Line cook vs short order cook

The differences between line cooks and short order 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 short order cook. Additionally, a line cook has an average salary of $32,894, which is higher than the $30,734 average annual salary of a short order cook.

The top three skills for a line cook include culinary, sanitation standards and food handling. The most important skills for a short order cook are food handling, customer service, and food preparation equipment.

Line cook vs short order cook overview

	Line Cook	Short Order Cook
Yearly salary	$32,894	$30,734
Hourly rate	$15.81	$14.78
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	168,993	176,187
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 43%
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 short order cook do?

A short-order cook takes responsibility for preparing foods in cafes and restaurants. Usually, they fry eggs, cook fries, and prepare sandwiches. Short order cooks work alongside line chefs in the foodservice market. Their manner of preparing food is quick, easy, and simple. They plan and handle work orders ensuring that all orders are complete and served on time. Strong communication, customer service, a good sense of taste, and the ability to work efficiently are necessary requirements for the job.

Line cook vs short order cook salary

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

	Line Cook	Short Order Cook
Average salary	$32,894	$30,734
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Anaheim, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Gate City Bank	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between line cook and short order cook education

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

	Line Cook	Short Order Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Line cook vs short order cook demographics

Here are the differences between line cooks' and short order cooks' demographics:

	Line Cook	Short Order Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 8.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between line cook and short order 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.

Short order cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Ensure that ovens and stoves remain at appropriate temperatures.
Clean kitchen including wiping down grills, slicers and deep-frying equipment.
Develop teamwork skills with cooks, dishwashers and wait staff, through efficient clean up and preparation of food.
Prepare guest food orders as they are either transmit via the POS system or orally convey at the counter.
Cook foods on the grill station, oven, barbecue grill, deep fryers, and other industrial cooking apparatus.

Line cook vs short order cook skills

Common line cook skills

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

Common short order cook skills

Food Handling, 20%
Customer Service, 14%
Food Preparation Equipment, 11%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Food Service, 7%
Safety Standards, 7%

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Line Cook vs Short Order Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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