Specialty cook vs line cook/dishwasher

The differences between specialty cooks and line cook/dishwashers 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/dishwasher. Additionally, a line cook/dishwasher has an average salary of $34,435, 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 line cook/dishwasher are food handling, cleanliness, and dishwashers.

Specialty cook vs line cook/dishwasher overview

	Specialty Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Yearly salary	$33,829	$34,435
Hourly rate	$16.26	$16.56
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,369	133,370
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Specialty cook vs line cook/dishwasher salary

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

	Specialty Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average salary	$33,829	$34,435
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	-
Highest paying state	Hawaii	-
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	-
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between specialty cook and line cook/dishwasher education

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

	Specialty Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Specialty cook vs line cook/dishwasher demographics

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

	Specialty Cook	Line Cook/Dishwasher
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 77.4% Female, 22.6%	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%
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, 8.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between specialty cook and line cook/dishwasher 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/dishwasher example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Maintain superb conditions of all grills, fryers, prep areas, and work spaces in the kitchen.
Have to follow certain steps for battering prior to cooking, and use a timer for the fryers for fry.
Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.
Operate dishwasher to fully sanitize incoming dishes and silverware.
Prepare food items with special attention to individual orders concerning allergies and temperatures.

Specialty cook vs line cook/dishwasher skills

Common specialty cook skills

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

Common line cook/dishwasher skills

Food Handling, 35%
Cleanliness, 32%
Dishwashers, 25%
Kitchen Equipment, 3%
Culinary, 2%
Line Cooks, 1%

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Specialty Cook vs Line Cook/Dishwasher

Updated January 8, 2025

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