Deli cook vs cook/server

The differences between deli cooks and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a deli cook has an average salary of $32,062, which is higher than the $29,716 average annual salary of a cook/server.

The top three skills for a deli cook include food handling, basic math and cleanliness. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Deli cook vs cook/server overview

	Deli Cook	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$32,062	$29,716
Hourly rate	$15.41	$14.29
Growth rate	16%	14%
Number of jobs	169,287	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	38	23
Years of experience	4	-

Deli cook vs cook/server salary

Deli cooks and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Deli Cook	Cook/Server
Average salary	$32,062	$29,716
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Alaska
Best paying company	Kohler Co.	The Harley School
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between deli cook and cook/server education

There are a few differences between a deli cook and a cook/server in terms of educational background:

	Deli Cook	Cook/Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Deli cook vs cook/server demographics

Here are the differences between deli cooks' and cook/servers' demographics:

	Deli Cook	Cook/Server
Average age	38	23
Gender ratio	Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between deli cook and cook/server 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.

Cook/server example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist customers, bag groceries, replenish carts, and clean store.
Pay close attention to detail while multitasking between communicating over the intercom, utilizing the POS, and order placing.
Make smoothies, coffee, customer service, cashier, fill bakery cooler, inventory, stock, and clean!
Operate the filtration system used for the fryers to keep all sanitation guidelines up to standards as per the health department.
Operate, and maintain clean and safe cooking equipment like pressure cooker deep fryers, plate grills, and deep fryers.

Deli cook vs cook/server skills

Common deli cook skills

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

Common cook/server skills

Customer Service, 41%
Customer Orders, 8%
Safety Standards, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 4%
POS, 4%

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Deli Cook
Deli Cook vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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