Food stylist vs cook/server

The differences between food stylists and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food stylist has an average salary of $36,910, which is higher than the $29,716 average annual salary of a cook/server.

The top three skills for a food stylist include culinary, photo shoots and food preparation. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Food stylist vs cook/server overview

	Food Stylist	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$36,910	$29,716
Hourly rate	$17.75	$14.29
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	64,591	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Food stylist vs cook/server salary

Food stylists and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Stylist	Cook/Server
Average salary	$36,910	$29,716
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $51,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	The Harley School
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between food stylist and cook/server education

There are a few differences between a food stylist and a cook/server in terms of educational background:

	Food Stylist	Cook/Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food stylist vs cook/server demographics

Here are the differences between food stylists' and cook/servers' demographics:

	Food Stylist	Cook/Server
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
Race ratio	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%	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	8%	8%

Differences between food stylist and cook/server duties and responsibilities

Food stylist example responsibilities.

Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
Evaluate and present current culinary trends to cookbook editorial teams.
Establish culinary recipe execution and appealing product presentation for hundreds of recipes
Note allergies and special accommodations on receipts to ensure customer safety and satisfaction.
Appoint to serve guests of honor, and handle all special guest requests regarding food allergies and dietary restrictions

Cook/server example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist customers, bag groceries, replenish carts, and clean store.
Pay close attention to detail while multitasking between communicating over the intercom, utilizing the POS, and order placing.
Make smoothies, coffee, customer service, cashier, fill bakery cooler, inventory, stock, and clean!
Operate the filtration system used for the fryers to keep all sanitation guidelines up to standards as per the health department.
Operate, and maintain clean and safe cooking equipment like pressure cooker deep fryers, plate grills, and deep fryers.

Food stylist vs cook/server skills

Common food stylist skills

Culinary, 31%
Photo Shoots, 20%
Food Preparation, 20%
Recipe Development, 10%
Test Kitchen, 7%
Food Safety, 6%

Common cook/server skills

Customer Service, 41%
Customer Orders, 8%
Safety Standards, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 4%
POS, 4%

Food Stylist vs. similar jobs

Food Stylist related careers

Food Stylist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Food Stylist
Food Stylist vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs