Kitchen crew vs food preparer

The differences between kitchen crews and food preparers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kitchen crew has an average salary of $29,874, which is higher than the $27,717 average annual salary of a food preparer.

The top three skills for a kitchen crew include food handling, safety standards and cleanliness. The most important skills for a food preparer are food handling, work ethic, and food products.

Kitchen crew vs food preparer overview

	Kitchen Crew	Food Preparer
Yearly salary	$29,874	$27,717
Hourly rate	$14.36	$13.33
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	166,944	134,113
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Kitchen crew vs food preparer salary

Kitchen crews and food preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Kitchen Crew	Food Preparer
Average salary	$29,874	$27,717
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $20,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Commack, NY
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	New Hampshire
Best paying company	McCalls Catering & Events	Mount Sinai Health System
Best paying industry	Retail	Retail

Differences between kitchen crew and food preparer education

There are a few differences between a kitchen crew and a food preparer in terms of educational background:

	Kitchen Crew	Food Preparer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Kitchen crew vs food preparer demographics

Here are the differences between kitchen crews' and food preparers' demographics:

	Kitchen Crew	Food Preparer
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%	Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%
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 kitchen crew and food preparer duties and responsibilities

Kitchen crew example responsibilities.

Manage facility/workers, close drive-thru, enter information into computer, make hamburgers.
Employ to cook product in the kitchen (on the grill and deep fryers) and clean kitchen equipment when necessary.
Wait on customers, run drive-thru, clean bathrooms, clean lobby, and close front line after closing.
Provide total operational oversight, customer service, and business management through proven leadership and management experience.
use chemical substance to clean stoves.
Process orders by punching them into the POS database and handle cash or credit cards transactions.

Food preparer example responsibilities.

Maintain cleanliness, organization and time management of order preparation, customer service
Follow closing procedures and maintain cleanliness of food preparation area and bathrooms.
Operate on a POS system, and would prep and serve food.
Clean fryers daily, closing shop with overhaul of cleaning routines and stocking freezers.
Operate a variety of commercial cooking equipment including grills, deep fryers, and ovens.
Clean and sanitize workstations, utensils and equipment according to sanitation guidelines.

Kitchen crew vs food preparer skills

Common kitchen crew skills

Food Handling, 28%
Safety Standards, 19%
Cleanliness, 18%
Culinary, 8%
Food Quality, 8%
Food Products, 5%

Common food preparer skills

Food Handling, 20%
Work Ethic, 13%
Food Products, 11%
Kitchen Utensils, 8%
Safety Standards, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Kitchen Crew
Kitchen Crew vs Food Preparer

Updated January 8, 2025

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