Cook and waitress/waiter vs line cook

The differences between cook and waitresses/waiter and line cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line cook has an average salary of $32,894, 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 line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs line cook overview

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Line Cook
Yearly salary	$27,271	$32,894
Hourly rate	$13.11	$15.81
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	268,608	168,993
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	28	38
Years of experience	-	4

Cook and waitress/waiter vs line cook salary

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

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Line Cook
Average salary	$27,271	$32,894
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $36,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Gate City Bank
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between cook and waitress/waiter and line cook education

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

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Line Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cook and waitress/waiter vs line cook demographics

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

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Line Cook
Average age	28	38
Gender ratio	Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cook and waitress/waiter and line 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.

Line cook example responsibilities.

Used strong organizational skills to manage steamers efficiently for both eat-in and take-out services.
Supervise cooks and manage the preparation, portioning, garnishing, and storage of all food items, cutting meat size.
Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Used equipment such as meat slicers, salamanders and steamers.
Develop food preparation skills and knowledge of tools involve; such as proper use of knives and automate slicers.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs line 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 line cook skills

Culinary, 12%
Sanitation Standards, 11%
Food Handling, 11%
Team Work, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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