Institutional cook vs head cook

The differences between institutional cooks and head cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an institutional 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 $30,403 average annual salary of an institutional cook.

The top three skills for an institutional cook include food handling, kitchen equipment and culinary. The most important skills for a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.

Institutional cook vs head cook overview

	Institutional Cook	Head Cook
Yearly salary	$30,403	$44,412
Hourly rate	$14.62	$21.35
Growth rate	16%	15%
Number of jobs	106,958	156,227
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	38	42
Years of experience	2	6

Institutional cook vs head cook salary

Institutional cooks and head cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Institutional Cook	Head Cook
Average salary	$30,403	$44,412
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $32,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Santa Barbara, CA	San Antonio, TX
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Compass Group USA	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between institutional cook and head cook education

There are a few differences between an institutional cook and a head cook in terms of educational background:

	Institutional Cook	Head Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Institutional cook vs head cook demographics

Here are the differences between institutional cooks' and head cooks' demographics:

	Institutional Cook	Head Cook
Average age	38	42
Gender ratio	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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%

Differences between institutional cook and head cook duties and responsibilities

Institutional cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Ensure customers convenience are met/exceed by accommodating and notifying customers of ingredients that may trigger food allergies or intolerance.
Provide leadership that promotes and exemplifies excellent customer service.

Head cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Accommodate all campers and staff with dietary restrictions, food allergies as well as providing vegetarian and vegan options.
Follow all equipment and safety procedures in all operations including slicers, choppers, mixers and other meal processing equipment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Scramble eggs, sausage, potatoes, biscits and gravy.
Create and execute menus for the buffets.

Institutional cook vs head cook skills

Common institutional cook skills

Food Handling, 32%
Kitchen Equipment, 23%
Culinary, 15%
Slicers, 7%
Mixers, 7%
Broilers, 4%

Common head cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 41%
Meal Preparation, 15%
Food Service, 7%
Food Preparation, 3%
Quality Standards, 3%
Safety Standards, 2%

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Institutional Cook
Institutional Cook vs Head Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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