Fast Food and Food Court Crew Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Counter, drive-thru and delivery orders

Customers expect fast food to be fast and right. A wrong order costs more time than it saves: the food is remade, the customer waits again and the line grows. When you have to choose, choose accuracy.

A simple order script

Most chains give crew a script so that no step is missed:

1. Greet the customer within a few seconds: "Hi, welcome in. What can I get started for you?"
2. Take the order item by item, entering each one as you hear it, with its size, side and sauce.
3. Suggest once, if it fits: "Would you like to make that a combo?"
4. Read the order back, including changes, to catch mistakes before any food is made.
5. Give the total, take payment and hand over the receipt or order number.
6. Thank the customer and tell them where to wait.

Special requests

• Key every change into the POS as a modifier, such as "no pickles". The cooks follow the kitchen screen, not your memory.
• If a request is not on the POS, ask a manager before you promise it.
• If a customer mentions an allergy, treat it as a safety issue, not a taste preference. Follow your store's allergy procedure and tell the manager or kitchen lead (see Lesson 2).

Suggesting extra items honestly

Make one short suggestion that fits the order, such as a drink with a meal, and accept "no" the first time. Never ring in an item the customer did not agree to; fix that mistake before they pay.

Payment and hand-off

• For a card payment, wait until the terminal shows approved before you hand over the receipt.
• Call the order number and check it against the customer's receipt or screen.
• Do a bag check: every item, the right sizes, sauces, napkins, cutlery and straws.
• Press drink lids on firmly and keep hot drinks upright and away from cold food.

Working the drive-thru

• Greet each car promptly. Speak clearly and a little slower than in person, because the speaker makes voices harder to hear.
• Watch the order confirmation screen and fix mistakes right away.
• Confirm the order at the window ("Two medium combos?") before handing it out.
• Never lean far out of the window or reach for something that falls outside. Ask the customer or a coworker to pick it up.

Delivery app and mobile orders

• Match the order code or name on the courier's app with the ticket. If they do not match, do not hand the order over.
• Use sealed bags or tamper-evident stickers if your store provides them.
• Keep customer names, phone numbers and addresses private. Do not read them out.
• If a courier does not arrive, or two couriers ask for the same order, tell the manager instead of guessing.

Topic quiz 1: Counter, drive-thru and delivery orders

Lesson 2: Food safety on the line

You cannot see, smell or taste most of the germs that cause food poisoning. Crew protect customers with three habits: clean hands, the right temperatures, and keeping raw and ready-to-eat food apart.

Hand washing

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) says to lather with soap for at least 20 seconds, covering fingers, thumbs, nails, the backs of the hands and the wrists. Rinse, dry with a single-use paper towel and use it to turn off the tap. Wash:

• at the start of a shift and after breaks;
• after using the washroom or touching raw meat, poultry or fish;
• after touching your face, phone, money or garbage, or handling chemicals;
• before putting on gloves.

Safe temperatures

Germs grow fastest between 4°C and 60°C, the danger zone. Alberta Health Services advises keeping food that can spoil out of it as much as possible, and for no more than 2 hours. British Columbia's Food Premises Regulation uses the same 4°C and 60°C limits.

Using a probe thermometer

• Push the tip into the thickest part, to the centre. For a burger patty, go in through the side.
• Check more than one piece in a batch.
• Wash the probe before each use so it does not carry germs from one food to the next.

Holding times

Most chains set a holding time for cooked items such as fries, patties and chicken. When the timer runs out, the food is thrown away, even if it still looks fine. Never reset a timer to stretch a batch.

Cross-contamination

• Store raw meat below cooked and ready-to-eat food, so drips cannot fall onto it.
• Use separate tongs, boards and utensils for raw and cooked food.
• Clean, then sanitize, food-contact surfaces.
• Keep cloths for food areas separate from cloths for tables and floors, so germs from public areas do not reach food surfaces.

Allergens

Health Canada's priority food allergens include peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans and molluscs, soy, wheat and triticale, mustard, and sulphites. A severe reaction, anaphylaxis, can kill. Never guess what is in an item: check the allergen chart or ask the manager. Shared fryers, grills, scoops and gloves can carry an allergen into other food (cross-contact). If the store cannot promise an item is free of an allergen, say so honestly and let the customer decide.

Food handler certification

Food safety rules are provincial and territorial, and public health inspectors check food businesses. Three examples:

• Ontario: at least one certified food handler must be on site during every hour the premises operates.
• British Columbia: the operator must hold FOODSAFE or an equivalent, and when the operator is away, at least one employee present must hold it.
• Alberta: at least one person in charge must be certified in food safety, and a certified person must be at the facility when six or more food handlers (serving staff included) are working.

Ask your manager or local public health office what applies to you. This course is background knowledge only and is not a food handler certificate.

Topic quiz 2: Food safety on the line

Lesson 3: Working in a mall food court

A food court is shared. Outlets use the same seating, washrooms, garbage stations and service corridors. The mall's owner or property manager runs these common areas and sets mall rules for every tenant, usually through the lease and a tenant handbook. Common rules include:

• opening and closing at the mall's posted hours;
• taking deliveries and garbage through service corridors or loading docks, often at set times;
• using staff entrances and staff parking, not customer spots;
• keeping signs, sampling and displays inside your own unit unless the mall agrees.

Who cleans what

Often the mall's cleaning staff wipe tables and empty public bins, while each outlet cleans its own counter, menu boards and condiment station. Find out where your area ends. If you see a spill in the seating area, guard it so no one slips, then clean it or call the mall's cleaning staff, as your manager says. Refill napkins, straws and sauces before they run out, so customers do not reach behind the counter or wait for you.

