Food service coordinator vs line cook

The differences between food service coordinators and line cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line cook has an average salary of $32,894, which is higher than the $32,085 average annual salary of a food service coordinator.

The top three skills for a food service coordinator include food preparation, customer service and food handling. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.

Food service coordinator vs line cook overview

	Food Service Coordinator	Line Cook
Yearly salary	$32,085	$32,894
Hourly rate	$15.43	$15.81
Growth rate	2%	16%
Number of jobs	79,537	168,993
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	37	38
Years of experience	-	4

What does a food service coordinator do?

Food service coordinators are responsible for organizing the food preparation for a considerable section of a huge operation such as the bakery, catering, and pantry section. They arrange, prepare, and synchronize the preparation of main entrees. Also, they coordinate and prepare all snacks and meals at a distinct facility as well as supervise the performance of food service specialists and student assistants in preparing food. Qualifications for the job include agility and physical strength to lift and reach kitchen materials and supplies as well as working in a hot environment while standing for a long period.

What does a line cook do?

Line cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. The term line cook brings to mind an assembly line. This is apt because line cooks are usually assigned to a specific station to work on a specific part of a meal or a preparation process. They are part of a bigger group of cooks in the restaurant. This is done so that meal preparation is more efficient. Line cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients, ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked, and doing their assigned activity in the line. They are expected to be good team players, have experience as a cook, and be able to follow recipes and provide alternatives when necessary.

Food service coordinator vs line cook salary

Food service coordinators and line cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Service Coordinator	Line Cook
Average salary	$32,085	$32,894
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $43,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Hawaii
Best paying company	Ashland MA Police	Gate City Bank
Best paying industry	Media	Hospitality

Differences between food service coordinator and line cook education

There are a few differences between a food service coordinator and a line cook in terms of educational background:

	Food Service Coordinator	Line Cook
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Food service coordinator vs line cook demographics

Here are the differences between food service coordinators' and line cooks' demographics:

	Food Service Coordinator	Line Cook
Average age	37	38
Gender ratio	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.5% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between food service coordinator and line cook duties and responsibilities

Food service coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate the workload of the release team members and are responsible for organizing and hosting all production release windows.
Enhance and enrich HACCP knowledge and practices.
Record each meal recieve into the POS system.
Work with staff to provide culinary and nutritional teaching to club members.
Perform food samples and laboratory testing, and prepare corresponding reports following HACCP guidelines.
Monitor patients diets and patient satisfaction.

Line cook example responsibilities.

Used strong organizational skills to manage steamers efficiently for both eat-in and take-out services.
Supervise cooks and manage the preparation, portioning, garnishing, and storage of all food items, cutting meat size.
Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Used equipment such as meat slicers, salamanders and steamers.
Develop food preparation skills and knowledge of tools involve; such as proper use of knives and automate slicers.

Food service coordinator vs line cook skills

Common food service coordinator skills

Food Preparation, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Food Handling, 7%
Meal Preparation, 6%
Food Safety, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%

Common line cook skills

Culinary, 12%
Sanitation Standards, 11%
Food Handling, 11%
Team Work, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%

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Food Service Coordinator vs Line Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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