Lunch cook vs pantry cook

The differences between lunch cooks and pantry 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 pantry cook. Additionally, a pantry cook has an average salary of $33,568, 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 pantry cook are food handling, cleanliness, and kitchen equipment.

Lunch cook vs pantry cook overview

	Lunch Cook	Pantry Cook
Yearly salary	$32,796	$33,568
Hourly rate	$15.77	$16.14
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,550	145,348
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Associate Degree, 39%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Lunch cook vs pantry cook salary

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

	Lunch Cook	Pantry Cook
Average salary	$32,796	$33,568
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between lunch cook and pantry cook education

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

	Lunch Cook	Pantry Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Associate Degree, 39%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Lunch cook vs pantry cook demographics

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

	Lunch Cook	Pantry Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 57.4% Female, 42.6%	Male, 56.8% Female, 43.2%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.8% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between lunch cook and pantry 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.

Pantry cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Use of meat slicers, oven and stove.
Monitor garnishing of desserts and salads for plating.
Handle mixing machines and deli slicers per health regulations.
Maintain all HACCP sanitation guidelines on a daily basis.
Perform culinary skills such as cooking, prepping, and cleaning.

Lunch cook vs pantry cook skills

Common lunch cook skills

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

Common pantry cook skills

Food Handling, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Kitchen Equipment, 18%
Quality Standards, 16%
Fine Dining, 7%
Salad Dressings, 4%

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Lunch Cook
Lunch Cook vs Pantry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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