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Line Cook, Prep Cook What They Do

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What Does A Line Cook, Prep Cook Do?

A line cook/prep cook is responsible for assisting with food preparations, ensuring that all ingredients are readily available and stored safely. Line cook/prep cook tasks also include reviewing and updating menus to keep the customers' patronization. Their duties also include researching the current food industry trends, managing customers' inquiries, resolving serving complaints, monitoring food supplies and inventories, and complying with sanitary regulations. A line cook/prep cook must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform various tasks under strict time demands and a fast-paced environment.

Here are examples of responsibilities from real line cook, prep cook resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
  • Increase practical line experience and knowledge of scratch recipes, extensive food prepping and knife wielding technique.
  • Maintain inventory in freezer, refrigerator and store room, and utilize the FIFO system of rotation.
  • Learned knife skills: types of knives and uses, different cuts, safety, care and maintenance.
  • Assist and train other BOH personnel in proper guide lines in temperature control and sanitation of work stations.
  • Pull, slack, store, and rotate food in accordance with safe food handling practices including FIFO.
  • Task with maintaining dishes, busing tables when need, and providing food prep assistance when the situation calls for it.
  • Fish fry station dishwasher basic bartender
  • Rewash soiled dishes before delivering.
  • Operate an automate dishwasher to clean kitchenware
Line Cook, Prep Cook Traits
Dexterity
Dexterity describes being skilled in using your hands when it comes to physical activity.
Physical stamina
Physical stamina shows that you are able to exert your energy for long periods of time without tiring.
Sense of taste and smell
A sense of taste and smell is one's way of determining a flavor.

Line Cook, Prep Cook Overview

When it comes to understanding what a line cook, prep cook does, you may be wondering, "should I become a line cook, prep cook?" The data included in this section may help you decide. Compared to other jobs, line cooks, prep cook have a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 11% between the years 2018 - 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the number of line cook, prep cook opportunities that are predicted to open up by 2028 is 282,000.

A line cook, prep cook annual salary averages $26,822, which breaks down to $12.9 an hour. However, line cooks, prep cook can earn anywhere from upwards of $22,000 to $31,000 a year. This means that the top-earning line cooks, prep cook make $9,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

Once you've become a line cook, prep cook, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a cook, short order cook, breakfast cook, and fry cook.

Line Cook, Prep Cook Jobs You Might Like

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Line Cook, Prep Cook Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 25% of Line Cooks, Prep Cook are proficient in Kitchen Equipment, High Quality, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Physical stamina, and Sense of taste and smell.

We break down the percentage of Line Cooks, Prep Cook that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Kitchen Equipment, 25%

    Prepared community donated ingredients; planned meals based on available food; cooked meals from prepared ingredients using commercial kitchen equipment

  • High Quality, 10%

    Provided high quality of culinary service to all customers and ensured their satisfaction.

  • Customer Service, 10%

    Worked in high-demand, fast-paced environment Customer service Stock maintenance, inventory management Cleaned kitchen, dishes, familiar with commercial cleaners

  • Food Safety, 9%

    Fallowed food safety procedures according to company policies and health and sanitation regulations.

  • High Volume, 8%

    Led management of customer order efficiency under consistent high volume demand.

  • Salad Station, 7%

    Worked from the bottom up- Dish/prep., Fry Station, Saute, a little salad station, and late night.

Most line cooks, prep cook list "kitchen equipment," "high quality," and "customer service" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important line cook, prep cook responsibilities here:

  • Dexterity can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a line cook, prep cook to have. According to a line cook, prep cook resume, "cooks should have excellent hand–eye coordination" line cooks, prep cook are able to use dexterity in the following example we gathered from a resume: "speed and efficacy with my hands and knife. "

  • Another trait important for fulfilling line cook, prep cook duties is physical stamina. According to a line cook, prep cook resume, "cooks spend a lot of time standing in one place, cooking food over hot stoves, and cleaning work areas." Here's an example of how line cooks, prep cook are able to utilize physical stamina: "maintained physical / cleanly state of all food prepping and cooking surfaces and tools per health and safety and fda regulations. "

  • Sense of taste and smell is also an important skill for line cooks, prep cook to have. This example of how line cooks, prep cook use this skill comes from a line cook, prep cook resume, "cooks must have a keen sense of taste and smell to prepare meals that customers enjoy." Read this excerpt from a resume to understand how vital it is to their everyday roles and responsibilities, "maintained food stations compliant with sanitation and hygienic regulations. "

    • See the full list of line cook, prep cook skills.

