Cooks, Fast Food
In short: today's best AI models could do about 3% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 97% of the time, stays with people.
Prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Duties of these cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment.
641,070 people do this job in the US. $30,890 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people39 h
Cooks, Fast Food, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 39 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Order and receive supplies (under an hour, a person checks); Schedule cooking with managers (under an hour).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 1%
- 2%
- 0%
- 3%
- 94%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 3% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 20 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.041% to 0.033% (released February and March 2025); 0.063% to 0.12% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.041% | 302 of 708 | 4 of 20 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.033% | 342 of 703 | 4 of 20 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.063% | 207 of 655 | 5 of 20 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.082% | 177 of 672 | 6 of 20 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.12% | 136 of 677 | 6 of 20 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 20 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 20 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 93% of this job's working time as physical work. For 93% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 66% in a purpose-built cell, 28% in a structured facility. 1.21 of 3, the 55th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 7%
- In a purpose-built cell 66%
- In a structured facility 28%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
97% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Clean and restock workstations, the hands-on work, 13%
- Keep the work area sanitary and safe, the hands-on work, 11%
- Clean preparation areas and utensils, the hands-on work, 11%
- Cook and package batches of food, the hands-on work, 9%
- Run grills and fryers, the hands-on work, 7%
- Wash and cut foods, the hands-on work, 7%
What becomes checking the machine
2% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 2% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Order and receive supplies, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 94% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 20 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean, stock, and restock workstations and display cases.Hands-on work.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Chef+ / ChefOS meal assembly robots (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 13% | 17 min8 min to 29 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Maintain sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas.Cleaning and safe handling while cooking.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, JMP Automation robotic washdown workcell (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 11% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Clean food preparation areas, cooking surfaces, and utensils.Cleaning by hand.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, RoboBurger (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 11% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Cook and package batches of food, such as hamburgers or fried chicken, prepared to order or kept warm until sold.Cooking and packing by hand.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Alpha Grill (Aniai) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Operate large-volume cooking equipment, such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.Working the cooking equipment.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Flippy Fry Station (3rd generation) (Miso Robotics) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 10 min4 min to 21 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Wash, cut, and prepare foods designated for cooking.Knife work.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, KRONEN washing machines, cutting machines and processing lines (GEWA, HELICAL, etc.) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Cook the exact number of items ordered by each customer, working on several different orders simultaneously.Cooking by hand.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Flippy Fry Station (Miso Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Pre-cook items, such as bacon, to prepare them for later use.Cooking by hand.Done several times a day by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Flippy 2 (Miso Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Prepare dough, following recipe.Mixing by hand.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, BreadBot (Wilkinson Baking Company) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Order and take delivery of supplies.Placing the order, and unloading the delivery.Done more than weekly by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Stretch (Boston Dynamics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Hands-on 60%, systems 40% | 40%Desk part half by now |
| Prepare specialty foods, such as pizzas, fish and chips, sandwiches, or tacos, following specific methods that usually require short preparation time.Cooking by hand.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, RoboBurger (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 5 min3 min to 10 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Schedule activities and equipment use with managers, using information about daily menus to help coordinate cooking times.A conversation in the kitchen, from the day's menu.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | In person 60%, documents 40% | 40%Desk part half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Cooks, Fast Food is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 3% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 3% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Cooks, Fast Food come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Order and receive supplies (40% of the task's time now); Schedule cooking with managers (40% of the task's time now); and Take orders and payment (20% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Cooks, Fast Food stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Clean and restock workstations; Keep the work area sanitary and safe; and Clean preparation areas and utensils. Together such tasks are about 91% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Cooks, Fast Food learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 97% of the working time stays with people, 2% becomes checking a model's work and 2% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Cooks, Fast Food?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Cooks, Fast Food?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 93% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 93% of the working time, 28% in a structured facility. Its index is 1.21 of 3. One example: Alpha Grill for "cook and package batches of food". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 20 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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