Also called: Diner Cook, Breakfast Cook
Cooks quick dishes like eggs, burgers, and sandwiches in diners and cafes.
You juggle a dozen breakfast orders at once on a flat-top: over-easy, scrambled, pancakes, hash browns. Regulars know you by name. The rush ends by 1 p.m. and you start prepping for tomorrow.
No formal education, about 0 years after high school. No degree; you learn on the job in a diner or cafe and get a food handler card, and speed comes with practice.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking. BLS projects fewer short-order cooks as diners decline.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Automated grills and fryers may appear in high-volume diners; most small cafes keep a person on the flat-top.
Age 16+. One way to start: Apply to diners, cafes and breakfast spots that need a cook
Classes: Culinary arts CTE, Foods & Nutrition class, Math.
Official data: O*NET occupation 35-2015.
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