Line cook vs banquet cook

The differences between line cooks and banquet 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 line cook and a banquet cook. Additionally, a banquet cook has an average salary of $34,599, which is higher than the $32,894 average annual salary of a line cook.

The top three skills for a line cook include culinary, sanitation standards and food handling. The most important skills for a banquet cook are culinary, quality standards, and cleanliness.

Line cook vs banquet cook overview

	Line Cook	Banquet Cook
Yearly salary	$32,894	$34,599
Hourly rate	$15.81	$16.63
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	168,993	151,211
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Line cook vs banquet cook salary

Line cooks and banquet cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Line Cook	Banquet Cook
Average salary	$32,894	$34,599
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Gate City Bank	Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between line cook and banquet cook education

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

	Line Cook	Banquet Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Line cook vs banquet cook demographics

Here are the differences between line cooks' and banquet cooks' demographics:

	Line Cook	Banquet Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 9.0% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between line cook and banquet cook duties and responsibilities

Line cook example responsibilities.

Used strong organizational skills to manage steamers efficiently for both eat-in and take-out services.
Supervise cooks and manage the preparation, portioning, garnishing, and storage of all food items, cutting meat size.
Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Used equipment such as meat slicers, salamanders and steamers.
Develop food preparation skills and knowledge of tools involve; such as proper use of knives and automate slicers.

Banquet cook example responsibilities.

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Knife skills, baking, roasting, frying, sauteing, and grilling large quantities.
Follow the HACCP guidelines for preparing food
Well verse in cleaning work areas, equipment, utensils, and dishes.
Work on the different stations in the kitchen like saut, grill and bake.
Task involve preparation of fresh meals daily for the hospital patients and the public.

Line cook vs banquet cook skills

Common line cook skills

Culinary, 12%
Sanitation Standards, 11%
Food Handling, 11%
Team Work, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%

Common banquet cook skills

Culinary, 14%
Quality Standards, 11%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Handling, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%

Line Cook vs. similar jobs

Line Cook related careers

Line Cook related jobs

Line Cook jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Line Cook
Line Cook vs Banquet Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs