Specialty cook vs line cook

The differences between specialty 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 specialty cook and a line cook. Additionally, a specialty cook has an average salary of $33,829, which is higher than the $32,894 average annual salary of a line cook.

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

Specialty cook vs line cook overview

	Specialty Cook	Line Cook
Yearly salary	$33,829	$32,894
Hourly rate	$16.26	$15.81
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,369	168,993
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Specialty cook vs line cook salary

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

	Specialty Cook	Line Cook
Average salary	$33,829	$32,894
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	Gate City Bank
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between specialty cook and line cook education

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

	Specialty Cook	Line Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Specialty cook vs line cook demographics

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

	Specialty Cook	Line Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 77.4% Female, 22.6%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
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, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between specialty cook and line 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.

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.

Specialty cook vs line cook skills

Common specialty cook skills

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

Common line cook skills

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

Specialty Cook vs. similar jobs

Specialty Cook related careers

Specialty Cook related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Specialty Cook
Specialty Cook vs Line Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs