What does a cook/team member do?
Cook/team members or kitchen team members prepare high-quality food efficiently, sanitarily, and consistently. They work in a high-pressure work environment and still maintain the organization to act on their job duties with the same efficiency. These cooks should follow all safety and sanitary protocols and have a high tolerance threshold for heat while working in the kitchen. Working in this job requires them to know how to manage stress, be reliable, and work with integrity throughout their shift.
Cook/team member responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cook/team member resumes:
- Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
- Help maintain kitchen equipment and restaurant cleanliness.
- Follow al health, safety and HACCP procedures.
- Answer phones taking orders, inputting orders and payments into the POS.
- Organize and maintain ingredient inventory, always marking dates on all perishables.
- Aid in the preparation and presentation of culinary elements from around the world.
- Implement HACCP methods for storing, cooking, preparing and cooling potentially hazardous foods.
- Examine portioning and garnishing of complete food orders while reviewing orders for accuracy and freshness.
- Operate a POS system to itemize and complete an average of [number] customer purchases.
- Maintain color balances fryers and add sufficient shortening so that the proper shortening level can be maintain.
- Assemble equipment such as ice machines, open fryers, eight head fryers, grills and ovens.
- Instruct cooks and other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of food.
- Work as a team to prepare food for the customers and the patients, that focuse on dietary needs.
- Arrange buffets, keep up with the maintenance of the commercial kitchen, buff, strip and wax floors.
- Take money in the form of cash, check, or credit card from patrons in exchange for groceries.
Cook/team member skills and personality traits
We calculated that 34% of Cook/Team Members are proficient in Dishes, Work Ethic, and Team Work. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Cook/Team Members that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Dishes, 34%
Prepared food* Cleaned kitchen/washed dishes* Took phone orders* Coordinated among team during busy periods
- Work Ethic, 31%
Help other co-workers to learn the skills to success in work ethics.
- Team Work, 13%
Have accomplished 2 years of team work, cooking, and cleaning knowledge
- Culinary, 9%
Certified Culinary Personnel/ Certified Corporate Trainer
- Customer Service, 7%
Adhered to safety and sanitary guidelines while being committed to excellent customer service.
- Food Handling, 5%
Follow all safety procedures and guidelines including personal safety, equipment use, and food handling and storage.
"dishes," "work ethic," and "team work" are among the most common skills that cook/team members use at work. You can find even more cook/team member responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a cook/team member to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "food and beverage serving and related workers must listen carefully to their customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared to the customers’ request." Cook/team members often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "selected achievements gained management, team work, and communication skills. "
Customer-service skills. Another essential skill to perform cook/team member duties is customer-service skills. Cook/team members responsibilities require that "food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry." Cook/team members also use customer-service skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "take food and drink orders and receive payment from customers. "
Physical strength. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of cook/team members is physical strength. This skill is critical to many everyday cook/team member duties, as "food and beverage serving and related workers need to be able to lift and carry stock and equipment that can weigh up to 50 pounds." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "maintained the physical appearance inside and outside of buildings and maintained equipment, worked fryers and provided customer service as needed"
The three companies that hire the most cook/team members are:
- Chili's Grill & Bar1,220 cook/team members jobs
- Boston Market
938 cook/team members jobs
- Burger King605 cook/team members jobs
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Compare different cook/team members
Cook/team member vs. Cinder crew worker
A Mexican Food Cook works at restaurants or similar establishments that specialize in Mexican cuisine. Their responsibilities revolve around cutting meat and vegetable in portions, cooking and preparing according to company menu and guidelines, monitoring the supply of ingredients, and maintaining the cleanliness of work areas. There are also instances where they must delegate tasks among staff, coordinate with managers, and resolve order problems. Mexican Food Cooks must work while adhering to the company and the government's health and safety regulations and standards.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, cook/team member responsibilities require skills like "dishes," "strong work ethic," "work ethic," and "team work." Meanwhile a typical cinder crew worker has skills in areas such as "hand tools," "drive-thru," "safety standards," and "tongs." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Cinder crew workers really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $28,139. Comparatively, cook/team members tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $32,957.On average, cinder crew workers reach similar levels of education than cook/team members. Cinder crew workers are 0.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cook/team member vs. Mexican food cook
A short-order cook takes responsibility for preparing foods in cafes and restaurants. Usually, they fry eggs, cook fries, and prepare sandwiches. Short order cooks work alongside line chefs in the foodservice market. Their manner of preparing food is quick, easy, and simple. They plan and handle work orders ensuring that all orders are complete and served on time. Strong communication, customer service, a good sense of taste, and the ability to work efficiently are necessary requirements for the job.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that cook/team member responsibilities requires skills like "dishes," "credit transactions," "wine," and "clean environment." But a mexican food cook might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "food service," "slicers," and "mixers."
Mexican food cooks earn a higher average salary than cook/team members. But mexican food cooks earn the highest pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $31,722. Additionally, cook/team members earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $32,957 annually.In general, mexican food cooks achieve similar levels of education than cook/team members. They're 0.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cook/team member vs. Short order cook
Foodservice/cashiers are often employed at food restaurants and played various roles. Their duties include recording orders from customers and making sure their payments are collected. They are responsible for managing financial transactions and creating financial reports at the end of the day, making sure that order receipts correlate to the amount of money collected. They could also function as service members, welcoming customers and taking their orders politely, packaging them, and ensures that they are delivered promptly, taking in and resolving customer's queries and complaints. They can also be tasked to stock supplies and may help in cooking if the needs arise.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a cook/team member is likely to be skilled in "dishes," "strong work ethic," "work ethic," and "team work," while a typical short order cook is skilled in "food preparation equipment," "good communication," "food service," and "safety standards."
Short order cooks make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $31,094. On the other hand, cook/team members are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $32,957.When it comes to education, short order cooks tend to earn similar degree levels compared to cook/team members. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cook/team member vs. Food service/cashier
Types of cook/team member
Updated January 8, 2025
