Food Prep Worker job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Food Preparation Workers

O*NET-SOC 35-2021.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

No formal educational credential

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$35,320

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Food Preparation Workers (O*NET-SOC 35-2021.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Food Prep Worker” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET job-incumbent data). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware. importance 4.7 of 5
2. Assist cooks and kitchen staff with various tasks as needed, and provide cooks with needed items. importance 4.6 of 5
3. Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas, such as refrigerators and freezers. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Carry food supplies, equipment, and utensils to and from storage and work areas. importance 4.5 of 5
5. Remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers. importance 4.4 of 5
6. Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage. importance 4.4 of 5
7. Weigh or measure ingredients. importance 4.4 of 5
8. Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor. importance 4.3 of 5
9. Inform supervisors when equipment is not working properly and when food and supplies are getting low, and order needed items. importance 4.3 of 5
10. Wash, peel, and cut various foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to prepare for cooking or serving. importance 4.3 of 5
11. Prepare a variety of foods, such as meats, vegetables, or desserts, according to customers' orders or supervisors' instructions, following approved procedures. importance 4.3 of 5
12. Assemble meal trays with foods in accordance with patients' diets. importance 4.2 of 5
13. Stock cupboards and refrigerators, and tend salad bars and buffet meals. importance 4.2 of 5
14. Use manual or electric appliances to clean, peel, slice, and trim foods. importance 4.2 of 5
15. Load dishes, glasses, and tableware into dishwashing machines. importance 4.2 of 5
16. Portion and wrap food, or place it directly on plates for service to patrons. importance 4.1 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Performing General Physical Activities and Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Distribute food to waiters and waitresses to serve to customers.
• Operate cash register, handle money, and give correct change.
• Distribute menus to hospital patients, collect diet sheets, and deliver food trays and snacks to nursing units or directly to patients.
• Package take-out foods or serve food to customers.
• Cut, slice or grind meat, poultry, and seafood to prepare for cooking.
• Butcher and clean fowl, fish, poultry, and shellfish to prepare for cooking or serving.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Quizlet, YouTube, Barrington Software CookenPro Commercial, CBORD Foodservice Suite. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Job title: Food Prep Worker
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Food Prep Worker to perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware.
- Assist cooks and kitchen staff with various tasks as needed, and provide cooks with needed items.
- Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas, such as refrigerators and freezers.
- Carry food supplies, equipment, and utensils to and from storage and work areas.
- Remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers.
- Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage.
- Weigh or measure ingredients.
- Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in service orientation, time management and active listening
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Food Preparation Workers, the median annual wage was $35,320 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $16.98. BLS estimates about 893,600 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Food Preparation Workers to decline 3.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 135,700 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real food prep worker posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only food prep worker work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (service orientation and time management): a real situation, what you did and what changed.