Your work. Your records.
Short Order Cook Workplace Records
Short order cooks coordinate food that must finish together while also restocking and cleaning the work area. A workplace concern about speed or timekeeping needs the sequence of assignments. Describe the orders in general terms and distinguish cooking, service and cleanup rather than relying on the service period alone.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Station coverage
List cooking and counter duties and the supervisor instruction behind a move between them.
Preparation timing
Connect restocking and cleaning tasks to your own time entries, marking estimates where necessary.
Feedback response
Keep your warning or review with your explanation of the assignment sequence and observed conditions.
Start with the work you actually do
Prepare and cook to order a variety of foods that require only a short preparation time. May take orders from customers and serve patrons at counters or tables.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Cooks, Short Order (35-2015.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables.Source task 2187 · updated 08/2025
- Restock kitchen supplies, rotate food, and stamp the time and date on food in coolers.Source task 18725 · updated 08/2025
- Complete orders from steam tables, placing food on plates and serving customers at tables or counters.Source task 2192 · updated 08/2025
- Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.Source task 2188 · updated 08/2025
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Cooks, Short Order (SOC 35-2015). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $10.20 | $10.74 | $13.85 | $22,330 |
| Alaska | $18.10 | $18.16 | $19.82 | $37,780 |
| Arizona | $17.35 | $22.42 | $24.12 | $46,630 |
| Arkansas | $13.44 | $14.67 | $16.47 | $30,510 |
| Connecticut | $19.22 | $20.41 | $21.83 | $42,450 |
| Delaware | $17.30 | $18.51 | $20.58 | $38,500 |
| Florida | $15.99 | $16.46 | $16.93 | $34,240 |
| Georgia | $10.30 | $12.92 | $17.99 | $26,870 |
| Hawaii | $18.56 | $20.73 | $22.41 | $43,110 |
| Idaho | $13.01 | $19.28 | $21.94 | $40,090 |
| Indiana | $10.31 | $10.55 | $15.02 | $21,940 |
| Iowa | $14.83 | $16.39 | $18.12 | $34,090 |
| Kansas | $12.76 | $13.17 | $13.58 | $27,400 |
| Kentucky | $12.71 | $15.31 | $18.77 | $31,840 |
| Louisiana | $10.09 | $12.63 | $17.03 | $26,260 |
| Maine | $16.44 | $17.00 | $18.12 | $35,360 |
| Michigan | $14.57 | $16.59 | $17.52 | $34,510 |
| Minnesota | $11.90 | $15.46 | $18.80 | $32,150 |
| Mississippi | $10.71 | $13.55 | $14.69 | $28,180 |
| Missouri | $15.46 | $18.50 | $18.51 | $38,490 |
| Montana | $15.65 | $15.98 | $16.21 | $33,240 |
| Nebraska | $13.50 | $14.68 | $17.35 | $30,530 |
| New Hampshire | $13.85 | $15.54 | $17.66 | $32,330 |
| New Mexico | $15.93 | $17.86 | $18.89 | $37,150 |
| New York | $16.28 | $17.09 | $20.58 | $35,550 |
| North Carolina | $13.46 | $15.04 | $16.69 | $31,290 |
| Ohio | $11.51 | $14.08 | $16.49 | $29,290 |
| Oklahoma | $14.83 | $16.89 | $17.31 | $35,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $8.24 | $9.57 | $15.08 | $19,910 |
| Rhode Island | $20.12 | $22.24 | $22.45 | $46,250 |
| South Dakota | $14.23 | $15.57 | $17.67 | $32,380 |
| Tennessee | $12.88 | $14.52 | $17.48 | $30,210 |
| Texas | $11.13 | $12.18 | $14.94 | $25,320 |
| Utah | $16.48 | $18.27 | $21.62 | $38,010 |
| Vermont | $17.35 | $18.67 | $22.27 | $38,830 |
| Virginia | $13.38 | $15.00 | $17.49 | $31,200 |
| West Virginia | $11.72 | $13.19 | $15.09 | $27,440 |
| Wisconsin | $13.19 | $13.52 | $15.67 | $28,130 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Explain the order sequence
Record your assigned station, the instruction about timing and any change to the items being prepared. Note whether you also served at the counter or covered another task. A delayed plate does not establish which stage caused the delay, so separate observations from later explanations.
Account for restocking and cleanup
Describe stock rotation, equipment cleaning and preparation around your recorded hours. Note a shortage or added duty and the response when you reported it. Keep your own time correction together with the original entry instead of using customer order timestamps as a complete work record.
Keep kitchen and guest data separate
Retain your own permitted schedule, pay and employment messages. Do not take customer receipts, restricted footage, confidential recipes or supplier records. Identify the relevant kitchen log by type and shift for review without copying or changing it to match your recollection.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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