Dish washer vs line cook/dishwasher

The differences between dish washers and line cook/dishwashers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line cook/dishwasher has an average salary of $34,435, which is higher than the $29,860 average annual salary of a dish washer.

The top three skills for a dish washer include food handling, work ethic and fine dining. The most important skills for a line cook/dishwasher are food handling, cleanliness, and dishwashers.

Dish washer vs line cook/dishwasher overview

	Dish Washer	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Yearly salary	$29,860	$34,435
Hourly rate	$14.36	$16.56
Growth rate	2%	16%
Number of jobs	37,127	133,370
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	36	38
Years of experience	-	4

What does a dish washer do?

A dishwasher is responsible for keeping and maintaining a kitchen clean by properly washing, sorting, and stacking the kitchen wares, and setting up dish stations. Though the job requires only minimal work experience and a high school diploma, it is said to be a hard one since it involves strong problem-solving and good communication skills, exceptional time management skills, and the ability to work on extended hours. However, since a dishwasher seldom leaves the kitchen area and does not provide direct service to customers, he/she usually get tips directly if service staff share their tips with them.

What does a line cook/dishwasher do?

A line cook/dishwasher is primarily in charge of prepping food and maintaining their work station's cleanliness while adhering to health standards and protocols. Among their duties include washing and chopping vegetables, cutting meat according to requirements, preparing sauces, and cooking according to an executive chef's directives. They also participate in cleaning and sterilizing kitchen tools and equipment, monitoring the inventory of ingredients, unloading stock deliveries, and taking care of leftovers. Additionally, as a line cook/dishwasher, it is essential to maintain an open communication line with fellow kitchen staff for an efficient workflow.

Dish washer vs line cook/dishwasher salary

Dish washers and line cook/dishwashers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dish Washer	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average salary	$29,860	$34,435
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $37,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Rich Products	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between dish washer and line cook/dishwasher education

There are a few differences between a dish washer and a line cook/dishwasher in terms of educational background:

	Dish Washer	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Dish washer vs line cook/dishwasher demographics

Here are the differences between dish washers' and line cook/dishwashers' demographics:

	Dish Washer	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average age	36	38
Gender ratio	Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0%	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	6%

Differences between dish washer and line cook/dishwasher duties and responsibilities

Dish washer example responsibilities.

Wash dishes, bus tables, maintain an overall satisfactory restaurant, and help with any customer or team member needs.
Keep utensils going to the rightful owners' (cooks, servers, )
Stock and restock supplies for the servers and the cooks.
Raise and maintain high standards for cleanliness and safety within the DMO team.
Receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debits.
Rinse, wash and sort all utensils, glass and tableware, return back to proper location.

Line cook/dishwasher example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Maintain superb conditions of all grills, fryers, prep areas, and work spaces in the kitchen.
Have to follow certain steps for battering prior to cooking, and use a timer for the fryers for fry.
Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.
Operate dishwasher to fully sanitize incoming dishes and silverware.
Prepare food items with special attention to individual orders concerning allergies and temperatures.

Dish washer vs line cook/dishwasher skills

Common dish washer skills

Food Handling, 33%
Work Ethic, 21%
Fine Dining, 12%
Washing Machines, 7%
Team Work, 6%
Basic Math, 4%

Common line cook/dishwasher skills

Food Handling, 35%
Cleanliness, 32%
Dishwashers, 25%
Kitchen Equipment, 3%
Culinary, 2%
Line Cooks, 1%

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Dish Washer
Dish Washer vs Line Cook/Dishwasher

Updated January 8, 2025

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