Deli cook vs head cook

The differences between deli cooks and head cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a deli cook, becoming a head cook takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a head cook has an average salary of $44,412, 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 a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.

Deli cook vs head cook overview

	Deli Cook	Head Cook
Yearly salary	$32,062	$44,412
Hourly rate	$15.41	$21.35
Growth rate	16%	15%
Number of jobs	169,287	156,227
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	38	42
Years of experience	4	6

Deli cook vs head cook salary

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

	Deli Cook	Head Cook
Average salary	$32,062	$44,412
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $32,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	San Antonio, TX
Highest paying state	Oregon	New Jersey
Best paying company	Kohler Co.	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between deli cook and head cook education

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

	Deli Cook	Head Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Deli cook vs head cook demographics

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

	Deli Cook	Head Cook
Average age	38	42
Gender ratio	Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between deli cook and head 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.

Head cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Accommodate all campers and staff with dietary restrictions, food allergies as well as providing vegetarian and vegan options.
Follow all equipment and safety procedures in all operations including slicers, choppers, mixers and other meal processing equipment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Scramble eggs, sausage, potatoes, biscits and gravy.
Create and execute menus for the buffets.

Deli cook vs head cook skills

Common deli cook skills

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

Common head cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 41%
Meal Preparation, 15%
Food Service, 7%
Food Preparation, 3%
Quality Standards, 3%
Safety Standards, 2%

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Deli Cook vs Head Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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