Snack bar cook vs short order cook

The differences between snack bar cooks and short order 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 short order cook. Additionally, a snack bar cook has an average salary of $31,636, which is higher than the $30,734 average annual salary of a short order cook.

The top three skills for a snack bar cook include kitchen equipment, cleanliness and culinary. The most important skills for a short order cook are food handling, customer service, and food preparation equipment.

Snack bar cook vs short order cook overview

	Snack Bar Cook	Short Order Cook
Yearly salary	$31,636	$30,734
Hourly rate	$15.21	$14.78
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	157,590	176,187
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Snack bar cook vs short order cook salary

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

	Snack Bar Cook	Short Order Cook
Average salary	$31,636	$30,734
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $38,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Anaheim, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between snack bar cook and short order cook education

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

	Snack Bar Cook	Short Order Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Snack bar cook vs short order cook demographics

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

	Snack Bar Cook	Short Order Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 8.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between snack bar cook and short order 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.

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.

Snack bar cook vs short order cook skills

Common snack bar cook skills

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

Common short order cook skills

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

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Snack Bar Cook vs Short Order Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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