Line cook vs lead line cook

The differences between line cooks and lead 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 line cook and a lead line cook. Additionally, a lead line cook has an average salary of $34,293, 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 lead line cook are kitchen equipment, culinary, and fine dining.

Line cook vs lead line cook overview

	Line Cook	Lead Line Cook
Yearly salary	$32,894	$34,293
Hourly rate	$15.81	$16.49
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	168,993	173,672
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Associate Degree, 47%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

What does a line cook do?

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.

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.

Line cook vs lead line cook salary

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

	Line Cook	Lead Line Cook
Average salary	$32,894	$34,293
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Kirkland, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Gate City Bank	The Culinary Institute of America
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between line cook and lead line cook education

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

	Line Cook	Lead Line Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Associate Degree, 47%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Line cook vs lead line cook demographics

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

	Line Cook	Lead Line Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between line cook and lead line 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.

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.

Line cook vs lead line cook skills

Common line cook skills

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

Common lead line cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Culinary, 11%
Fine Dining, 9%
Cleanliness, 8%
Food Handling, 8%
Customer Service, 7%

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Line Cook vs Lead Line Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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