What does a Lead Cook do?

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.
Lead cook responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real lead cook resumes:
- 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.
- Stock all classroom with supplies such as cups, plates, bowls, spoons, and paper towels.
- Handle currency and POS transactions.
- Learned basic programming for POS system
- Cook foods in kettles, grills and steamers.
- Provide leadership in creating Entree specials, catering menus, dessert pastry and breads.
- Operate grill, fry station, and preparation station in accordance to ServSafe regulations.
- Expedite food in cooperation with other cooks so it comes out in a simultaneous/consistent fashion.
- Maintain and operate equipment such as slicers, grills, tilt pans, kettels and ovens.
- Assume a leadership role in the absence of the supervisor and ensure that the kitchen/office operate normally
Lead cook skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Lead Cooks are proficient in Customer Service, Food Handling, and Culinary. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Physical stamina, and Sense of taste and smell.
We break down the percentage of Lead Cooks that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 14%
Provided excellent and consistent customer service to customers on premises as well as at special promotional events in various locations
- Food Handling, 14%
Maintained food safety by following food handling methods and temperature guidelines.
- Culinary, 11%
Mentored and trained kitchen staff in culinary procedures and kitchen operations while following all Standard of operations.
- Food Service, 11%
Maintained necessary menu adjustments, prepared technical/personnel/administrative reports concerning food service operations.
- Kitchen Equipment, 7%
Ensured safe operation of the kitchen equipment and adhere to safety/security guidelines.
- Math, 5%
Assist the Preschool Teacher in planning and organizing daily learning activities such as Story telling, art projects and math curriculum.
Common skills that a lead cook uses to do their job include "customer service," "food handling," and "culinary." You can find details on the most important lead cook responsibilities below.
Dexterity. The most essential soft skill for a lead cook to carry out their responsibilities is dexterity. This skill is important for the role because "cooks should have excellent hand–eye coordination." Additionally, a lead cook resume shows how their duties depend on dexterity: "worked hands-on in all areas of kitchen to maintain quality and excellent food preparation in a timely manner. "
Physical stamina. Another essential skill to perform lead cook duties is physical stamina. Lead cooks responsibilities require that "cooks spend a lot of time standing in one place, cooking food over hot stoves, and cleaning work areas." Lead cooks also use physical stamina in their role according to a real resume snippet: "managed food cost by doing weekly food ordering and took physical food inventory on a monthly basis. "
Sense of taste and smell. lead cooks are also known for sense of taste and smell, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to lead cook responsibilities, because "cooks must have a keen sense of taste and smell to prepare meals that customers enjoy." A lead cook resume example shows how sense of taste and smell is used in the workplace: "maintain clean and orderly work area/equipment following proper health and sanitation practices. "
The three companies that hire the most lead cooks are:
- Aramark475 lead cooks jobs
- EatStreet
71 lead cooks jobs
- Great Wolf Resorts56 lead cooks jobs
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Lead cook vs. 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. 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a lead cook are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "basic math," "math," and "mixers." On the other hand, a job as a cook supervisor requires skills like "rehabilitation," "food production," "leadership," and "servsafe." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Cook supervisors earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $40,304. On the other hand, lead cooks are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $35,162.cook supervisors tend to reach similar levels of education than lead cooks. In fact, cook supervisors are 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Lead cook vs. Kitchen lead
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.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, lead cook responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "basic math," "math," "mixers," and "patients." Meanwhile, a kitchen lead has duties that require skills in areas such as "receiving deliveries," "food safety," "team training," and "inventory management." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, kitchen leads earn a lower salary than lead cooks. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, kitchen leads earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $35,850. Whereas lead cooks have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $35,162.In general, kitchen leads achieve similar levels of education than lead cooks. They're 0.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Lead cook vs. Cook/trainer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from lead cook resumes include skills like "food service," "basic math," "math," and "mixers," whereas a cook/trainer is more likely to list skills in "food safety," "cash handling," "workstations," and "customer satisfaction. "
When it comes to education, cook/trainers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to lead cooks. In fact, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Lead cook vs. Grill cook/prep
Types of lead cook
Updated January 8, 2025