Direct cooks and servers, set shifts, handle customers, and keep a kitchen or counter running through the rush.
Restaurants, cafeterias, and fast-food counters
Evenings, weekends, and holidays
May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
High school / no degree
Training path: Promoted from the floor.
Many employers expect a food safety certification such as ServSafe.
You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.
The first rung into restaurant management — a step up from the line, with longer hours and more on you.
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Browse verified internships, fellowships, and programs — many paid — that lead into fields like this.
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Standard Occupational Classification 35-1012. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.