Front-of-house positions
The employees who interact directly with customers impact the experience and opinions guests form about your restaurant. They’re also responsible for keeping the flow of customers moving efficiently.
1. Crew members
Crew members in fast-food restaurants typically take orders and serve customers. You might also choose a different fast-food worker job title, like fast-food attendant, cashier or customer service representative, to attract more applicants. Crew members often operate the cash register inside the restaurant or the drive-through ordering system. Drive-through attendants use sound equipment to communicate with customers.
To hire crew members, consider candidates with previous fast-food experience or strong communication skills. A person with experience using drive-through sound systems and restaurant ordering systems may be able to learn your restaurant’s methods quickly. Being highly organized and having the ability to multitask are generally important skills for this role. Applicants with previous customer service experience may also benefit your company.
Crew member interview questions can help you assess candidates. You could also complete a mock customer interaction with each candidate.
2. Runners
Some fast-food restaurants hire food runners, or porters, to deliver food to customers at their tables. This allows guests to sit after ordering without listening for their names to be called. Runners might also clean tables in the dining room as patrons leave.
When hiring food runners, you might look for applicants who are efficient and organized to ensure orders are delivered correctly. While previous restaurant experience is beneficial, you can train a promising candidate who’s willing to learn your business. You can also evaluate the candidate’s answers to food runner interview questions.
Kitchen positions
While kitchen positions don’t interact directly with customers, they still impact the guest experience.
3. Cooks
You can use several fast-food job titles for your cooking staff. Examples include:
The skills to look for when hiring a line cook include basic culinary skills such as chopping, slicing and the ability to monitor multiple orders. Fast-food menus typically have limited offerings, so you likely don’t need candidates with advanced culinary skills.
When you have a cook position available, you might look for chefs looking to relocate to your establishment or internal candidates interested in shadowing or learning line cook skills.
4. Dishwashers
A busy fast-food restaurant may hire dedicated dishwashers to clean cookware and utensils. Most food serving containers, such as fry boxes and sandwich wraps, are disposable, but some restaurants serve food in reusable baskets or on trays that need to be washed and sanitized. Cookware, utensils and kitchen equipment also need to be sanitized to remain compliant with regulations.
When hiring a dishwasher, consider whether applicants have previous restaurant experience or are familiar with dishwashing equipment and sanitation requirements. Specific dishwasher interview questions can help you fairly assess a candidate’s ability to handle sanitation processes.
Supervisory and management positions
A strong leadership team establishes expectations and enforces policies and procedures. This guidance helps your fast-food restaurant maintain high customer service standards and meet food safety guidelines.
5. Shift supervisors
Shift leaders or supervisors lead a team during a specific shift. They oversee the crew members and kitchen staff and often manage unexpected issues that occur. Shift supervisors may work closely with assistant managers and the location’s general manager to ensure they understand and enforce policies consistently.
You might consider crew members as candidates who understand the processes and show leadership potential when you hire a shift leader. For example, this might involve employees who are willing to help when the team needs extra assistance or workers who have held previous supervisory positions.
6. Assistant managers
While the shift supervisor typically focuses on supervising the team, an assistant manager generally performs tasks that help the general manager. This might include managing day-to-day operations, resolving customer service issues and ensuring compliance with food codes.
A shift supervisor may be an effective assistant manager hire. They often have a mix of leadership and operations experience that helps them succeed in the role. Applicants with leadership positions in other industries may also successfully transition into fast-food assistant managers. Candidates with proven decision-making, active-listening and conflict management skills may also be a good addition.
7. Managers
As the highest leadership role in the establishment, the restaurant manager handles budgeting, recruiting, compliance, cost controls and other operational tasks.
If you have a strong assistant manager, you might promote them when you need to hire a manager. Assistant managers may already handle some of the manager’s responsibilities, letting them move into the role easily. Successful outside candidates may have management experience, preferably in food service.
Other skills to look for in candidates include delegating, strategic thinking and an ability to empower workers and build trust with others.
Frequently asked questions about fast-food job titles
What type of interview works best for fast-food positions?
A group interview may be helpful if you have multiple similar fast-food vacancies. If you’re hiring for a single role or a management position, you might consider a traditional behavioral interview to assess candidates’ experience. Adding scenario interview questions helps you evaluate how an interviewee might handle situations.
How do you handle turnover in fast-food roles?
Fast-food employees who feel satisfied with the work may be more likely to stay. You might increase employee satisfaction by offering flexible scheduling, transparent communication and effective training for new hires. A management training program could help you retain employees while making it easier to promote from within. Extra benefits like discounted or free meals may also help reduce turnover.
