Line cook, prep cook vs banquet cook

The differences between line cooks, prep cook 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, prep cook and a banquet cook. Additionally, a banquet cook has an average salary of $34,599, which is higher than the $32,982 average annual salary of a line cook, prep cook.

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

Line cook, prep cook vs banquet cook overview

	Line Cook, Prep Cook	Banquet Cook
Yearly salary	$32,982	$34,599
Hourly rate	$15.86	$16.63
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	164,756	151,211
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Line cook, prep cook vs banquet cook salary

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

	Line Cook, Prep Cook	Banquet Cook
Average salary	$32,982	$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	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	WESTWOOD COUNTRY CLUB OF AUSTIN	Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
Best paying industry	Retail	Manufacturing

Differences between line cook, prep cook and banquet cook education

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

	Line Cook, Prep Cook	Banquet Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Line cook, prep cook vs banquet cook demographics

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

	Line Cook, Prep Cook	Banquet Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%	Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 56.9% 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, prep cook and banquet cook duties and responsibilities

Line cook, prep cook example responsibilities.

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Prepare cold foods, operate ovens, stoves, grills, microwaves, and fryers.
Expedite orders while maintaining food being cook in ovens, griddles, stoves and fryers.
Observe and test foods to determine quality and safety by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and fryers.
Set up and break down for any catering parties or buffets.
Cook foods by baking, roasting, broiling, frying, steaming, grilling.

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, prep cook vs banquet cook skills

Common line cook, prep cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 25%
Food Handling, 11%
Culinary, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Salad Station, 6%
Line Cooks, 6%

Common banquet cook skills

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

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Line Cook, Prep Cook
Line Cook, Prep Cook vs Banquet Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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