Short order cook vs assistant cook

The differences between short order cooks and assistant 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 short order cook and an assistant cook. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $30,734 average annual salary of a short order cook.

The top three skills for a short order cook include food handling, customer service and food preparation equipment. The most important skills for an assistant cook are food handling, kitchen equipment, and dishes.

Short order cook vs assistant cook overview

	Short Order Cook	Assistant Cook
Yearly salary	$30,734	$34,244
Hourly rate	$14.78	$16.46
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	176,187	190,245
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Short order cook vs assistant cook salary

Short order cooks and assistant cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Short Order Cook	Assistant Cook
Average salary	$30,734	$34,244
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Anaheim, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Hospitality

Differences between short order cook and assistant cook education

There are a few differences between a short order cook and an assistant cook in terms of educational background:

	Short Order Cook	Assistant Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Short order cook vs assistant cook demographics

Here are the differences between short order cooks' and assistant cooks' demographics:

	Short Order Cook	Assistant Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 8.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between short order cook and assistant cook duties and responsibilities

Short order cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Ensure that ovens and stoves remain at appropriate temperatures.
Clean kitchen including wiping down grills, slicers and deep-frying equipment.
Develop teamwork skills with cooks, dishwashers and wait staff, through efficient clean up and preparation of food.
Prepare guest food orders as they are either transmit via the POS system or orally convey at the counter.
Cook foods on the grill station, oven, barbecue grill, deep fryers, and other industrial cooking apparatus.

Assistant cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate stoves, food processors, steamers, slices, ovens.
Ensure ovens and stoves are clean and ready for use.
Train new and current cooks on menu conversion, garnishing, and food presentation.
Prepare and deliver food trays to hospital patients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Supervise and maintain HACCP standards, training processes for cooks and monitor aspects of contract compliance.

Short order cook vs assistant cook skills

Common short order cook skills

Food Handling, 20%
Customer Service, 14%
Food Preparation Equipment, 11%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Food Service, 7%
Safety Standards, 7%

Common assistant cook skills

Food Handling, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 11%
Dishes, 9%
Food Service, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%

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Short Order Cook vs Assistant Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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