Lunch cook vs assistant cook

The differences between lunch cooks and assistant 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 lunch cook and an assistant cook. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $32,796 average annual salary of a lunch cook.

The top three skills for a lunch cook include kitchen equipment, culinary and food handling. The most important skills for an assistant cook are food handling, kitchen equipment, and dishes.

Lunch cook vs assistant cook overview

	Lunch Cook	Assistant Cook
Yearly salary	$32,796	$34,244
Hourly rate	$15.77	$16.46
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,550	190,245
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Lunch cook vs assistant cook salary

Lunch cooks and assistant cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lunch Cook	Assistant Cook
Average salary	$32,796	$34,244
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between lunch cook and assistant cook education

There are a few differences between a lunch cook and an assistant cook in terms of educational background:

	Lunch Cook	Assistant Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Lunch cook vs assistant cook demographics

Here are the differences between lunch cooks' and assistant cooks' demographics:

	Lunch Cook	Assistant Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 57.4% Female, 42.6%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 8.1% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between lunch cook and assistant cook duties and responsibilities

Lunch cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate ovens, stoves, microwaves, fryers, slicers, blenders, scales, and food processor.
Work saut, grill and fryers.
Prepare omelets and pasta make to order as well as carving station.
Implement cleanliness and sanitation of establishment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.

Assistant cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate stoves, food processors, steamers, slices, ovens.
Ensure ovens and stoves are clean and ready for use.
Train new and current cooks on menu conversion, garnishing, and food presentation.
Prepare and deliver food trays to hospital patients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Supervise and maintain HACCP standards, training processes for cooks and monitor aspects of contract compliance.

Lunch cook vs assistant cook skills

Common lunch cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 14%
Culinary, 14%
Food Handling, 14%
Dishes, 13%
Cleanliness, 10%
Lunch Orders, 6%

Common assistant cook skills

Food Handling, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 11%
Dishes, 9%
Food Service, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%

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Lunch Cook vs Assistant Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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