How to hire a dietary cook

How to hire a dietary cook, step by step

Here's a step-by-step dietary cook hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a dietary cook job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new dietary cook
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a dietary cook do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the dietary cook you need to hire. Certain dietary cook roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect dietary cook also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of dietary cook salaries for various roles:

   Type of Dietary Cook	Description	Hourly rate
   Dietary Cook	Cooks prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods, which may include soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.	$10-16
   Cook/Server	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... Show more	$11-17
   Line Cook, Prep Cook	A line cook/prep cook is responsible for assisting with food preparations, ensuring that all ingredients are readily available and stored safely. Line cook/prep cook tasks also include reviewing and updating menus to keep the customers' patronization... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Food Handling
   • Food Service
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Meal Service
   • Rehabilitation
   • Diet Orders
   • Compassion
   • Therapeutic Diets
   • Customer Service
   • ServSafe
   • Culinary
   • Cleanliness
   • State Regulations

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
   • Provide attention and compassion to all resident's.
   • Train with culinary chefs and staff members on dinning facility services and organization.
   • Utilize a broad range of culinary skills to include grill and saute as well as salad and deserts.
   • Make sure food is prepared within the guidelines of ServSafe and residents' with special needs are tend to.
   • Prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for residents according to SERVSAFE and HAACP procedures and standards on a daily basis.

   More dietary cook duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your dietary cook job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A dietary cook salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, dietary cooks' average salary in louisiana is 45% less than in utah.
   • Seniority. Entry-level dietary cooks earn 38% less than senior-level dietary cooks.
   • Certifications. A dietary cook with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a dietary cook's salary.

   Average dietary cook salary

   $13.16hourly

   $27,365 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level dietary cook salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average dietary cook salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Nebraska	$35,536	$17
   2	Mississippi	$34,169	$16
   3	California	$34,138	$16
   4	New York	$31,862	$15
   5	Nevada	$31,806	$15
   6	Colorado	$29,605	$14
   7	North Carolina	$27,144	$13
   8	Alabama	$27,066	$13
   9	Tennessee	$26,821	$13
   10	Wisconsin	$26,441	$13
   11	Georgia	$26,404	$13
   12	Ohio	$25,885	$12
   13	New Jersey	$25,631	$12
   14	Kansas	$24,328	$12
   15	Florida	$24,173	$12
   16	Illinois	$23,753	$11
   17	Missouri	$23,570	$11
   18	Texas	$23,125	$11

   Average dietary cook salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	SantaFe HealthCare	$34,590	$16.63	2
   2	Childhelp	$31,171	$14.99
   3	Eisenhower Medical Center	$31,098	$14.95
   4	Poplar Springs Hospital	$30,841	$14.83
   5	Pediatric Partners, now a member of the Sevita family	$30,501	$14.66	6
   6	Lutz	$30,419	$14.62
   7	Douglas	$30,403	$14.62
   8	Universal Health Services	$30,158	$14.50	104
   9	Prime Healthcare	$30,155	$14.50	15
   10	Cedars & Oaks Consults	$30,140	$14.49
   11	Tenet Healthcare	$30,081	$14.46	10
   12	Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc.	$29,773	$14.31	8
   13	Piedmont Healthcare	$29,760	$14.31	10
   14	Prestige Care	$29,750	$14.30	1
   15	The Merriman	$29,544	$14.20
   16	Americare Senior Living	$29,533	$14.20	75
   17	Mary’s Woods At Marylhurst	$29,511	$14.19	1
   18	Five Points Washington	$29,478	$14.17
   19	Tower Group Companies	$29,445	$14.16	4
   20	Ensign Group	$29,423	$14.15

4. Writing a dietary cook job description

   A job description for a dietary cook role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a dietary cook job description:

   Dietary cook job description example

   *Comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, EAP, 401K, Life and Disability insurance, and more

   *Benefits effective 1st day following 30 days of employment

   *Paid Time Off

   *Holiday Pay

   *Same Day Pay!

   *Yearly Retention Bonuses!

   *Annual Income Increases (at the discretion of the market)

   *Consistent support from the Regional Operations and facility staff

   *And so much more!

   Here’s what you will do:

   ** Duties are determined by the company’s needs and may include, but are not limited to the following:

   *Prepare and serve meals according to menu plans that change with the seasons; creating a restaurant-style dining experience

   *Coordinate food preparation and meal service, including nutritional snacks

   *Plan and initiate cooking schedule for food preparation to meet meal schedules

   *Assist in receiving and storing food and supplies

   *Meet the needs and requests of the residents

   *Put our residents first, as a standard of excellence

   *Follow the direction of the Dietary Manager and Dietitian

   *Maintain high standards in food preparation and sanitation

   *Be detailed oriented, well-groomed, and professional

   *Lead and direct the kitchen and the dietary staff as needed

   Essential For You To Have as a Regency Park Nursing & Rehab at Carroll Dietary Cook:

   * Minimum one (1) year food service experience in a healthcare dietary setting is desired

   *Safe Serve certification must be completed in the first year of employment

   *Preference is given to people with Chef training or equivalent training and understanding of therapeutic diets

   *Must be able to communicate professionally and interact positively with residents and other personnel

   *Must be able to clean, keep a sanitary work environment, and pass federal and state regulations

   *Must be able to stand, bend, and walk a minimum of 6 hours a day

   *Must be able to carry/ lift, push, and pull a maximum of 50lbs

   *High school diploma or GED is required

   Know someone who'd be great for any of our Campbell Street Services facility roles? We pay employee referral bonuses!

   GREAT HOURS- we have a flexible schedule with hours between 6AM and 7:30PM

   **We are Covid compliant

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right dietary cook for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your dietary cook job on Zippia to find and recruit dietary cook candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting dietary cooks requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new dietary cook

   Once you have selected a candidate for the dietary cook position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new dietary cook. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a dietary cook?