Cook and waitress/waiter vs fry cook

The differences between cook and waitresses/waiter and fry cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fry cook has an average salary of $30,622, which is higher than the $27,271 average annual salary of a cook and waitress/waiter.

The top three skills for a cook and waitress/waiter include food handling, customer service and waiter. The most important skills for a fry cook are kitchen equipment, customer service, and safety standards.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs fry cook overview

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Fry Cook
Yearly salary	$27,271	$30,622
Hourly rate	$13.11	$14.72
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	268,608	246,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	28	38
Years of experience	-	4

Cook and waitress/waiter vs fry cook salary

Cook and waitresses/waiter and fry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Fry Cook
Average salary	$27,271	$30,622
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $36,000	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 cook and waitress/waiter and fry cook education

There are a few differences between a cook and waitress/waiter and a fry cook in terms of educational background:

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Fry Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cook and waitress/waiter vs fry cook demographics

Here are the differences between cook and waitresses/waiter' and fry cooks' demographics:

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Fry Cook
Average age	28	38
Gender ratio	Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2%	Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 8.7% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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 cook and waitress/waiter and fry cook duties and responsibilities

Cook and waitress/waiter example responsibilities.

Enter orders into a POS system to be send to the kitchen.
Assist in cashier duties using POS system to make all monetary transactions of food items.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.
Service of drinks, cocktails and food in a busy, members only VIP environment.

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.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs fry cook skills

Common cook and waitress/waiter skills

Food Handling, 58%
Customer Service, 14%
Waiter, 5%
Food Orders, 3%
Food Service, 2%
Food Preparation, 2%

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
Cook And Waitress/Waiter
Cook And Waitress/Waiter vs Fry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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