Short order cook vs cook/server

The differences between short order cooks and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a short order cook has an average salary of $30,734, which is higher than the $29,716 average annual salary of a cook/server.

The top three skills for a short order cook include food handling, customer service and food preparation equipment. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Short order cook vs cook/server overview

	Short Order Cook	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$30,734	$29,716
Hourly rate	$14.78	$14.29
Growth rate	16%	14%
Number of jobs	176,187	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	38	23
Years of experience	4	-

What does a short order cook do?

A short-order cook takes responsibility for preparing foods in cafes and restaurants. Usually, they fry eggs, cook fries, and prepare sandwiches. Short order cooks work alongside line chefs in the foodservice market. Their manner of preparing food is quick, easy, and simple. They plan and handle work orders ensuring that all orders are complete and served on time. Strong communication, customer service, a good sense of taste, and the ability to work efficiently are necessary requirements for the job.

What does a cook/server do?

Cooks/servers are employees who take on the dual role of being a cook and a server in the restaurant. They are usually trained cooks who are in charge of preparing meals for the guests. They prepare ingredients, cook them according to the recipe, and serve them to guests. They are responsible for ensuring that the food is prepared and served to guests within the promised time. They are in charge of managing the pantry, ensuring that the stock is fresh, and checking whether the stock is low. They are expected to have culinary skills, precision, and time management skills.

Short order cook vs cook/server salary

Short order cooks and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Short Order Cook	Cook/Server
Average salary	$30,734	$29,716
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Anaheim, CA	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	The Harley School
Best paying industry	Health Care	Retail

Differences between short order cook and cook/server education

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

	Short Order Cook	Cook/Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Short order cook vs cook/server demographics

Here are the differences between short order cooks' and cook/servers' demographics:

	Short Order Cook	Cook/Server
Average age	38	23
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between short order cook and cook/server 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.

Cook/server example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist customers, bag groceries, replenish carts, and clean store.
Pay close attention to detail while multitasking between communicating over the intercom, utilizing the POS, and order placing.
Make smoothies, coffee, customer service, cashier, fill bakery cooler, inventory, stock, and clean!
Operate the filtration system used for the fryers to keep all sanitation guidelines up to standards as per the health department.
Operate, and maintain clean and safe cooking equipment like pressure cooker deep fryers, plate grills, and deep fryers.

Short order cook vs cook/server 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 cook/server skills

Customer Service, 41%
Customer Orders, 8%
Safety Standards, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 4%
POS, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Short Order Cook
Short Order Cook vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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