How to hire a pizza cook

How to hire a pizza cook, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pizza cook hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pizza cook job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pizza cook
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The pizza cook hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a pizza cook to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a pizza cook that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of pizza cook salaries for various roles:

   Type of Pizza Cook	Description	Hourly rate
   Pizza Cook	Cooks prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods, which may include soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.	$9-17
   Cook/Dishwasher	Cooks/dishwashers must develop kitchen skills to excel in this line of job. Each cook or dishwasher must learn to develop skills in food preparation, sanitation, and customer service... Show more	$11-19
   Cook/Server	Cooks/servers are employees who take on the dual role of being a cook and a server in the restaurant. They are usually trained cooks who are in charge of preparing meals for the guests... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Handling
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Cleanliness
   • Dishes
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Culinary
   • Work Ethic
   • Safety Standards
   • Customer Service
   • Clean Kitchen
   • Customer Orders
   • Food Quality
   • Food Preparation
   • Food Products

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
   • Maintain cooking equipment such as ovens and deep fryers.
   • Operate large-volume cooking equipment such as grills & deep fryers.
   • Make pizzas, calzones, etc., serve pizza to customers, cashier, use POS system.
   • Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.
   • Maintain dry food storage areas: inventory, FIFO rotation, par supply levels, ordering.

   More pizza cook duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pizza cook job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A pizza cook salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a pizza cook in Alabama may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level pizza cook usually earns less than a senior-level pizza cook. Additionally, a pizza cook with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average pizza cook salary

   $13.11hourly

   $27,278 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level pizza cook salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average pizza cook salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$42,173	$20
   2	Massachusetts	$39,493	$19
   3	Oregon	$36,450	$18
   4	New Jersey	$35,031	$17
   5	Colorado	$34,611	$17
   6	California	$34,275	$16
   7	New York	$32,279	$16
   8	Illinois	$31,906	$15
   9	Arizona	$30,846	$15
   10	Idaho	$30,594	$15
   11	Wisconsin	$30,517	$15
   12	Minnesota	$30,022	$14
   13	Nevada	$28,664	$14
   14	Utah	$27,590	$13
   15	Nebraska	$26,079	$13
   16	Indiana	$25,731	$12
   17	Georgia	$23,085	$11
   18	North Carolina	$22,455	$11
   19	Virginia	$22,052	$11
   20	Texas	$21,194	$10

   Average pizza cook salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bertucci's	$37,349	$17.96	13
   2	Hyatt Hotels	$35,836	$17.23	129
   3	Grosse Pointe Yacht Club	$35,063	$16.86
   4	Capital City Club	$33,905	$16.30	3
   5	Legends Hospitality	$32,898	$15.82
   6	MOD Pizza	$32,586	$15.67
   7	Montage Hotels & Resorts	$32,563	$15.66	23
   8	Great Wolf Resorts	$32,207	$15.48	18
   9	Compass Group USA	$32,155	$15.46	8,030
   10	Grand Sierra Resort	$31,902	$15.34	2
   11	Wegmans Food Markets	$31,770	$15.27	99
   12	The Point Casino & Hotel	$31,537	$15.16
   13	McMenamins Pubs & Breweries	$30,547	$14.69	9
   14	Benny's	$30,245	$14.54
   15	NexDine	$30,151	$14.50	25
   16	Streets of New York	$30,075	$14.46	7
   17	Market of Choice	$29,925	$14.39	4
   18	SAGE Dining Services	$29,682	$14.27	79
   19	Mario's Pizzeria	$29,439	$14.15	7
   20	Eat'n Park	$29,335	$14.10

4. Writing a pizza cook job description

   A pizza cook job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a pizza cook job description:

   Pizza cook job description example

   
   

   401(k)

   Dental insurance

   Flexible schedule

   Health insurance

   Paid time off

   Vision insurance

   Referral Program

   Meal voucher

   Essential Functions:

   
   

   Follows recipes and/or product directions for preparing, seasoning, cooking, tasting, carving and serving food items which may include soups, meats, vegetables, desserts and other food and beverage products

   Tastes products, follow menus, estimate food requirements, check production and keep records in order to accurately plan production requirements and requisition supplies and equipment as needed

   Cleans and sanitizes workstations and equipment

   Practices excellent food safety and sanitation practices and complies with HACCP standards

   Operates a variety of kitchen equipment, measures and mixes ingredients, washes, peels, cuts and shreds fruits and vegetables

   Stocks, dates, rotates, and checks temperature of product

   Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Work Environment:

   
   

   Requires food preparation skills and knowledge of HACCP standards

   Requires a minimum of 1 year of closely related cooking experience, work experience in high volume and casual dining restaurant environment preferred

   Requires food knowledge pertaining to Pizza, Soups, Sauté, Broiler, Fry, and Pantry

   Requires the ability to speak, read and comprehend instructions, short correspondence and policy documents, as well as converse comfortably with customers

   Requires the ability to lift and/or move up to 40 pounds

   Requires the ability to bend, twist, and stand to perform normal job functions

   Frequently immerses hands in water and water diluted with chemical solutions

   Frequently works with sharp knives, utensils, and hot plates

   Frequently works in hot environment

   Applegreen

   
   

   Come grow with us!

   
   

   Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

   
   

   Drug Free Workplace

   
   

   Interested applicants please submit your resume.

   
   

   Details

   Created: September 11, 2021

   Views: 58

   Candidates: 1 total

   Budget

   Job Budget:

   Not sponsored

   Company Introduction

   In 1956, Carmela and Gennaro Sbarro opened the doors to their Italian salumeria in Brooklyn. Carmela “Mama” Sbarro made pizza slices for shift workers looking for a quick meal. Her slices were so popular that they soon opened a second location focused solely on pizza. Since then, Sbarro has brought the best pasta, salad, and of course the XL NY slice to 630 eateries across 28 countries. You’re welcome, world.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find pizza cooks for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any pizza cooks they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level pizza cooks with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pizza cook job on Zippia to find and recruit pizza cook candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit pizza cooks, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pizza cook

   Once you've selected the best pizza cook candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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