Food service specialist vs pastry cook

The differences between food service specialists and pastry cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pastry cook has an average salary of $34,858, which is higher than the $29,286 average annual salary of a food service specialist.

The top three skills for a food service specialist include kitchen equipment, preventive maintenance and MOS. The most important skills for a pastry cook are culinary, cleanliness, and food handling.

Food service specialist vs pastry cook overview

	Food Service Specialist	Pastry Cook
Yearly salary	$29,286	$34,858
Hourly rate	$14.08	$16.76
Growth rate	2%	16%
Number of jobs	95,112	136,754
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	37	38
Years of experience	-	4

What does a food service specialist do?

The food service specialists monitor food preparation, ensuring that the guests get their correct orders, providing them the best dining experience and satisfaction. A food service specialist takes the guests' orders, processes their payments, and serves their orders timely and efficiently. They also monitor the stock inventories, coordinate with suppliers and third-party vendors for stock requests, and assist with kitchen duties as needed, especially on high volume days. A food service specialist must have a broad knowledge of the food services industry, analyzing the current food trends to make suggestions for menus, and responding to the guests' concerns.

What does a pastry cook do?

The Pastry Cook's responsibilities include preparing quality pastry items such as breakfast items, desserts, breads, ice creams, creams, simple syrups, amenities, and others. They are also responsible for minimizing waste and maintaining control to attain forecasted food cost.

Food service specialist vs pastry cook salary

Food service specialists and pastry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Service Specialist	Pastry Cook
Average salary	$29,286	$34,858
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $43,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	Brookhaven National Laboratory	Sailfish Club of Florida
Best paying industry	Government	Hospitality

Differences between food service specialist and pastry cook education

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

	Food Service Specialist	Pastry Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Cornell University

Food service specialist vs pastry cook demographics

Here are the differences between food service specialists' and pastry cooks' demographics:

	Food Service Specialist	Pastry Cook
Average age	37	38
Gender ratio	Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between food service specialist and pastry cook duties and responsibilities

Food service specialist example responsibilities.

Regulate temperatures of ovens, broilers, and grills.
Apply a vast number or USDA and USDC Standards/Specifications to determine compliance with contractual requirements.
Maintain a safe work environment for the preparation of food through sanitation and HACCP procedures.
Inspect prepared foods place on the serving line to ensure temperature and quality follow ServSafe protocols.
Utilize the techniques of roasting, broiling, frying, grilling, steaming, and baking.
Ensure that food purchase and procure for multiple units is in accordance with DOD and USDA standards and contractual documents.

Pastry cook example responsibilities.

Manage cold kitchen production for a luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant
Clean steamers, hot @ cold line.
Serve customers ordering at the bistro.
Work in dining room during Sunday brunch and buffets serving desserts.
Engage in meetings including an annual board presentation of USDA budget.
Focuse on maintaining budget while meeting USDA and BSA nutrition requirements.

Food service specialist vs pastry cook skills

Common food service specialist skills

Kitchen Equipment, 33%
Preventive Maintenance, 24%
MOS, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
Cleanliness, 4%
Patients, 4%

Common pastry cook skills

Culinary, 17%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Handling, 10%
Quality Standards, 7%
Fine Dining, 6%
Food Safety, 6%

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Food Service Specialist vs Pastry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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