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The differences between kitchen leads and leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a leader has an average salary of $86,964, which is higher than the $35,678 average annual salary of a kitchen lead.
The top three skills for a kitchen lead include customer service, culinary and food products. The most important skills for a leader are customer service, strong time management, and excellent interpersonal.
| Kitchen Lead | Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $35,678 | $86,964 |
| Hourly rate | $17.15 | $41.81 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 56,300 | 172,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 37 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A kitchen manager acts as the overseer of food preparation and cooking. They ensure that all staff are working efficiently. They maintain the cleanliness of workstations and monitor all supplies used. To avoid lapses, they monitor the staff during cooking to ensure that the kitchen serves the best quality of food. Also, they create reports on the monthly expenses of supplies.
Leaders pave the way for a company to achieve certain goals. They are in charge of bringing the organization to greater heights. They set the direction of the organization, much like how a captain sets the sails of the ship. They are responsible for coming up with main strategies and alternatives should there be challenges along the way. Leaders ensure that the company is guided by its vision and mission and that the employees emulate company values. They do so through leading by example. Leaders should have strategic skills, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.
Kitchen leads and leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Kitchen Lead | Leader | |
| Average salary | $35,678 | $86,964 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $49,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Maine |
| Best paying company | Zoës Kitchen | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a kitchen lead and a leader in terms of educational background:
| Kitchen Lead | Leader | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between kitchen leads' and leaders' demographics:
| Kitchen Lead | Leader | |
| Average age | 37 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |