Prep person vs cook manager

The differences between prep people and cook managers 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 person and a cook manager. Additionally, a cook manager has an average salary of $36,668, which is higher than the $33,901 average annual salary of a prep person.

The top three skills for a prep person include cleanliness, food products and dishwashers. The most important skills for a cook manager are kitchen equipment, customer service, and food service.

Prep person vs cook manager overview

	Prep Person	Cook Manager
Yearly salary	$33,901	$36,668
Hourly rate	$16.30	$17.63
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	165,758	12,383
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Prep person vs cook manager salary

Prep people and cook managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prep Person	Cook Manager
Average salary	$33,901	$36,668
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $57,000	Between $26,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	24 Carrots Catering and Events	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between prep person and cook manager education

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

	Prep Person	Cook Manager
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Prep person vs cook manager demographics

Here are the differences between prep people' and cook managers' demographics:

	Prep Person	Cook Manager
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5%	Male, 59.7% Female, 40.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between prep person and cook manager duties and responsibilities

Prep person example responsibilities.

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Receive and put away all food orders utilizing FIFO.
Prepare and produce food using large-volume cooking equipment such as grills and deep-fat fryers.
Help with waste control and FIFO.
Promote from dishwasher to prep person with the lead over dishwashers
Cook foods by baking, roasting, frying, sauteing and grilling.

Cook manager example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Utilize FIFO and organize shelves.
Educate and confirm employees follow ServSafe procedures
Utilize fryers, broilers, grills, ovens and other industrial cooking equipment.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fat fryers, and griddles.
Train and certify in ServSafe food handling, storage, and preparation, and communicate these skills to educate kitchen staff.

Prep person vs cook manager skills

Common prep person skills

Cleanliness, 59%
Food Products, 30%
Dishwashers, 5%
Food Handling, 4%
Customer Service, 1%
Kitchen Equipment, 0%

Common cook manager skills

Kitchen Equipment, 33%
Customer Service, 20%
Food Service, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Food Preparation, 3%
Customer Complaints, 3%

Prep Person vs. similar jobs

Prep Person related careers

Prep Person related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Prep Person
Prep Person vs Cook Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs