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The differences between lead cooks and line cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lead cook and a line cook. Additionally, a lead cook has an average salary of $35,964, which is higher than the $32,894 average annual salary of a line cook.
The top three skills for a lead cook include customer service, food handling and culinary. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.
| Lead Cook | Line Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $35,964 | $32,894 |
| Hourly rate | $17.29 | $15.81 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 160,223 | 168,993 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A lead cook, or lead line cook, is an individual restaurant employee who is in charge of supervising the chain of food preparation done by line cooks. Lead cooks work directly under head cooks or chefs who provide instructions in preparing meals. They are well-versed in the restaurant's food health and safety, such as regular hand washing, utensil sanitizing, and proper garbage disposal. To be a successful lead cook, they must obtain knowledge of various cooking techniques and be passionate about food.
Line cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. The term line cook brings to mind an assembly line. This is apt because line cooks are usually assigned to a specific station to work on a specific part of a meal or a preparation process. They are part of a bigger group of cooks in the restaurant. This is done so that meal preparation is more efficient. Line cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients, ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked, and doing their assigned activity in the line. They are expected to be good team players, have experience as a cook, and be able to follow recipes and provide alternatives when necessary.
Lead cooks and line cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Cook | Line Cook | |
| Average salary | $35,964 | $32,894 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $46,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Freeport-McMoRan | Gate City Bank |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a lead cook and a line cook in terms of educational background:
| Lead Cook | Line Cook | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between lead cooks' and line cooks' demographics:
| Lead Cook | Line Cook | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 9.4% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |