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The differences between cook/servers and cooking chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cooking chef has an average salary of $34,973, which is higher than the $29,716 average annual salary of a cook/server.
The top three skills for a cook/server include customer service, customer orders and safety standards. The most important skills for a cooking chef are food service, food handling, and kitchen equipment.
| Cook/Server | Cooking Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $29,716 | $34,973 |
| Hourly rate | $14.29 | $16.81 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 257,582 | 136,558 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 23 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
Cooks/servers are employees who take on the dual role of being a cook and a server in the restaurant. They are usually trained cooks who are in charge of preparing meals for the guests. They prepare ingredients, cook them according to the recipe, and serve them to guests. They are responsible for ensuring that the food is prepared and served to guests within the promised time. They are in charge of managing the pantry, ensuring that the stock is fresh, and checking whether the stock is low. They are expected to have culinary skills, precision, and time management skills.
A cooking chef oversees all people performing kitchen duties under their mandate. These professionals oversee timeliness, sanitary issues, ingredient preparation, meal preparation, and final presentations. Besides engaging in menu planning and creating recipes, a cooking chef also performs several administrative tasks from one day to another. They place supply orders, track inventory, calculate payroll, calculate costs, and handle complaints from the employee or customer. Moreover, a cooking chef trains the kitchen staff to ensure they perform their duties correctly.
Cook/servers and cooking chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cook/Server | Cooking Chef | |
| Average salary | $29,716 | $34,973 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellingham, WA | Teaneck, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Harley School | Memphis Country Club |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a cook/server and a cooking chef in terms of educational background:
| Cook/Server | Cooking Chef | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Business | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | Drexel University |
Here are the differences between cook/servers' and cooking chefs' demographics:
| Cook/Server | Cooking Chef | |
| Average age | 23 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% | Male, 76.3% Female, 23.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 12.0% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |