Cafeteria cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between cafeteria cooks and kitchen cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a cafeteria cook, becoming a kitchen cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a kitchen cook has an average salary of $31,452, which is higher than the $30,395 average annual salary of a cafeteria cook.

The top three skills for a cafeteria cook include culinary, cleanliness and kitchen equipment. The most important skills for a kitchen cook are dishes, food handling, and cleanliness.

Cafeteria cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Cafeteria Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$30,395	$31,452
Hourly rate	$14.61	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	130,702	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	4

Cafeteria cook vs kitchen cook salary

Cafeteria cooks and kitchen cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cafeteria Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$30,395	$31,452
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $36,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Falmouth, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Utah	Massachusetts
Best paying company	National Pancake House	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between cafeteria cook and kitchen cook education

There are a few differences between a cafeteria cook and a kitchen cook in terms of educational background:

	Cafeteria Cook	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cafeteria cook vs kitchen cook demographics

Here are the differences between cafeteria cooks' and kitchen cooks' demographics:

	Cafeteria Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 8.5% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 9.1% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cafeteria cook and kitchen cook duties and responsibilities

Cafeteria cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Prepare and serve nutritional meals to the before and after school kids.
Inspect equipment for cleanliness in functional operation.
Supervise the culinary arts participants in juvenile detention facility.
Maintain cafeteria cleanliness, stock condiments, Pepsi machine syrup replacement.
Ensure customers convenience are met/exceed by accommodating and notifying customers of ingredients that may trigger food allergies or intolerance.

Kitchen cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Inspect clean and utilize ovens, grills, fryers, mixers, etc.
Experience on grills, fryers, knife handling and slicers.
Experience with fryers, weigh machines, slicers and other similarities.
Used electric ovens and electric stoves.
Regulate temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.

Cafeteria cook vs kitchen cook skills

Common cafeteria cook skills

Culinary, 21%
Cleanliness, 18%
Kitchen Equipment, 14%
Food Service, 12%
Food Handling, 11%
Quality Standards, 7%

Common kitchen cook skills

Dishes, 13%
Food Handling, 11%
Cleanliness, 8%
Math, 8%
Basic Math, 8%
Culinary, 7%

Cafeteria Cook vs. similar jobs

Cafeteria Cook related careers

Cafeteria Cook related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cafeteria Cook
Cafeteria Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs