Kitchen supervisor vs cook supervisor

The differences between kitchen supervisors and cook supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cook supervisor has an average salary of $41,118, which is higher than the $40,520 average annual salary of a kitchen supervisor.

The top three skills for a kitchen supervisor include culinary, cleanliness and food service. The most important skills for a cook supervisor are food handling, food service, and portion control.

Kitchen supervisor vs cook supervisor overview

	Kitchen Supervisor	Cook Supervisor
Yearly salary	$40,520	$41,118
Hourly rate	$19.48	$19.77
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	66,303	183,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	37	38
Years of experience	-	4

What does a kitchen supervisor do?

A kitchen supervisor is responsible for managing the overall kitchen operations, ensuring that the kitchen employees follow sanitary procedures while doing their high-quality and maximum productivity tasks. Kitchen supervisors manage inventories, checking the adequacy of food supplies and kitchen equipment, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and third-party vendors. They also help develop marketing strategies, research the latest food trends, update menus, and create financial reports and expense forecasting. A kitchen supervisor must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially with responding to customers' inquiries and concerns and resolving complaints.

What does a cook supervisor do?

Cook supervisors are responsible for coordinating the kitchen members and ensure that all orders are prepared on time and according to customer specifications. They must be skilled in the culinary department, knowledgeable of the food safety regulations, and lead a team of cooks, washers, and helpers to achieve an organized kitchen. Monitoring the kitchen inventory, scheduling work shifts for the team, and working with the restaurant manager about the week's menu are also the responsibilities of cook supervisors.

Kitchen supervisor vs cook supervisor salary

Kitchen supervisors and cook supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Kitchen Supervisor	Cook Supervisor
Average salary	$40,520	$41,118
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $58,000	Between $27,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	GoodCents	Chelsea Jewish Lifecare
Best paying industry	Start-up	Health Care

Differences between kitchen supervisor and cook supervisor education

There are a few differences between a kitchen supervisor and a cook supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Kitchen Supervisor	Cook Supervisor
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Kitchen supervisor vs cook supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between kitchen supervisors' and cook supervisors' demographics:

	Kitchen Supervisor	Cook Supervisor
Average age	37	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.0% Female, 35.0%	Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 6.8% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between kitchen supervisor and cook supervisor duties and responsibilities

Kitchen supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage grill area and demonstrate leadership.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and supervise all culinary employees including community service volunteers in kitchen operations and delegate daily work assignments.
Maintain kitchen and dining area under Servsafe guidelines.
Used a POS system and show advanced money management skills.
Exercise leadership skills by coordinating kitchen staff during busy times.

Cook supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Assist culinary director in assign duties relate to kitchen operations.
Work with multiple POS systems by entering and processing orders.
Organize and put away inventory when it arrive using HACCP guidelines.
Cook all orders that are enter in pos system, enter orders on pos system, clean kitchen when closing.
Have ServSafe food sanitation certification.

Kitchen supervisor vs cook supervisor skills

Common kitchen supervisor skills

Culinary, 16%
Cleanliness, 11%
Food Service, 10%
Food Handling, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

Common cook supervisor skills

Food Handling, 33%
Food Service, 26%
Portion Control, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%
HACCP, 5%
Meal Preparation, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
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Kitchen Supervisor vs Cook Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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