Prep cook vs pizza cook

The differences between prep cooks and pizza 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 prep cook and a pizza cook. Additionally, a prep cook has an average salary of $32,292, which is higher than the $27,278 average annual salary of a pizza cook.

The top three skills for a prep cook include food handling, culinary and sanitation standards. The most important skills for a pizza cook are food handling, kitchen equipment, and cleanliness.

Prep cook vs pizza cook overview

	Prep Cook	Pizza Cook
Yearly salary	$32,292	$27,278
Hourly rate	$15.53	$13.11
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	168,265	197,416
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Prep cook vs pizza cook salary

Prep cooks and pizza cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prep Cook	Pizza Cook
Average salary	$32,292	$27,278
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $20,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Kemps	Bertucci's
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Retail

Differences between prep cook and pizza cook education

There are a few differences between a prep cook and a pizza cook in terms of educational background:

	Prep Cook	Pizza Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Prep cook vs pizza cook demographics

Here are the differences between prep cooks' and pizza cooks' demographics:

	Prep Cook	Pizza Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 8.7% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between prep cook and pizza cook duties and responsibilities

Prep cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Provide students with first-rate customer service and ensure correct time-temperature control of culinary dishes.
Learned and become CPR certify for emergencies.
Direct and ensure that HACCP procedures are follow.
Plan menu items as needed for caf or catering.
Earn first aid, CPR, and a certification.

Pizza cook example 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.

Prep cook vs pizza cook skills

Common prep cook skills

Food Handling, 15%
Culinary, 15%
Sanitation Standards, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Cleanliness, 7%
Team Work, 7%

Common pizza cook skills

Food Handling, 24%
Kitchen Equipment, 22%
Cleanliness, 16%
Dishes, 16%
Customer Satisfaction, 10%
Culinary, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Prep Cook
Prep Cook vs Pizza Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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