Short order cook vs breakfast cook

The differences between short order cooks and breakfast 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 a breakfast cook. Additionally, a breakfast cook has an average salary of $33,616, 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 a breakfast cook are food handling, cleanliness, and culinary.

Short order cook vs breakfast cook overview

	Short Order Cook	Breakfast Cook
Yearly salary	$30,734	$33,616
Hourly rate	$14.78	$16.16
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	176,187	187,390
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Short order cook vs breakfast cook salary

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

	Short Order Cook	Breakfast Cook
Average salary	$30,734	$33,616
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Anaheim, CA	Beverly, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	Kohler Co.
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between short order cook and breakfast cook education

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

	Short Order Cook	Breakfast Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Short order cook vs breakfast cook demographics

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

	Short Order Cook	Breakfast Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between short order cook and breakfast 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.

Breakfast cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Cut steaks, pizzas, work the line, saut and broiler cook, full-time, then part-time 'till they close.
Provide training to all new hire culinary staff.
Cook weekends for man, broiler, saut e, and banquets.
Prepare lunch items, make sandwiches, roll and bake biscuits, wash dishes
Prep and cook breakfast and lunch dishes for locally own bakery and cafe.

Short order cook vs breakfast 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 breakfast cook skills

Food Handling, 16%
Cleanliness, 16%
Culinary, 13%
Food Service, 8%
Quality Standards, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 7%

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Short Order Cook vs Breakfast Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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