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The differences between cook/servers and prep cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a prep cook has an average salary of $32,292, 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 prep cook are food handling, culinary, and sanitation standards.
| Cook/Server | Prep Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $29,716 | $32,292 |
| Hourly rate | $14.29 | $15.53 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 257,582 | 168,265 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Average age | 23 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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.
Prep cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients. They are usually part of an assembly line-like structure in the kitchen. They are often the first station in this assembly line. Prep cooks are in charge of thawing, skinning, cutting, mincing, slicing, and chopping ingredients so that the line cooks can just get these ingredients for their own stations. Prep cooks may also start doing some of the initial activities in the cooking process, such as preparing water for boiling, laying out ingredients, and ensuring that the stoves are clear.
Cook/servers and prep cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cook/Server | Prep Cook | |
| Average salary | $29,716 | $32,292 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellingham, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Harley School | Kemps |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a cook/server and a prep cook in terms of educational background:
| Cook/Server | Prep Cook | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between cook/servers' and prep cooks' demographics:
| Cook/Server | Prep Cook | |
| Average age | 23 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% | Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7% |
| 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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |