Kitchen manager/cook vs kitchen lead

The differences between kitchen managers/cook and kitchen leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kitchen lead has an average salary of $35,678, which is higher than the $34,683 average annual salary of a kitchen manager/cook.

The top three skills for a kitchen manager/cook include food preparation, food service and food orders. The most important skills for a kitchen lead are customer service, culinary, and food products.

Kitchen manager/cook vs kitchen lead overview

	Kitchen Manager/Cook	Kitchen Lead
Yearly salary	$34,683	$35,678
Hourly rate	$16.67	$17.15
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	27,963	56,300
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

Kitchen manager/cook vs kitchen lead salary

Kitchen managers/cook and kitchen leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Kitchen Manager/Cook	Kitchen Lead
Average salary	$34,683	$35,678
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $45,000	Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Redmond, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Zoës Kitchen
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between kitchen manager/cook and kitchen lead education

There are a few differences between a kitchen manager/cook and a kitchen lead in terms of educational background:

	Kitchen Manager/Cook	Kitchen Lead
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Kitchen manager/cook vs kitchen lead demographics

Here are the differences between kitchen managers/cook' and kitchen leads' demographics:

	Kitchen Manager/Cook	Kitchen Lead
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 67.9% Female, 32.1%	Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 7.2% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between kitchen manager/cook and kitchen lead duties and responsibilities

Kitchen manager/cook example responsibilities.

Manage kitchen, cashier, prepare sandwiches, clean up, stock merchandise and change fryers.
Manage kitchen with experience on a flat top and char broiler, running fryers and using other instruments.
Train and manage kitchen personnel and supervise/coordinate all relate culinary activities; estimate food consumption and requisition of food.
Cleaned/Sanitize kitchen, dishes and dining area to ServSafe standards.
Train and manage kitchen personnel and supervise/coordinate all relate culinary activities; estimate food consumption and requisition of food.
Maintain kitchen in all aspects; operate grill, fryer, steam table and dishwasher.

Kitchen lead example responsibilities.

Manage grill area and demonstrate leadership.
Can work without supervision in BOH, prepping and organizing.
Filter all fryers, change oil, and run dishwashers.
Involve in revamping standardize recipes, and teaching staff consistent culinary techniques.
Assign and check completion of side and/or cleaning tasks throughout BOH positions.
Start as p.m. dishwasher, and with no prior culinary experience work to kitchen lead.

Kitchen manager/cook vs kitchen lead skills

Common kitchen manager/cook skills

Food Preparation, 12%
Food Service, 9%
Food Orders, 7%
Kitchen Equipment, 7%
POS, 5%
Quality Food, 4%

Common kitchen lead skills

Customer Service, 21%
Culinary, 21%
Food Products, 14%
Food Service, 13%
Food Safety, 5%
Quality Food, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Kitchen Manager/Cook
Kitchen Manager/Cook vs Kitchen Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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