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The differences between dietary cooks and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cook/server has an average salary of $29,716, which is higher than the $27,365 average annual salary of a dietary cook.
The top three skills for a dietary cook include patients, food handling and food service. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.
| Dietary Cook | Cook/Server | |
| Yearly salary | $27,365 | $29,716 |
| Hourly rate | $13.16 | $14.29 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 191,406 | 257,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 52% |
| Average age | 38 | 23 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A dietary cook specializes in cooking and preparing healthy meals for clients or organizations. It is their duty to follow nutritional plans and guidelines, adhere to portion and quality standards, supervise kitchen staff, and participate in delivering food to rooms or offices. They also monitor the inventory of supplies, maintain the cleanliness of different areas, and keep dishes sanitized at all times. Moreover, a dietary cook must coordinate and maintain an open communication line with fellow kitchen workers to ensure a safe and efficient workflow.
Cooks/servers are employees who take on the dual role of being a cook and a server in the restaurant. They are usually trained cooks who are in charge of preparing meals for the guests. They prepare ingredients, cook them according to the recipe, and serve them to guests. They are responsible for ensuring that the food is prepared and served to guests within the promised time. They are in charge of managing the pantry, ensuring that the stock is fresh, and checking whether the stock is low. They are expected to have culinary skills, precision, and time management skills.
Dietary cooks and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dietary Cook | Cook/Server | |
| Average salary | $27,365 | $29,716 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $34,000 | Between $23,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Omaha, NE | Bellingham, WA |
| Highest paying state | Utah | Alaska |
| Best paying company | SantaFe HealthCare | The Harley School |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Retail |
There are a few differences between a dietary cook and a cook/server in terms of educational background:
| Dietary Cook | Cook/Server | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 52% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between dietary cooks' and cook/servers' demographics:
| Dietary Cook | Cook/Server | |
| Average age | 38 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7% | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.2% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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% |