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Short Order Cook

Short order cooks prepare, cook and serve food. They work in cafës, bars or fast food outlets. They may also work for caterers.

Tasks & duties

Short order cooks may do some or all of the following:

wash, cut, weigh and prepare raw ingredients for menu items, according to customers’ orders
cook food quickly and efficiently
work on several orders at the same time
arrange food on plates or wrap it to be taken away
give instructions and demonstrate cooking methods and techniques to others
create new recipes and plan menus
order food supplies, organise delivery and re-stock shelves
run their own fast-food business

At very small restaurants sometimes the duties of short order cooks will overlap with other jobs. Cooks may take orders and also wash the counters and dishes.

Skills & knowledge

Short order cooks need to have:

the skills to cook quickly and safely in a busy kitchen
knowledge of basic food preparation, cooking methods and menu design
the ability to follow recipes and instructions
knowledge of food hygiene, stock rotation and food storage methods
knowledge of kitchen equipment
knowledge of how a commercial kitchen works
excellent organisational skills
listening and communication skills
creativity

Short order cooks may also need to have business skills if they run their own business.

Entry requirements

Some cafés and bars employ only fully qualified chefs as short order cooks. Others employ people who have done shorter training courses and train them on the job. However, many people who work in takeaway bars, fast food restaurants and fish and chip shops have no formal cooking qualifications.

Secondary education

There are no specific secondary education requirements to become a short order cook, but useful subjects could include English, maths and food technology.

Tertiary education

Chef qualifications offered by polytechnics include:

food hygiene courses
foundation cookery courses
two-year professional cooking courses
work-based training courses for people who have professional chef traineeships with employers

Training on the job

Short order cooks gain further skills on the job.

Useful experience

Experience as a waiter/waitress, in a bakery, or in a catering or food business is useful for this job. Some basic training through introductory cooking courses is also useful.