Deli cook vs short order cook

The differences between deli cooks and short order 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 a short order cook. Additionally, a deli cook has an average salary of $32,062, which is higher than the $30,734 average annual salary of a short order cook.

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

Deli cook vs short order cook overview

	Deli Cook	Short Order Cook
Yearly salary	$32,062	$30,734
Hourly rate	$15.41	$14.78
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	169,287	176,187
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Deli cook vs short order cook salary

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

	Deli Cook	Short Order Cook
Average salary	$32,062	$30,734
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	Anaheim, CA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Washington
Best paying company	Kohler Co.	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between deli cook and short order cook education

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

	Deli Cook	Short Order Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Deli cook vs short order cook demographics

Here are the differences between deli cooks' and short order cooks' demographics:

	Deli Cook	Short Order Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 8.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between deli cook and short order 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.

Short order cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Ensure that ovens and stoves remain at appropriate temperatures.
Clean kitchen including wiping down grills, slicers and deep-frying equipment.
Develop teamwork skills with cooks, dishwashers and wait staff, through efficient clean up and preparation of food.
Prepare guest food orders as they are either transmit via the POS system or orally convey at the counter.
Cook foods on the grill station, oven, barbecue grill, deep fryers, and other industrial cooking apparatus.

Deli cook vs short order cook skills

Common deli cook skills

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

Common short order cook skills

Food Handling, 20%
Customer Service, 14%
Food Preparation Equipment, 11%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Food Service, 7%
Safety Standards, 7%

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Deli Cook vs Short Order Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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