How to hire a lead cook

How to hire a lead cook, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead cook hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a lead cook job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new lead cook
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a lead cook do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your lead cook job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a lead cook for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   Hiring the perfect lead cook also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of lead cook salaries for various roles:

   Type of Lead Cook	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Cook	Cooks prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods, which may include soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.	$12-22
   Cook Supervisor	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... Show more	$12-29
   Kitchen Lead	A kitchen manager acts as the overseer of food preparation and cooking. They ensure that all staff are working efficiently... Show more	$12-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Food Handling
   • Culinary
   • Food Service
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Math
   • Cleanliness
   • Slicers
   • Quality Standards
   • Broilers
   • Stoves
   • Kitchen Operations
   • Patients
   • Quality Food

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
   • Manage inventory and purchasing of groceries.
   • Operate standard cooking equipment including slicers, food choppers, fryers, refrigerators, ovens and stoves.
   • Operate ovens, stoves, grills, microwaves, turbo chefs, and fryers.
   • Use and clean commercial ovens, meat slicers, steamers, combination ovens and steam kettles.
   • Operate ovens, stoves, grills, microwaves, kettles, and tilt skillet.

   More lead cook duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the lead cook job description is a good way to get more applicants. A lead cook salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a lead cook in South Carolina may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level lead cook. Additionally, a lead cook with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average lead cook salary

   $35,964yearly

   $17.29 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead cook salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average lead cook salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$47,439	$23
   2	Massachusetts	$45,925	$22
   3	California	$42,971	$21
   4	Oregon	$41,587	$20
   5	Vermont	$40,019	$19
   6	Colorado	$39,688	$19
   7	Arizona	$38,684	$19
   8	Maine	$38,306	$18
   9	New York	$38,257	$18
   10	Minnesota	$37,228	$18
   11	Virginia	$36,503	$18
   12	Utah	$36,463	$18
   13	Pennsylvania	$36,144	$17
   14	Maryland	$35,846	$17
   15	Florida	$35,198	$17
   16	Illinois	$34,475	$17
   17	Texas	$34,178	$16
   18	South Dakota	$34,149	$16
   19	Wisconsin	$33,283	$16
   20	North Carolina	$32,872	$16

   Average lead cook salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Freeport-McMoRan	$46,595	$22.40	1
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$46,512	$22.36
   3	Bon Appétit Management	$44,935	$21.60	1
   4	Cottage Health	$43,169	$20.75	4
   5	Taco John's	$43,146	$20.74
   6	Lawrence General Hospital	$43,125	$20.73	3
   7	American Senior Benefits	$42,799	$20.58	30
   8	Fantasy Springs Resort Casino	$42,382	$20.38	7
   9	The Porter Co.	$42,268	$20.32	2
   10	Miller's Health Systems	$42,238	$20.31	3
   11	Baptist Health Care	$42,126	$20.25
   12	RML Specialty Hospital	$42,106	$20.24
   13	State Bar of Michigan	$41,955	$20.17	11
   14	Artis Senior Living	$41,689	$20.04	10
   15	Kettering Health Network	$41,459	$19.93	2
   16	Tri-Star Construction, Inc.	$41,354	$19.88
   17	Astor Services	$41,306	$19.86
   18	dnata	$41,283	$19.85	5
   19	BRP Health Mgmt.	$41,268	$19.84
   20	Land O'Lakes	$41,146	$19.78

4. Writing a lead cook job description

   A lead cook job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a lead cook job description:

   Lead cook job description example

   Essential Functions:
   Observes color of baked batter on grill conveyor to detect deviations.Monitors quality of product, removes substandard product and tosses in totes on floor.Monitors flow of product and flippers.Lights gas burners to heat conveyor grill.Adjusts controls to monitor speed and temperature of conveyor grill.Records information regarding process speed, waste and weight.Checks temperature of egg whites and product coming out of cooker and freezer.Responsible for monitoring internal temperatures for the “Cook and Chill” step (including observations and/or measurements) to assess whether the critical control point (CCP) is being met for HACCP.Must be free of foodborne illnesses.Understand and follow Safety, Food Safety (SQF) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards at all times.Trained and validated to clean and sanitize workstation equipment (IE. cookers, depositors, conveyors, floors, walls, etc.) according to PPE requirements.Trained and validated on ladder safety.Trained and validated on proper water and drain management.Responsible for reporting food safety issues or concerns to supervisors, management or personnel with authority to initiate action.Other production specific duties as needed.
   
   Our Benefits:
   
   We care about your total well-being and will support you with the following, subject to your location and role:
   Health: Medical, dental and vision insurance, company-paid life, accident and disability insurance Wealth: great pay, incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan Growth: online courses, virtual and classroom development experiences Balance: paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role)
   
   Our Company:
   
   Conagra Brands is one of North America's leading branded food companies. We have a rich heritage of making great food, and a team that's passionate about innovation and growth. Conagra offers choices for every occasion through iconic brands, such as Birds Eye , Marie Callender's , Banquet , Healthy Choice , Slim Jim , Reddi-wip , and Vlasic , and emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP , Duke's , Earth Balance , Gardein , and Frontera .
   We pride ourselves on having the most impactful, energized and inclusive culture in the food industry. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.
   
   Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right lead cook for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your lead cook job on Zippia to find and recruit lead cook candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with lead cook candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new lead cook

   Once you've decided on a perfect lead cook candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a lead cook?