Cook and waitress/waiter vs kitchen cook

The differences between cook and waitresses/waiter and kitchen cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kitchen cook has an average salary of $31,452, 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 kitchen cook are dishes, food handling, and cleanliness.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs kitchen cook overview

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$27,271	$31,452
Hourly rate	$13.11	$15.12
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	268,608	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	28	38
Years of experience	-	4

Cook and waitress/waiter vs kitchen cook salary

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

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$27,271	$31,452
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $36,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between cook and waitress/waiter and kitchen cook education

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

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cook and waitress/waiter vs kitchen cook demographics

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

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Kitchen Cook
Average age	28	38
Gender ratio	Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
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, 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 cook and waitress/waiter and kitchen 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.

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.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs kitchen 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 kitchen cook skills

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

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cook And Waitress/Waiter
Cook And Waitress/Waiter vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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