Snack bar cook vs line cook

The differences between snack bar cooks and line 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 snack bar cook and a line cook. Additionally, a line cook has an average salary of $32,894, which is higher than the $31,636 average annual salary of a snack bar cook.

The top three skills for a snack bar cook include kitchen equipment, cleanliness and culinary. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.

Snack bar cook vs line cook overview

	Snack Bar Cook	Line Cook
Yearly salary	$31,636	$32,894
Hourly rate	$15.21	$15.81
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	157,590	168,993
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Snack bar cook vs line cook salary

Snack bar cooks and line cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Snack Bar Cook	Line Cook
Average salary	$31,636	$32,894
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Gate City Bank
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between snack bar cook and line cook education

There are a few differences between a snack bar cook and a line cook in terms of educational background:

	Snack Bar Cook	Line Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Snack bar cook vs line cook demographics

Here are the differences between snack bar cooks' and line cooks' demographics:

	Snack Bar Cook	Line Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 8.4% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between snack bar cook and line cook duties and responsibilities

Snack bar cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Answer phones and run cash register.
Grill variety of foods, fryers, pizza, pretzels, and prepping for meals.
Adjust thermostat control to regulate temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, roasters and steam kettles.
Review orders and presentation for minimal mistakes and cleanliness.
Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.

Line cook example responsibilities.

Used strong organizational skills to manage steamers efficiently for both eat-in and take-out services.
Supervise cooks and manage the preparation, portioning, garnishing, and storage of all food items, cutting meat size.
Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Used equipment such as meat slicers, salamanders and steamers.
Develop food preparation skills and knowledge of tools involve; such as proper use of knives and automate slicers.

Snack bar cook vs line cook skills

Common snack bar cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 18%
Cleanliness, 17%
Culinary, 14%
Food Handling, 12%
Quality Standards, 6%
Safety Standards, 6%

Common line cook skills

Culinary, 12%
Sanitation Standards, 11%
Food Handling, 11%
Team Work, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%

Snack Bar Cook vs. similar jobs

Snack Bar Cook related careers

Snack Bar Cook related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Snack Bar Cook
Snack Bar Cook vs Line Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs