Lunch cook vs line cook/dishwasher

The differences between lunch cooks and line cook/dishwashers 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 line cook/dishwasher. Additionally, a line cook/dishwasher has an average salary of $34,435, 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 a line cook/dishwasher are food handling, cleanliness, and dishwashers.

Lunch cook vs line cook/dishwasher overview

	Lunch Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Yearly salary	$32,796	$34,435
Hourly rate	$15.77	$16.56
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,550	133,370
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Lunch cook vs line cook/dishwasher salary

Lunch cooks and line cook/dishwashers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lunch Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average salary	$32,796	$34,435
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between lunch cook and line cook/dishwasher education

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

	Lunch Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Lunch cook vs line cook/dishwasher demographics

Here are the differences between lunch cooks' and line cook/dishwashers' demographics:

	Lunch Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 57.4% Female, 42.6%	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%
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, 8.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between lunch cook and line cook/dishwasher 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.

Line cook/dishwasher example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Maintain superb conditions of all grills, fryers, prep areas, and work spaces in the kitchen.
Have to follow certain steps for battering prior to cooking, and use a timer for the fryers for fry.
Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.
Operate dishwasher to fully sanitize incoming dishes and silverware.
Prepare food items with special attention to individual orders concerning allergies and temperatures.

Lunch cook vs line cook/dishwasher skills

Common lunch cook skills

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

Common line cook/dishwasher skills

Food Handling, 35%
Cleanliness, 32%
Dishwashers, 25%
Kitchen Equipment, 3%
Culinary, 2%
Line Cooks, 1%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Lunch Cook
Lunch Cook vs Line Cook/Dishwasher

Updated January 8, 2025

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