Cook/bartender vs assistant cook

The differences between cook/bartenders and assistant cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $30,956 average annual salary of a cook/bartender.

The top three skills for a cook/bartender include drink orders, customer service and bartending. The most important skills for an assistant cook are food handling, kitchen equipment, and dishes.

Cook/bartender vs assistant cook overview

	Cook/Bartender	Assistant Cook
Yearly salary	$30,956	$34,244
Hourly rate	$14.88	$16.46
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	112,807	190,245
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	37	38
Years of experience	-	4

Cook/bartender vs assistant cook salary

Cook/bartenders and assistant cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cook/Bartender	Assistant Cook
Average salary	$30,956	$34,244
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $39,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between cook/bartender and assistant cook education

There are a few differences between a cook/bartender and an assistant cook in terms of educational background:

	Cook/Bartender	Assistant Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cook/bartender vs assistant cook demographics

Here are the differences between cook/bartenders' and assistant cooks' demographics:

	Cook/Bartender	Assistant Cook
Average age	37	38
Gender ratio	Male, 51.1% Female, 48.9%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 5.9% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between cook/bartender and assistant cook duties and responsibilities

Cook/bartender example responsibilities.

Manage business operation initiatives, including payroll, invoicing, inventory, and human resource relate matters.
Process orders on a computerize POS system.
Cook until kitchen close and then bartend rest of evening.
Prepare, craft, and serve artisan food for guests, pour taps, operate POS.
Cook and serve food to customer's, keep a clean and orderly work area, also some bartending.
Participate and win awards in regional and divisional bartending competitions.

Assistant cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate stoves, food processors, steamers, slices, ovens.
Ensure ovens and stoves are clean and ready for use.
Train new and current cooks on menu conversion, garnishing, and food presentation.
Prepare and deliver food trays to hospital patients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Supervise and maintain HACCP standards, training processes for cooks and monitor aspects of contract compliance.

Cook/bartender vs assistant cook skills

Common cook/bartender skills

Drink Orders, 22%
Customer Service, 19%
Bartending, 12%
Bartend, 5%
Food Orders, 4%
Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 4%

Common assistant cook skills

Food Handling, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 11%
Dishes, 9%
Food Service, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cook/Bartender
Cook/Bartender vs Assistant Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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