Food supervisor vs cook supervisor

The differences between food supervisors and cook supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cook supervisor has an average salary of $41,118, which is higher than the $33,414 average annual salary of a food supervisor.

The top three skills for a food supervisor include HACCP, problem resolution and safety training. The most important skills for a cook supervisor are food handling, food service, and portion control.

Food supervisor vs cook supervisor overview

	Food Supervisor	Cook Supervisor
Yearly salary	$33,414	$41,118
Hourly rate	$16.06	$19.77
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	82,884	183,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	37	38
Years of experience	-	4

What does a food supervisor do?

A food supervisor directs workers who prepare, apportion, and serve food to clients and staff. Their major responsibility is to ensure compliance with the food safety standards set by relevant authorities. They are also tasked with updating the food safety program and training all staff to understand and adhere to the instructions contained therein.

What does a cook supervisor do?

Cook supervisors are responsible for coordinating the kitchen members and ensure that all orders are prepared on time and according to customer specifications. They must be skilled in the culinary department, knowledgeable of the food safety regulations, and lead a team of cooks, washers, and helpers to achieve an organized kitchen. Monitoring the kitchen inventory, scheduling work shifts for the team, and working with the restaurant manager about the week's menu are also the responsibilities of cook supervisors.

Food supervisor vs cook supervisor salary

Food supervisors and cook supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Supervisor	Cook Supervisor
Average salary	$33,414	$41,118
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Chelsea Jewish Lifecare
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between food supervisor and cook supervisor education

There are a few differences between a food supervisor and a cook supervisor in terms of educational background:

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

Food supervisor vs cook supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between food supervisors' and cook supervisors' demographics:

	Food Supervisor	Cook Supervisor
Average age	37	38
Gender ratio	Male, 54.3% Female, 45.7%	Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between food supervisor and cook supervisor duties and responsibilities

Food supervisor example responsibilities.

Lead shifts while personally preparing bakery items and executing requests base on require specifications.
Maintain all food and beverage storerooms in proper condition to ensure cleanliness, freshness, and organization.
Inspect all storage and food services preparation areas daily to ensure proper handling and cleanliness standards are met.
Travel to find better products that utilize the companies finances better while still providing the best culinary experience for the customer.
Examine food and beverage quality and presentation and provide corrective training where necessary, involving the culinary management team when need.
Develop and organize BOH through cleaning, maintenance, equipment care, and ordering and receiving.

Cook supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Assist culinary director in assign duties relate to kitchen operations.
Work with multiple POS systems by entering and processing orders.
Organize and put away inventory when it arrive using HACCP guidelines.
Cook all orders that are enter in pos system, enter orders on pos system, clean kitchen when closing.
Have ServSafe food sanitation certification.

Food supervisor vs cook supervisor skills

Common food supervisor skills

HACCP, 18%
Problem Resolution, 18%
Safety Training, 16%
Safety Regulations, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
FDA, 6%

Common cook supervisor skills

Food Handling, 33%
Food Service, 26%
Portion Control, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%
HACCP, 5%
Meal Preparation, 4%

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Food Supervisor vs Cook Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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