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Lead line cook vs kitchen lead

The differences between lead line cooks 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 $34,293 average annual salary of a lead line cook.

The top three skills for a lead line cook include kitchen equipment, culinary and fine dining. The most important skills for a kitchen lead are customer service, culinary, and food products.

Lead line cook vs kitchen lead overview

Lead Line CookKitchen Lead
Yearly salary$34,293$35,678
Hourly rate$16.49$17.15
Growth rate16%10%
Number of jobs173,67256,300
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 47%High School Diploma, 37%
Average age3837
Years of experience4-

What does a lead line cook do?

Typically, lead line cooks work under the supervision of a chef or head cook in a kitchen. Leadline cooks oversee the food preparation process from start to end. Their duties include the supervision of kitchen staff, recruitment and training of new kitchen employees, and monitoring of food quality. They comply with the sanitation and nutrition regulations of food as well as their safety standards. They should be knowledgeable and have skills in food preparation, customer service, attention to detail, and communication.

What does a kitchen lead do?

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.

Lead line cook vs kitchen lead salary

Lead line cooks and kitchen leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lead Line CookKitchen Lead
Average salary$34,293$35,678
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $45,000Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying CityKirkland, WARedmond, WA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyThe Culinary Institute of AmericaZoës Kitchen
Best paying industryHospitalityManufacturing

Differences between lead line cook and kitchen lead education

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

Lead Line CookKitchen Lead
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 47%High School Diploma, 37%
Most common majorCulinary ArtsCulinary Arts
Most common college--

Lead line cook vs kitchen lead demographics

Here are the differences between lead line cooks' and kitchen leads' demographics:

Lead Line CookKitchen Lead
Average age3837
Gender ratioMale, 81.2% Female, 18.8%Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%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 Percentage6%10%

Differences between lead line cook and kitchen lead duties and responsibilities

Lead line cook example responsibilities.

  • Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
  • Skil in the preparation of a variety of culinary styles ranging from contemporary American cuisine to many international culinary styles.
  • Train and supervise many of the Spanish- speaking dishwashers to work effectively on the line.
  • Observe workers engage in preparing, portioning, and garnishing foods to ensure that standards are met.
  • Follow HACCP system, and practice safety and sanitation as well adhere to the company policies and regulations.
  • Produce HACCP forms and guidelines to have better awareness of quality of food being produce in the kitchen.
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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.
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Lead line cook vs kitchen lead skills

Common lead line cook skills
  • Kitchen Equipment, 20%
  • Culinary, 11%
  • Fine Dining, 9%
  • Cleanliness, 8%
  • Food Handling, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
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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