How to hire fast food and counter workers
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary. • Balance receipts and payments in cash registers. • Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints. • Monitor and order supplies or food items, and restock as necessary to maintain inventory. • Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary. • Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper. • Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food. • Serve food, beverages, or desserts to customers in such settings as take-out counters of restaurants or lunchrooms, business or industrial establishments, hotel rooms, and cars. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: No formal educational credential] • Strong active listening, speaking and monitoring skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, administration and management and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $15.00 an hour ($31,200 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for fast food and counter workers
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to balance receipts and payments in cash registers. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to monitor and order supplies or food items, and restock as necessary to maintain inventory. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What fast food and counter workers do
- Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
- Balance receipts and payments in cash registers.
- Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.
- Monitor and order supplies or food items, and restock as necessary to maintain inventory.
- Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes, to keep equipment and facilities sanitary.
- Request and record customer orders, and compute bills, using cash registers, multi-counting machines, or pencil and paper.
- Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food.
- Serve food, beverages, or desserts to customers in such settings as take-out counters of restaurants or lunchrooms, business or industrial establishments, hotel rooms, and cars.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for fast food and counter workers
- Typical education to start: No formal educational credential (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: None (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +5.8% over ten years, faster than average · about 827,400 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay fast food and counter workers
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| California | $42,280 |
| Washington | $37,710 |
| District of Columbia | $37,430 |
| Colorado | $36,270 |
| Vermont | $36,030 |
| Oklahoma | $23,430 |
| Louisiana | $22,800 |
| Mississippi | $22,610 |
See fast food and counter workers pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
- Food Preparation Workers
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
- Waiters and Waitresses
- Cooks, Restaurant
- Cooks, Short Order
- Dishwashers
- Bartenders
- Cooks, Fast Food
- Chefs and Head Cooks
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.