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The differences between grill cooks and head cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a grill cook, becoming a head cook takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a head cook has an average salary of $44,412, which is higher than the $31,895 average annual salary of a grill cook.
The top three skills for a grill cook include sanitation standards, kitchen equipment and safety standards. The most important skills for a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.
| Grill Cook | Head Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $31,895 | $44,412 |
| Hourly rate | $15.33 | $21.35 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 184,603 | 156,227 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A grill cook's primary role is to take charge of grilling food in restaurants or a similar establishment. Aside from grilling different kinds of food, they are also responsible for the plating, ensuring that it looks presentable and mouth-watering. Moreover, grill cooks have other duties such as preparing supplies and ingredients, maintaining the cleanliness of the work area, and training new members of the workforce. It is also essential to coordinate with other restaurant staff at all times as the operations can be fast-paced and will require accuracy and speed.
A head cook is responsible for organizing the food preparation, organizing the kitchen operations, and ensuring the quality of the food presented. Head cooks' duties include monitoring the food inventory, creating new recipes, researching current market trends, responding to guests' inquiries and complaints, distributing kitchen tasks to the staff, and maintaining budget goals while maintaining the highest food quality. A head cook must always adhere to the sanitary procedures and hygienic standards, as well as have a broad knowledge of the food industry.
Grill cooks and head cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Grill Cook | Head Cook | |
| Average salary | $31,895 | $44,412 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $32,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Antonio, TX |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | St. Petersburg Yacht Club | Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a grill cook and a head cook in terms of educational background:
| Grill Cook | Head Cook | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between grill cooks' and head cooks' demographics:
| Grill Cook | Head Cook | |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.9% Female, 23.1% | Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |