Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook

The differences between bartender, cook, and waitresses and cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cook has an average salary of $31,803, which is higher than the $27,827 average annual salary of a bartender, cook, and waitress.

The top three skills for a bartender, cook, and waitress include food orders, customer orders and bartending. The most important skills for a cook are food handling, food service, and cleanliness.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook overview

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Cook
Yearly salary	$27,827	$31,803
Hourly rate	$13.38	$15.29
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	162,319	184,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	28	38
Years of experience	-	4

What does a bartender, cook, and waitress do?

A bartender, cook, and waitress are employees who work in the food services industry and usually deal with customer orders and food preparations. Bartenders usually prepare alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks for bar and restaurant patrons and assess the customers' needs. On the other hand, cooks assist chefs in the preparation of food and manage food stations when needed. Lastly, waitresses interact with restaurant customers by taking food orders and serving them appropriately to the customers.

What does a cook do?

Cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. They must be knowledgeable about the different recipes and ingredients needed. They are also responsible for managing the inventory and ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked. They prepare meals from scratch, cutting ingredients, measuring them, and following recipes. Cooks should be creative, especially when ingredients are lacking, and they must find alternatives that will not compromise the food taste. They should be precise, imaginative, and patient. Cooks should also have good time management skills and decision-making skills.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook salary

Bartender, cook, and waitresses and cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Cook
Average salary	$27,827	$31,803
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between bartender, cook, and waitress and cook education

There are a few differences between a bartender, cook, and waitress and a cook in terms of educational background:

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook demographics

Here are the differences between bartender, cook, and waitresses' and cooks' demographics:

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Cook
Average age	28	38
Gender ratio	Male, 5.4% Female, 94.6%	Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between bartender, cook, and waitress and cook duties and responsibilities

Bartender, cook, and waitress example responsibilities.

General cleaning, and knowledge of POS systems.
Start off here as a cook, learned to bartend.
Operate a POS system to itemize and complete a customer purchases.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.
Cook waitresses cashier hostess prep cook dishwasher
Generate detail checks utilizing micros systems.

Cook example responsibilities.

Achieve completion to cook, prep and dish meticulous meals to an immense amount of customers with proficient dexterity quality.
Organize production and set up broiler station for lunch shift, manage grill with 30-40 steaks at varying temps and cuts.
Lead cook line and instruct cooks and other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of dishes.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook skills

Common bartender, cook, and waitress skills

Food Orders, 16%
Customer Orders, 13%
Bartending, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Drink Orders, 5%

Common cook skills

Food Handling, 14%
Food Service, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Basic Math, 7%
Culinary, 6%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Bartender, Cook, And Waitress
Bartender, Cook, And Waitress vs Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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