Lunch cook vs cook

The differences between lunch cooks and 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 a cook. Additionally, a lunch cook has an average salary of $32,796, which is higher than the $31,803 average annual salary of a cook.

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

Lunch cook vs cook overview

	Lunch Cook	Cook
Yearly salary	$32,796	$31,803
Hourly rate	$15.77	$15.29
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,550	184,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Lunch cook vs cook salary

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

	Lunch Cook	Cook
Average salary	$32,796	$31,803
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between lunch cook and cook education

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

	Lunch Cook	Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Lunch cook vs cook demographics

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

	Lunch Cook	Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 57.4% Female, 42.6%	Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between lunch cook and 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.

Cook example responsibilities.

Achieve completion to cook, prep and dish meticulous meals to an immense amount of customers with proficient dexterity quality.
Organize production and set up broiler station for lunch shift, manage grill with 30-40 steaks at varying temps and cuts.
Lead cook line and instruct cooks and other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of dishes.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles.

Lunch cook vs cook skills

Common lunch cook skills

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

Common cook skills

Food Handling, 14%
Food Service, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Basic Math, 7%
Culinary, 6%

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Lunch Cook vs Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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