrants without experience | Master ordering, assembly and service, payments, and cleaning | Generally needed | Learn while working under employers or team leads | Check specific courses, mentoring, and jurisdiction; no uniform cross-provider duration has been verified | Proficiency depends on shop traffic and mentoring quality |
|---|
| Beverage service training (if alcohol is served) | Workers in shops serving alcohol | Meet local beverage-service legal requirements | Depends on business and region | Attend locally required training and obtain records | Check specific courses, mentoring, and jurisdiction; no uniform cross-provider duration has been verified | Check training in some US localities separately from actual Chinese alcohol business / service requirements; do not globalize a single license |
|---|
| Checkout and equipment-operation training | Workers handling payments or equipment | Improve payment accuracy and equipment safety | Depends on the role | Attend shop training and assessment | Check specific courses, mentoring, and jurisdiction; no uniform cross-provider duration has been verified | Training does not confer equipment-repair or financial authority |
|---|
| Shift-supervisor and shop-management training | People seeking promotion | Prepare for scheduling, handovers, and on-site management | Not generally required | Attend training and practice through employer promotion routes | Check specific courses, mentoring, and jurisdiction; no uniform cross-provider duration has been verified | Management authority requires formal employer appointment |
|---|
Credential boundary：Role authorization; food safety training or credentials.
Next moves：Participate in supplier and equipment assessments and monthly reviews.
Typical scope：Judge shop food safety and hygiene compliance and coordinate issues with regulators and suppliers.
Readiness evidence：Compliance inspection conclusions and handling records.
Credential boundary：Relevant training credentials or employer appointment.
Next moves：Track legal and standard updates and build a management information library.
Credential boundary：Operations training; employer appointment.
Next moves：Learn cost and settlement definitions and establish archiving and traceability arrangements.
Typical scope：Take responsibility for shop or regional operations, costs, safety, and compliance, coordinate parties, and resolve disputes under laws and contracts.
Readiness evidence：Operations and compliance conclusions; team training and policy documents.
Credential boundary：Relevant management credentials or employer appointment.
Next moves：Improve food safety, hygiene, and staffing management systems and training.