Waste and recycling

Recycling and organics rules are set by each municipality and each mall, so follow your bin signs and the mall's waste rules.

• Sort garbage, recycling and organics if your mall collects them separately.
• Pour used cooking oil and grease only into the container your store provides, never down a drain or into a garbage bag.
• Break down boxes for the mall's cardboard area, and never leave garbage bags in the corridor.

Back doors and corridors

• Keep back doors closed and locked. Do not prop them open for deliveries.
• Never block exits, fire doors or fire extinguishers with boxes or carts.
• Check who is knocking before you open the door. Drivers and mall staff can show ID or a work order.

Mall security

Save the mall security number or radio channel at your outlet. Call security for:

• a fight, threats, or behaviour that frightens customers or staff;
• a lost child, or a vulnerable person who needs help;
• a bag or package left alone;
• a medical emergency (call 911 first if someone is in danger, then security so they can guide paramedics in).

Give an exact location, such as your unit number or a landmark ("food court, beside the east escalator"), and a short description. Do not leave your counter unattended or put yourself in danger; security staff are there to respond.

If a child comes to your counter alone, stay with them where people can see you and call security. Ask the child's first name and who they came with, but do not walk them away to search.

Topic quiz 3: Working in a mall food court

Lesson 4: Rush hours, stations and teamwork

A rush is a short period, often lunch or dinner, when orders come in much faster than usual. Good crews win the rush before it starts.

Before the rush

• Stock cups, lids, bags, sauces, napkins and change in the till.
• Cook or prep to the level your manager sets, within holding times.
• Empty the garbage and check equipment: fryer temperature, drink machine, printer paper.
• Use the washroom and drink some water.

Stations

Stay on your station unless the shift lead moves you. If you get ahead, tell the lead you can help someone else.

Call-outs

• "Behind!" when you walk behind someone.
• "Hot!" when you carry hot food, oil or liquid.
• "Sharp!" when you carry a knife or blade.
• "Corner!" before you turn a blind corner.
• "Heard!" to confirm you got an instruction.

Keeping orders moving

• Work orders in the order they arrived, unless the lead says otherwise.
• Put accuracy first: one remake can hold up the next several orders.
• Ask for help as soon as you start falling behind.
• If you make a mistake, own it, fix it and tell the expo.

Acknowledge customers who are waiting and give an honest time: "Your fries are just coming out, about two more minutes."

Breaks

Break rules come from provincial and territorial employment standards. Two examples:

• Ontario: you must not work more than five hours in a row without a 30-minute eating period. It is unpaid unless your employment contract says otherwise.
• Alberta: a shift of more than 5 hours and less than 10 comes with at least one 30-minute break. The employer decides if it is paid, but it must be paid if the employer restricts what you do, for example by not letting you leave.

Check your province's or territory's employment standards website for the rules where you work. Breaks are usually scheduled around the rush.

Handling stress

Focus on the order in front of you, not the whole line, and keep your voice calm; panic spreads. After the rush, restock, clean, and talk as a team about what went well and what to change.

Topic quiz 4: Rush hours, stations and teamwork

Lesson 5: Hot equipment, difficult customers and late shifts

Your three safety rights

CCOHS explains that workers in Canada have the right to know about hazards and get training, the right to participate in health and safety, and the right to refuse work they believe is unsafe. Refusal steps differ by province and territory; the usual first step is to tell your supervisor.

Fryers, hot oil and steam

• Shake ice off frozen food before frying. Water makes hot oil spit and splash.
• Lower baskets slowly and never overfill them.
• Never put water on a grease fire. Turn off the heat if it is safe, and use the fryer lid, hood suppression system or Class K extinguisher only if trained. If the fire spreads, get everyone out and call for help.
• Open steamers and microwaved containers away from your face, and call "Hot!" when carrying anything hot.

Slips and chemicals

• CCOHS advises cleaning spills right away. Use a wet floor sign until the floor is dry.
• Wear closed, slip-resistant shoes.
• Condensation can make walk-in cooler and freezer floors slippery.
• Wear gloves for cleaning chemicals, plus goggles or a face shield if they could splash near your eyes. Never mix chemicals.

Difficult customers

Most complaints are about a wrong order or a long wait: listen, apologize and fix it. When a customer becomes angry, CCOHS suggests:

• Speak slowly and calmly. Avoid telling the person to "calm down".
• Keep about one metre of space and stand at an angle.
• Avoid pointing, crossing your arms or putting your hands on your hips.
• Do not make promises you cannot keep or bargain with someone who threatens you.

If someone becomes abusive, say firmly and politely that you will not accept it. If it continues, end the conversation and get your manager. Call 911 right away if there is a weapon or anyone is in immediate danger.

Late and closing shifts

CCOHS recommends avoiding lone work where possible, checking on workers at set times, bright lighting and safe cash handling. Provincial examples:

• British Columbia: for a worker alone where help is not readily available, the employer needs a written procedure to check on them at set times, including at the end of the shift. Extra rules apply when a worker is alone in a gas station or other retail store open to the public between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Ontario: every employer needs a workplace violence policy and program, including ways to summon immediate help and to report incidents.

Tell someone when you expect to leave, walk out with a coworker, and keep your phone with you.

Robbery and reporting

In a robbery, follow your employer's procedure: do what you are asked, stay calm, and do not resist or chase. Your safety is worth more than money or food. When safe, call 911 and your manager.

Report every injury, near miss and incident of abuse to your supervisor, even if no one was hurt, so the cause can be fixed.

Topic quiz 5: Hot equipment and tough customers