Line cook vs sous chef

The differences between line cooks and sous chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a line cook, becoming a sous chef takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a sous chef has an average salary of $48,716, 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 sous chef are culinary, food handling, and food preparation.

Line cook vs sous chef overview

	Line Cook	Sous Chef
Yearly salary	$32,894	$48,716
Hourly rate	$15.81	$23.42
Growth rate	16%	15%
Number of jobs	168,993	22,393
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	38	42
Years of experience	4	6

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 sous chef do?

A sous chef is responsible for directing food preparation and general kitchen tasks with the supervision of an executive chef. A sous chef duties also include customizing healthy menus, maintaining quality check for foods, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures and standards, monitoring food and equipment supplies, suggesting new specialties, assisting customer's inquiries, and managing client's complaints. A sous chef must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as updated with the current food trends to provide the best services for the customers.

Line cook vs sous chef salary

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

	Line Cook	Sous Chef
Average salary	$32,894	$48,716
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $33,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Atlantic City, NJ
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Gate City Bank	RH
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Government

Differences between line cook and sous chef education

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

	Line Cook	Sous Chef
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Drexel University

Line cook vs sous chef demographics

Here are the differences between line cooks' and sous chefs' demographics:

	Line Cook	Sous Chef
Average age	38	42
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between line cook and sous chef 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.

Sous chef example responsibilities.

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

Line cook vs sous chef skills

Common line cook skills

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

Common sous chef skills

Culinary, 15%
Food Handling, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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Line Cook vs Sous Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

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