Home / Compare / Fast Food and Counter Workers vs. Cooks, Restaurant Salary comparison Fast Food and Counter Workers vs. Cooks, Restaurant: Salary Comparison (2026) Fast Food and Counter Workerss earn a median salary of $30,480/year, while Cooks, Restaurants earn $36,830/year - a difference of $6,350. Cooks, Restaurants earn more on average. Both salaries are based on national BLS data.
Fast Food and Counter Workers
Cooks, Restaurant
Median salary
$30,480
$36,830
Hourly rate
$14.65/hr
$17.71/hr
Entry level (10th %)
$22,620
$28,010
Senior level (90th %)
$38,800
$47,340
Education required
Varies
Varies
U.S. employment
3,780,930
1,452,130
Job growth (10-year)
N/A
N/A
Category
Food Service
Food Service
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Source data is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other federal agencies. AffordMap is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Per BLS policy, "BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov."
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you click through and take action, AffordMap may receive compensation at no cost to you. This never influences the salary data, cost-of-living figures, or calculations shown — all data comes from U.S. government sources. See our full disclosure.