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The differences between chef/kitchen managers and lead cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chef/kitchen manager has an average salary of $49,415, which is higher than the $35,964 average annual salary of a lead cook.
The top three skills for a chef/kitchen manager include kitchen operations, culinary and wine. The most important skills for a lead cook are customer service, food handling, and culinary.
| Chef/Kitchen Manager | Lead Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $49,415 | $35,964 |
| Hourly rate | $23.76 | $17.29 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 38,242 | 160,223 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 46% | Associate Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A kitchen manager or chef is someone who oversees the overall operations in the kitchen as well as the food operations. Kitchen managers make certain that food and related products are well prepared, cooked, and served to customers. They maintain a fully-stocked kitchen inventory and comply with the cleanliness and safety standards. It is their responsibility to manage the kitchen staff and aid them in delivering quality food at the right time. They need to possess management skills, leadership skills, and attention to detail.
A lead cook, or lead line cook, is an individual restaurant employee who is in charge of supervising the chain of food preparation done by line cooks. Lead cooks work directly under head cooks or chefs who provide instructions in preparing meals. They are well-versed in the restaurant's food health and safety, such as regular hand washing, utensil sanitizing, and proper garbage disposal. To be a successful lead cook, they must obtain knowledge of various cooking techniques and be passionate about food.
Chef/kitchen managers and lead cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chef/Kitchen Manager | Lead Cook | |
| Average salary | $49,415 | $35,964 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $27,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Castilleja School | Freeport-McMoRan |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a chef/kitchen manager and a lead cook in terms of educational background:
| Chef/Kitchen Manager | Lead Cook | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 46% | Associate Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between chef/kitchen managers' and lead cooks' demographics:
| Chef/Kitchen Manager | Lead Cook | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.9% Female, 20.1% | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 9.4% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |