Deli cook vs assistant cook

The differences between deli cooks and assistant cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a deli cook and an assistant cook. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $32,062 average annual salary of a deli cook.

The top three skills for a deli cook include food handling, basic math and cleanliness. The most important skills for an assistant cook are food handling, kitchen equipment, and dishes.

Deli cook vs assistant cook overview

	Deli Cook	Assistant Cook
Yearly salary	$32,062	$34,244
Hourly rate	$15.41	$16.46
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	169,287	190,245
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Deli cook vs assistant cook salary

Deli cooks and assistant cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Deli Cook	Assistant Cook
Average salary	$32,062	$34,244
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Oregon	California
Best paying company	Kohler Co.	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between deli cook and assistant cook education

There are a few differences between a deli cook and an assistant cook in terms of educational background:

	Deli Cook	Assistant Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Deli cook vs assistant cook demographics

Here are the differences between deli cooks' and assistant cooks' demographics:

	Deli Cook	Assistant Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between deli cook and assistant cook duties and responsibilities

Deli cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Clean, operate cash register, dismantle and clean equipment, slicers, fryers, rotisserie ovens and reassemble.
Maintain department cleanliness, and provide customer service.
Slice meats & cheeses with rotary blade slicers, size the slices, weigh and wrap foods according to customers satisfaction.
Package meats; grind beef, frozen hamburger patties, chicken fryers, cut up meats, and conduct food inventory.
Maintain cleanliness and preparedness of deli.

Assistant cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate stoves, food processors, steamers, slices, ovens.
Ensure ovens and stoves are clean and ready for use.
Train new and current cooks on menu conversion, garnishing, and food presentation.
Prepare and deliver food trays to hospital patients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Supervise and maintain HACCP standards, training processes for cooks and monitor aspects of contract compliance.

Deli cook vs assistant cook skills

Common deli cook skills

Food Handling, 21%
Basic Math, 19%
Cleanliness, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 7%
Slicers, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

Common assistant cook skills

Food Handling, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 11%
Dishes, 9%
Food Service, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%

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Deli Cook vs Assistant Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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