Deli cook vs deli associate

The differences between deli cooks and deli associates 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 $28,360 average annual salary of a deli associate.

The top three skills for a deli cook include food handling, basic math and cleanliness. The most important skills for a deli associate are food handling, basic math, and customer service.

Deli cook vs deli associate overview

	Deli Cook	Deli Associate
Yearly salary	$32,062	$28,360
Hourly rate	$15.41	$13.63
Growth rate	16%	14%
Number of jobs	169,287	117,130
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	38	23
Years of experience	4	-

Deli cook vs deli associate salary

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

	Deli Cook	Deli Associate
Average salary	$32,062	$28,360
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $20,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	-
Highest paying state	Oregon	-
Best paying company	Kohler Co.	-
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between deli cook and deli associate education

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

	Deli Cook	Deli Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Deli cook vs deli associate demographics

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

	Deli Cook	Deli Associate
Average age	38	23
Gender ratio	Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%	Male, 37.2% Female, 62.8%
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 deli associate 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.

Deli associate example responsibilities.

Open and close deli; schedule work hour coverage; manage and monitor deli cleanliness code; customer service.
Serve customers, stock shelves, cook food in fryers, slice deli meat, prepare food trays, close/open department
Bag groceries, and help customers out to their vehicles.
Pick and pack chosen items and ring them up in the POS system.
Train and assist employees in the use of proprietary POS software and hardware.
Season help pack groceries and work in the deli department packaging and prepare food for floor.

Deli cook vs deli associate skills

Common deli cook skills

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

Common deli associate skills

Food Handling, 24%
Basic Math, 17%
Customer Service, 17%
Math, 10%
Food Safety, 7%
Slicers, 4%

Deli Cook vs. similar jobs

Deli Cook related careers

Deli Cook related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Deli Cook
Deli Cook vs Deli Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs