Skills
Short-Order Cook Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in short-order cooks, and how to build and show them.
What skills do short-order cooks need?
Short-Order Cooks need technical skills such as griddle cooking, egg cooking, and ticket timing, plus people skills like speed and focus. They also use tools such as Griddles and Grills.
Technical (hard) skills
- Griddle cooking
- Egg cooking
- Ticket timing
- Multitasking
- Plating
- Food safety
People (soft) skills
- Speed
- Focus
- Calm
- Teamwork
Tools, equipment and technology
- Griddles
- Grills
- Spatulas
- Ticket rails
- Toasters
- Fryers
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how short-order cooks put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Griddle cooking” and “Egg cooking.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “speed,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Food handler card near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our short-order cook glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Short-Order Cook training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.