Takeover Tracker
37%medium risk
Food Preparation Workers
vs

46 shared · 6 different

core competencies

34%medium risk
Cooks, Short Order

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricFood Preparation WorkersCooks, Short Order
Risk Score36.7%33.8%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile71th61th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)7 / 155 / 11
Median Salary$34,220$35,620
Employment889K150K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
Customer and Personal Service
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Performing General Physical Activities
Production and Processing
Administration and Management

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Food Preparation Workers

26%

total discount

Cooks, Short Order

27%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Food Preparation Workers

7 of 15 at risk
88%Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas, such as refrigerators and freezers.
87%Operate cash register, handle money, and give correct change.
64%Keep records of the quantities of food used.
59%Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor.
57%Distribute food to waiters and waitresses to serve to customers.

Cooks, Short Order

5 of 11 at risk
88%Accept payments, and make change or write charge slips as necessary.
75%Order supplies and stock them on shelves.
74%Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.
53%Complete orders from steam tables, placing food on plates and serving customers at tables or counters.
51%Perform food preparation tasks, such as making sandwiches, carving meats, making soups or salads, baking breads or desserts, and brewing coffee or tea.

Wage Comparison

Cooks, Short Order earns +$1,400(+4%) vs Food Preparation Workers
Food Preparation WorkersCooks, Short Order
10th
$23,490$23,770
25th
$28,740$30,160
Median
$34,220$35,620
75th
$37,540$39,990
90th
$44,260$46,010

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Food Preparation Workers2028–2035
Cooks, Short Order2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Cooks, Short Order has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Food Preparation Workers.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Food Preparation Workers

$21,654

from $34,220

Cooks, Short Order

$23,584

from $35,620

After adjusting for AI risk, Cooks, Short Order offers $1,930 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Food

0

Unique to Cooks,

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Creativity
Regulatory Barriers
Fine Manipulation
Social Intelligence
Food Preparation WorkersCooks, Short Order
Find transitions from Food Preparation WorkersFind transitions from Cooks, Short Order