Chief cook vs fry cook

The differences between chief cooks and fry cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chief cook and a fry cook. Additionally, a chief cook has an average salary of $38,867, which is higher than the $30,622 average annual salary of a fry cook.

The top three skills for a chief cook include meal preparation, kitchen equipment and cleanliness. The most important skills for a fry cook are kitchen equipment, customer service, and safety standards.

Chief cook vs fry cook overview

	Chief Cook	Fry Cook
Yearly salary	$38,867	$30,622
Hourly rate	$18.69	$14.72
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	159,663	246,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Chief cook vs fry cook salary

Chief cooks and fry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Cook	Fry Cook
Average salary	$38,867	$30,622
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Fresno, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Anthony
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between chief cook and fry cook education

There are a few differences between a chief cook and a fry cook in terms of educational background:

	Chief Cook	Fry Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Chief cook vs fry cook demographics

Here are the differences between chief cooks' and fry cooks' demographics:

	Chief Cook	Fry Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4%	Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 9.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between chief cook and fry cook duties and responsibilities

Chief cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Demand cleanliness of galley and equipment while assisting in meal planning and inventory management.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate commercial dishwasher and ensure kitchen area are clean and sanitary at all times, catering to following shift crew members.
Display leadership abilities and responsibility by training new employees.

Fry cook example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Grill burgers and used the deep fryers for various foods, clean all equipment at the end of the shift.
Bread and cook chicken, fry foods, run and clean fryers, clean coolers, do dishes general utilities.
Job responsibilities include preparing and executing dishes, as well as assuming responsibility for cleanliness of restaurant.
Provide friendly, quality, customer service to each Chipotle customer.

Chief cook vs fry cook skills

Common chief cook skills

Meal Preparation, 21%
Kitchen Equipment, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Food Safety, 12%
Food Handling, 8%
Menu Planning, 6%

Common fry cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 23%
Customer Service, 11%
Safety Standards, 10%
Deep-Fat Fryers, 9%
Food Products, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Chief Cook
Chief Cook vs Fry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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