Meal cook vs line cook/dishwasher

The differences between meal 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 meal cook and a line cook/dishwasher. Additionally, a line cook/dishwasher has an average salary of $34,435, which is higher than the $33,089 average annual salary of a meal cook.

The top three skills for a meal cook include food safety, food preparation and companionship. The most important skills for a line cook/dishwasher are food handling, cleanliness, and dishwashers.

Meal cook vs line cook/dishwasher overview

	Meal Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Yearly salary	$33,089	$34,435
Hourly rate	$15.91	$16.56
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	147,104	133,370
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Meal cook vs line cook/dishwasher salary

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

	Meal Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average salary	$33,089	$34,435
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $41,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between meal cook and line cook/dishwasher education

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

	Meal Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Meal cook vs line cook/dishwasher demographics

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

	Meal Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0%	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	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 meal cook and line cook/dishwasher duties and responsibilities

Meal cook example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist with heavy lifting and drive car to help with groceries and other supplies.
Verify patient information, new medications and allergies educate patients by providing medication and diet information.
Create pizzas for customers as listed or request and run a large pizza oven.

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.

Meal cook vs line cook/dishwasher skills

Common meal cook skills

Food Safety, 29%
Food Preparation, 22%
Companionship, 10%
Doctor Appointments, 8%
Food Orders, 6%
Administer Medications, 5%

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
Meal Cook
Meal Cook vs Line Cook/Dishwasher

Updated January 8, 2025

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