Prep person vs line cook/dishwasher

The differences between prep people 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 prep person and a line cook/dishwasher. Additionally, a line cook/dishwasher has an average salary of $34,435, 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 line cook/dishwasher are food handling, cleanliness, and dishwashers.

Prep person vs line cook/dishwasher overview

	Prep Person	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Yearly salary	$33,901	$34,435
Hourly rate	$16.30	$16.56
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	165,758	133,370
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Prep person vs line cook/dishwasher salary

Prep people and line cook/dishwashers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prep Person	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average salary	$33,901	$34,435
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $57,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
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 line cook/dishwasher education

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

	Prep Person	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Prep person vs line cook/dishwasher demographics

Here are the differences between prep people' and line cook/dishwashers' demographics:

	Prep Person	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5%	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%
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, 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 prep person and line cook/dishwasher 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.

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.

Prep person vs line cook/dishwasher skills

Common prep person skills

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

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
Prep Person
Prep Person vs Line Cook/Dishwasher

Updated January 8, 2025

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