Food preparation workers perform a wide variety of tasks on the job, including, but not limited to, preparing a variety of foods from meats to desserts, packaging take-out orders, and distributing food to waiters and waitresses to serve to customers, cleaning and sanitizing work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, and silverware, and recording temperatures of food and food storage areas (such as refrigerators and freezers). 

The majority of food preparation positions can be obtained with a high school diploma or less, however many of these positions also require some on-the-job training.  Among the skills and abilities that benefit a food preparation worker, customer service and communication are probably the most critical. However other skills and abilities such as active listening, coordination, manual dexterity, time management, and safety are also helpful and important for a food prep worker to have. 

Half of all Food Preparation Workers in the state of Minnesota earn between $11.87 and $16.33 per hour, however the 7-County Metro region offered higher wages with 50% of workers earning hourly wages between $12.44 and $17.25 in 2020. There are many occupations out there that are related to food preparation workers, including restaurant cooks, waiters and waitresses, cashiers and baristas.

Food preparation workers are in high demand in Minnesota, often ranking in the top 30 current Jobs in Demand. Demand is also evident when looking at the most recent Job Vacancy Survey, which showed that there were over 1,600 vacancies for food preparation workers with a median wage offer of $12.25 per hour. There are very few barriers to entry in these jobs - while 80% of these openings were part-time, which may be well-suited for some career seekers, none of the job openings required post-secondary education and only 13% required one or more years of experience. 

If you are interested in more information about opportunities as a Food Preparation Worker, check out Jobs in Demand here on the CareerForceMN.com website for wage ranges, educational and training requirements, current open positions in Minnesota and more.  

Need help developing your job search strategy, updating your resume or preparing for interviews? Contact staff at a CareerForce location near you!