How To Become A Cook/Dishwasher: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cook/dishwasher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

As a Cook/Dishwasher, you need to have excellent kitchen skills because you will be preparing, sanitizing, and doing other food-related tasks. You may be assigned to the kitchen, wash area, or preparation area; you will need to maintain the cleanliness of the kitchen and other areas in the restaurant where food is served or prepared.

Of course, since you're working in the kitchen and with food, you need to have a good sense of taste and smell; this way, you'll determine the flavor of food. You also need to have dexterity since you will be using your hands most of the time. Lastly, you should have great physical stamina. You might be tasked to work for long hours, and you should be able to still perform your duties.

With a job growth rate of 11%, you also have the chance to earn around $23,735 per year on average. You can also explore other roles related to being a Cook/Dishwasher. You can be a Cook, an Executive Chef, a General Manager, and a Food Service Director.

ScoreCook/DishwasherUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,703

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.4

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.36%

Asian 5.86%

Black or African American 12.55%

Hispanic or Latino 11.61%

Unknown 6.27%

White 62.34%

Gender

female 18.32%

male 81.68%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress level

4.4

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.8

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cook/dishwasher

Explore cook/dishwasher education requirements

Most common cook/dishwasher degrees

High School Diploma

58.0 %

Diploma

16.2 %

Associate

11.3 %

Start to develop specific cook/dishwasher skills

Skills	Percentages
Wash Dishes	44.47%
Customer Service	12.36%
Dishwashers	7.50%
Prep Food	6.11%
Safety Standards	3.58%

Research cook/dishwasher duties and responsibilities

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Cook and prepare sandwiches and entrees throughout the shift, working with slicers, grills, and fryers.
Enter orders into pos system.
Organize groceries as to ensure use before expiration.

Prepare your cook/dishwasher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cook/dishwasher resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cook/dishwasher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable cook/dishwasher resume templates

Build a professional cook/dishwasher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your cook/dishwasher resume.

Apply for cook/dishwasher jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cook/dishwasher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do cook/dishwashers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Cook/dishwasher reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022

Pros

Because ,I like making sure the dishes etc,food is prepared for customers!!!

Cons

None

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Pros

A total time you spend knowing and communicate and get attachment to the clients

Cons

Leaving work when it's time to leave

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Cons

It's pretty stressful on the body. I definitely could not see myself doing this the rest of my life; I am 19 and I can admit it's hard work - and I would consider myself in shape. Like dishwashers, I do consider myself underappreciated as well. We don't make very much money - In some cases, the servers make more than us! I think it's because our specific organization doesn't allow the kitchen staff to get tips at all.

What is a cook/dishwasher and how to become one

Cook/dishwasher career paths

Key steps to become a cook/dishwasher

Explore cook/dishwasher education requirements

Most common cook/dishwasher degrees

Start to develop specific cook/dishwasher skills

Research cook/dishwasher duties and responsibilities

Prepare your cook/dishwasher resume

Choose from 10+ customizable cook/dishwasher resume templates

Apply for cook/dishwasher jobs

How did you land your first cook/dishwasher job

Average cook/dishwasher salary

How do cook/dishwashers rate their job?

Cook/dishwasher reviews

Cook/dishwasher jobs by state