How to hire a prep cook/dishwasher

How to hire a prep cook/dishwasher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step prep cook/dishwasher hiring guide:

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

What does a prep cook/dishwasher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The prep cook/dishwasher 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

   A prep cook/dishwasher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, prep cook/dishwashers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of prep cook/dishwasher salaries for various roles:

   Type of Prep Cook/Dishwasher	Description	Hourly rate
   Prep Cook/Dishwasher	Cooks prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods, which may include soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.	$12-18
   Kitchen Helper	Kitchen helpers perform various kitchen tasks in restaurants, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. Their duties and responsibilities include assisting cooks in the preparation of meal ingredients, helping other staff with unloading food items from delivery trucks, and washing and drying the utensils, dishes, and cookware... Show more	$9-15
   Food Prep	The primary duty of a food prep is to accomplish various food handling and preparation tasks according to the direction of supervisors, chefs, or cooks. One can work in different establishments or industry where there is food involved... Show more	$9-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Wash Dishes
   • Food Preparation Equipment
   • Dishwashers
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Cooking Equipment
   • Line Cooks
   • Mop Floors
   • Bus Tables
   • Fine Dining
   • Safety Standards
   • Clean Kitchen
   • Food Storage
   • Sanitation Standards
   • Commercial Cleaning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
   • Operate many kitchen appliances and machines including fryers, grinders, food processors, mixers, and slicers.
   • Perform basic cooking duties such as operate fryers as well as assist cooks in any way need with entrees.
   • Receive, prepare and plate orders using commercial grills, fryers, ovens and stoves in a quick and consistent manner.
   • Prep food items and refrigerate appropriately, maintain cleanliness of restaurant, wash all dishes associate with the daily operations
   • Operate a dishwasher for a hospital cafeteria.

   More prep cook/dishwasher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your prep cook/dishwasher job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A prep cook/dishwasher 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 prep cook/dishwasher in Tennessee may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level prep cook/dishwasher usually earns less than a senior-level prep cook/dishwasher. Additionally, a prep cook/dishwasher 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 prep cook/dishwasher salary

   $15.23hourly

   $31,687 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level prep cook/dishwasher salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 16, 2026

   Average prep cook/dishwasher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$39,622	$19
   2	California	$37,883	$18
   3	Oregon	$35,017	$17
   4	New York	$34,861	$17
   5	Massachusetts	$33,914	$16
   6	Connecticut	$32,896	$16
   7	Colorado	$32,026	$15
   8	New Jersey	$30,813	$15
   9	Illinois	$30,636	$15
   10	Minnesota	$29,938	$14
   11	Pennsylvania	$29,103	$14
   12	Missouri	$27,999	$13
   13	Ohio	$26,869	$13
   14	Florida	$26,665	$13
   15	Georgia	$25,466	$12
   16	Texas	$24,915	$12
   17	North Carolina	$24,825	$12

   Average prep cook/dishwasher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Seattle Seahawks	$43,973	$21.14
   2	The Waterfront Restaurant and Tavern	$38,989	$18.74
   3	Kisco Senior Living	$36,283	$17.44	13
   4	DoorDash	$36,017	$17.32	3
   5	HEI Hotels & Resorts	$35,506	$17.07	18
   6	National Pancake House	$35,170	$16.91	17
   7	Brewery Ommegang	$33,590	$16.15
   8	Grand Casino	$33,242	$15.98
   9	Mollie Stone's Markets	$32,858	$15.80	4
   10	DIGS.com	$32,814	$15.78	12
   11	Mardi Gras Casino	$32,746	$15.74
   12	Marriott International	$32,499	$15.62	179
   13	PCC Community Markets	$32,271	$15.51
   14	SusieCakes Bakery	$32,205	$15.48
   15	TPI	$31,968	$15.37
   16	Avera Health	$31,951	$15.36	6
   17	Northbridge Communities	$31,831	$15.30	5
   18	Maryville Academy	$31,739	$15.26
   19	Fairmont Hot Springs Resort	$31,737	$15.26
   20	SAGE Dining Services	$31,686	$15.23	88

4. Writing a prep cook/dishwasher job description

   A good prep cook/dishwasher job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a prep cook/dishwasher job description:

   Prep cook/dishwasher job description example

   Working at Northstar Cafe is much more than just a job. It’s the chance to become an important member of a close-knit team, responsible for shaping the experience at a most-loved restaurant. It’s an opportunity to bring communities together and help them thrive. And it’s a way to play a key part in the bigger picture, supporting food practices that elevate local growers and producers and keep the environment healthy.
   
   It’s also the best place to launch the rest of your working life. Here, you’ll gain the practical skills that will make you an outstanding professional in any industry. You’ll know how to maintain the highest standards and work in an environment of utmost integrity. And, you’ll develop the collaboration, communication, and leadership skills that will serve you throughout your career.
   If you’re —
   excited about real, local, organic, and artisanal ingredients passionate about cooking from scratch and meticulous about quality open to learning and growing your skills looking forward to being valued as an integral member of a team
   — then becoming a member of the Northstar Cafe KITCHEN TEAM might be the perfect job for you. Bring your upbeat attitude and gritty work-ethic. We’ll teach you the rest.
   
   We want you to be successful here, and support you with: thorough training in our production bakery and professional kitchen top-notch teammates who’ll become close friends An efficient, productive, upbeat work environment
   
   Here’s what you’d do: Create delicious food alongside a high-energy team with a sincere desire to delight guests Use the finest ingredients, including foods from more than twenty Ohio producers Prepare a broad menu from scratch using classic and modern cooking techniques and a variety of tools and machinery Take pride in being part of the most loved restaurant in the neighborhood
   
   And our team gets great benefits: medical/dental paid vacation healthy lifestyle reimbursement free meal with every shift (pretty much everyone’s favorite benefit) endless opportunities to grow, challenge yourself, and have fun
   
   Our team loves working here, and we strive to make this a place worthy of them. Here’s what some of them had to say: “We source locally whenever we can and always find ingredients of the highest quality. We have good relationships with people who deliver our food. It’s really a community that’s behind all of these amazing meals.” “I’m proud of how clean we keep the restaurant, how we treat each other, and how we treat guests. Our standards are really high, which I love.”
   “Shift meals is one of the best parts about working here! Our food is so wholesome and good.” “The style of communicating, even when something’s wrong, is very kind. It makes people actually want to change. Learning this has helped me be a better communicator in all areas of my life.” “I love being a part of a group of conscientious and intelligent people, and being a part of a company that has high standards of excellence. It’s truly a company that goes above and beyond.”
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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right prep cook/dishwasher for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting prep cook/dishwashers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 prep cook/dishwasher

   Once you have selected a candidate for the prep cook/dishwasher position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new prep cook/dishwasher. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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