Salad chef vs head cook

The differences between salad chefs and head cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a salad chef and a head cook. Additionally, a head cook has an average salary of $44,412, which is higher than the $36,674 average annual salary of a salad chef.

The top three skills for a salad chef include salad station, cleanliness and customer service. The most important skills for a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.

Salad chef vs head cook overview

	Salad Chef	Head Cook
Yearly salary	$36,674	$44,412
Hourly rate	$17.63	$21.35
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	19,674	156,227
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

Salad chef vs head cook salary

Salad chefs and head cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Salad Chef	Head Cook
Average salary	$36,674	$44,412
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $55,000	Between $32,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	San Antonio, TX
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between salad chef and head cook education

There are a few differences between a salad chef and a head cook in terms of educational background:

	Salad Chef	Head Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Drexel University	Stanford University

Salad chef vs head cook demographics

Here are the differences between salad chefs' and head cooks' demographics:

	Salad Chef	Head Cook
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 54.4% Female, 45.6%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 10.1% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between salad chef and head cook duties and responsibilities

Salad chef example responsibilities.

Used strong organizational skills to manage steamers efficiently for both eat-in and take-out services.
Handle cash, checks and cards, while using the POS system.
Perform maintenance and cleanliness operations.
Detail cleanliness and sanitation regulations to follow.
Prepare and cook food at a high intensity culinary establishment using a newly acquire set of culinary techniques.
Maintain HACCP sanitation standards, recognize trouble areas, and respond accordingly

Head cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Accommodate all campers and staff with dietary restrictions, food allergies as well as providing vegetarian and vegan options.
Follow all equipment and safety procedures in all operations including slicers, choppers, mixers and other meal processing equipment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Scramble eggs, sausage, potatoes, biscits and gravy.
Create and execute menus for the buffets.

Salad chef vs head cook skills

Common salad chef skills

Salad Station, 37%
Cleanliness, 22%
Customer Service, 22%
Food Products, 10%
Prep Food, 2%
POS, 1%

Common head cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 41%
Meal Preparation, 15%
Food Service, 7%
Food Preparation, 3%
Quality Standards, 3%
Safety Standards, 2%

Salad Chef vs. similar jobs

Salad Chef related careers

Salad Chef related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Salad Chef
Salad Chef vs Head Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs