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Grill cook/prep vs fry cook

The differences between grill cook/preps and fry cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a grill cook/prep and a fry cook. Additionally, a grill cook/prep has an average salary of $32,842, which is higher than the $30,622 average annual salary of a fry cook.

The top three skills for a grill cook/prep include food handling, quality food and kitchen equipment. The most important skills for a fry cook are kitchen equipment, customer service, and safety standards.

Grill cook/prep vs fry cook overview

Grill Cook/PrepFry Cook
Yearly salary$32,842$30,622
Hourly rate$15.79$14.72
Growth rate16%16%
Number of jobs106,095246,323
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 48%High School Diploma, 53%
Average age3838
Years of experience44

Grill cook/prep vs fry cook salary

Grill cook/preps and fry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Grill Cook/PrepFry Cook
Average salary$32,842$30,622
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $40,000Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City-Fresno, CA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Anthony
Best paying industry-Hospitality

Differences between grill cook/prep and fry cook education

There are a few differences between a grill cook/prep and a fry cook in terms of educational background:

Grill Cook/PrepFry Cook
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 48%High School Diploma, 53%
Most common majorCulinary ArtsCulinary Arts
Most common college--

Grill cook/prep vs fry cook demographics

Here are the differences between grill cook/preps' and fry cooks' demographics:

Grill Cook/PrepFry Cook
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 72.7% Female, 27.3%Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.8% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between grill cook/prep and fry cook duties and responsibilities

Grill cook/prep example responsibilities.

  • Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
  • Load dishwashers and hand- wash items such as pots, pans, and knives.
  • Maintain standards of quality, cooking times and presentation of food, service, restaurant cleanliness and sanitation and safety.
  • Job duties include waiting on customers, filling salad bar, maintaining cleanliness of work space, preparing food and portioning.
  • Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.
  • Display leadership abilities and responsibility by training new employees.

Fry cook example responsibilities.

  • Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
  • Grill burgers and used the deep fryers for various foods, clean all equipment at the end of the shift.
  • Bread and cook chicken, fry foods, run and clean fryers, clean coolers, do dishes general utilities.
  • Job responsibilities include preparing and executing dishes, as well as assuming responsibility for cleanliness of restaurant.
  • Provide friendly, quality, customer service to each Chipotle customer.

Grill cook/prep vs fry cook skills

Common grill cook/prep skills
  • Food Handling, 68%
  • Quality Food, 21%
  • Kitchen Equipment, 3%
  • Fresh Food, 2%
  • Fryers, 1%
  • Cleanliness, 1%
Common fry cook skills
  • Kitchen Equipment, 23%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Safety Standards, 10%
  • Deep-Fat Fryers, 9%
  • Food Products, 5%
  • Fine Dining, 5%

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