Specialty cook vs banquet cook

The differences between specialty cooks and banquet 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 specialty cook and a banquet cook. Additionally, a banquet cook has an average salary of $34,599, which is higher than the $33,829 average annual salary of a specialty cook.

The top three skills for a specialty cook include food handling, culinary and kitchen equipment. The most important skills for a banquet cook are culinary, quality standards, and cleanliness.

Specialty cook vs banquet cook overview

	Specialty Cook	Banquet Cook
Yearly salary	$33,829	$34,599
Hourly rate	$16.26	$16.63
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,369	151,211
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Specialty cook vs banquet cook salary

Specialty cooks and banquet cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Specialty Cook	Banquet Cook
Average salary	$33,829	$34,599
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between specialty cook and banquet cook education

There are a few differences between a specialty cook and a banquet cook in terms of educational background:

	Specialty Cook	Banquet Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Specialty cook vs banquet cook demographics

Here are the differences between specialty cooks' and banquet cooks' demographics:

	Specialty Cook	Banquet Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 77.4% Female, 22.6%	Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 9.0% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 9.0% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between specialty cook and banquet cook duties and responsibilities

Specialty cook example responsibilities.

Work grill, saut, & expediter stations.
Complete culinary tasks using various cooking methods and techniques/ very good knife handling skills.
Work all stations, saut, grill, pantry, fryer, breakfast, in upscale American bistro.
Maintain cleanliness and a sanitary environment within kitchen area to meet all health and safety requirements.
Unload and store groceries and supplies.
Maintain balance inventories of groceries and supplies.

Banquet cook example responsibilities.

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Knife skills, baking, roasting, frying, sauteing, and grilling large quantities.
Follow the HACCP guidelines for preparing food
Well verse in cleaning work areas, equipment, utensils, and dishes.
Work on the different stations in the kitchen like saut, grill and bake.
Task involve preparation of fresh meals daily for the hospital patients and the public.

Specialty cook vs banquet cook skills

Common specialty cook skills

Food Handling, 23%
Culinary, 16%
Kitchen Equipment, 16%
Cuisine, 12%
Food Quality, 7%
Fine Dining, 5%

Common banquet cook skills

Culinary, 14%
Quality Standards, 11%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Handling, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Specialty Cook
Specialty Cook vs Banquet Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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