Short order cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between short order cooks and kitchen 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 kitchen cook. Additionally, a kitchen cook has an average salary of $31,452, 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 kitchen cook are dishes, food handling, and cleanliness.

Short order cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Short Order Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$30,734	$31,452
Hourly rate	$14.78	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	176,187	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	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 kitchen cook do?

A kitchen cook prepares food for customers. Kitchen cooks help devise new menu items and methods of cooking. Their duties are to prepare food before the arrival of guests, manage employees in the kitchen, and season food according to recipe needs. They assist other cooks during the food assembly process, estimate food consumption, and organize preparation. They keep records and accounts of food purchases, prepare any necessary sauce before the meal service begins, and so on. As kitchen cooks, they must excel in organizational skills, verbal communication, culinary arts, and kitchen equipment. They should be equipped with knowledge of international cuisines, butchering, and basic computational skills.

Short order cook vs kitchen cook salary

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

	Short Order Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$30,734	$31,452
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Anaheim, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	Health Care	Retail

Differences between short order cook and kitchen cook education

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

	Short Order Cook	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Short order cook vs kitchen cook demographics

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

	Short Order Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 9.1% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between short order cook and kitchen 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.

Kitchen cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Inspect clean and utilize ovens, grills, fryers, mixers, etc.
Experience on grills, fryers, knife handling and slicers.
Experience with fryers, weigh machines, slicers and other similarities.
Used electric ovens and electric stoves.
Regulate temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.

Short order cook vs kitchen 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 kitchen cook skills

Dishes, 13%
Food Handling, 11%
Cleanliness, 8%
Math, 8%
Basic Math, 8%
Culinary, 7%

Short Order Cook vs. similar jobs

Short Order Cook related careers

Short Order Cook related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Short Order Cook
Short Order Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs