Cook/bartender vs head cook

The differences between cook/bartenders and head cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a head cook has an average salary of $44,412, 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 a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.

Cook/bartender vs head cook overview

	Cook/Bartender	Head Cook
Yearly salary	$30,956	$44,412
Hourly rate	$14.88	$21.35
Growth rate	10%	15%
Number of jobs	112,807	156,227
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	37	42
Years of experience	-	6

Cook/bartender vs head cook salary

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

	Cook/Bartender	Head Cook
Average salary	$30,956	$44,412
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $39,000	Between $32,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	San Antonio, TX
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between cook/bartender and head cook education

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

	Cook/Bartender	Head Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Cook/bartender vs head cook demographics

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

	Cook/Bartender	Head Cook
Average age	37	42
Gender ratio	Male, 51.1% Female, 48.9%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between cook/bartender and head 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.

Head cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Accommodate all campers and staff with dietary restrictions, food allergies as well as providing vegetarian and vegan options.
Follow all equipment and safety procedures in all operations including slicers, choppers, mixers and other meal processing equipment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Scramble eggs, sausage, potatoes, biscits and gravy.
Create and execute menus for the buffets.

Cook/bartender vs head cook skills

Common cook/bartender skills

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

Common head cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 41%
Meal Preparation, 15%
Food Service, 7%
Food Preparation, 3%
Quality Standards, 3%
Safety Standards, 2%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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