    The line cooks, prep cook who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied culinary arts and business, while a small population of line cooks, prep cook studied general studies and criminal justice.

    When you're ready to become a line cook, prep cook, you might wonder which companies hire line cooks, prep cook. According to our research through line cook, prep cook resumes, line cooks, prep cook are mostly hired by Cheddar's, Mendocino Farms, and TGI Friday's. Now is a good time to apply as Cheddar's has 161 line cooks, prep cook job openings, and there are 92 at Mendocino Farms and 81 at TGI Friday's.

    Since salary is important to some line cooks, prep cook, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at Back Bar Project, Anthem, and Legends Hospitality. If you were to take a closer look at Back Bar Project, you'd find that the average line cook, prep cook salary is $31,477. Then at Anthem, line cooks, prep cook receive an average salary of $31,460, while the salary at Legends Hospitality is $31,119.

    View more details on line cook, prep cook salaries across the United States.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious line cook, prep cooks are:

      What Cooks Do

      Cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. They must be knowledgeable about the different recipes and ingredients needed. They are also responsible for managing the inventory and ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked. They prepare meals from scratch, cutting ingredients, measuring them, and following recipes. Cooks should be creative, especially when ingredients are lacking, and they must find alternatives that will not compromise the food taste. They should be precise, imaginative, and patient. Cooks should also have good time management skills and decision-making skills.

      We looked at the average line cook, prep cook annual salary and compared it with the average of a cook. Generally speaking, cooks receive $750 lower pay than line cooks, prep cook per year.

      Even though line cooks, prep cook and cooks have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require kitchen equipment, customer service, and food safety in the day-to-day roles.

      There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a line cook, prep cook responsibilities require skills like "high quality," "salad station," "line cooks," and "sous." Meanwhile a typical cook has skills in areas such as "food service," "menu items," "company standards," and "haccp." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

      Cooks tend to make the most money in the health care industry by averaging a salary of $31,906. In contrast, line cooks, prep cook make the biggest average salary of $29,663 in the retail industry.

      The education levels that cooks earn is a bit different than that of line cooks, prep cook. In particular, cooks are 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a line cook, prep cook. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

      What Are The Duties Of a Short Order Cook?

      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.

      Now we're going to look at the short order cook profession. On average, short order cooks earn a $3,630 lower salary than line cooks, prep cook a year.

      A similarity between the two careers of line cooks, prep cook and short order cooks are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "kitchen equipment," "customer service," and "food safety. "

      While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that line cook, prep cook responsibilities requires skills like "high quality," "salad station," "line cooks," and "sous." But a short order cook might use skills, such as, "kitchen supplies," "menu items," "food service," and "deli."

      On average, short order cooks earn a lower salary than line cooks, prep cook. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, short order cooks earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $25,674. Whereas, line cooks, prep cook have higher paychecks in the retail industry where they earn an average of $29,663.

      When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, short order cooks tend to reach similar levels of education than line cooks, prep cook. In fact, they're 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

      How a Breakfast Cook Compares

      The third profession we take a look at is breakfast cook. On an average scale, these workers bring in higher salaries than line cooks, prep cook. In fact, they make a $2,354 higher salary per year.

      Using line cooks, prep cook and breakfast cooks resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "kitchen equipment," "food safety," and "high volume," but the other skills required are very different.

      There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a line cook, prep cook is likely to be skilled in "high quality," "customer service," "salad station," and "line cooks," while a typical breakfast cook is skilled in "menu items," "food service," "breakfast items," and "guest service."

      When it comes to education, breakfast cooks tend to earn similar education levels than line cooks, prep cook. In fact, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

      Description Of a Fry Cook

      Generally, a fry cook works in a kitchen specializing in fried foods and operating the deep fryer. Fry cooks or chefs cook food by submerging in boiling oil. They prepare food to be fried, work with frying pans, and watch over deep fryers. The skills they need to establish include food preparation, dexterity, physical stamina, and comprehension. They are also expected to be understanding and patient, noting that these qualities help impress the customers.

      Fry cooks tend to earn a lower pay than line cooks, prep cook by about $3,077 per year.

      While both line cooks, prep cook and fry cooks complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like kitchen equipment, customer service, and food safety, the two careers also vary in other skills.

      Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a line cook, prep cook might have more use for skills like "high quality," "line cooks," "sous," and "cold food items." Meanwhile, some fry cooks might include skills like "menu items," "specific food items," "prep items," and "teamwork" on their resume.

      Fry cooks reach similar levels of education when compared to line cooks, prep cook. The difference is that they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree less, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

      What Similar Roles Do

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      Updated October 2, 2020