How to hire food preparation workers

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

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 skills
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $16.98 an hour ($35,320 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for food preparation 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.

1. Tell me about a time you had to assist cooks and kitchen staff with various tasks as needed, and provide cooks with needed items. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to carry food supplies, equipment, and utensils to and from storage and work areas. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. 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?
6. 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 food preparation workers do

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

Skills that matter most

Active Listening

Education, experience and outlook for food preparation workers

• Typical education to start: No formal educational credential (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 3 to 6 months (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: -3% over ten years, declining · about 135,700 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay food preparation workers

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See food preparation workers pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Cooks, Restaurant
• Cooks, Short Order
• Fast Food and Counter Workers
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
• Butchers and Meat Cutters
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
• Bakers
• Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
• Cooks, Fast Food
• Chefs and Head Cooks

Job 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.