Station cook vs banquet cook

The differences between station 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 station cook and a banquet cook. Additionally, a banquet cook has an average salary of $34,599, which is higher than the $33,980 average annual salary of a station cook.

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

Station cook vs banquet cook overview

	Station Cook	Banquet Cook
Yearly salary	$33,980	$34,599
Hourly rate	$16.34	$16.63
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	136,427	151,211
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Station cook vs banquet cook salary

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

	Station Cook	Banquet Cook
Average salary	$33,980	$34,599
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between station cook and banquet cook education

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

	Station Cook	Banquet Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Station cook vs banquet cook demographics

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

	Station Cook	Banquet Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%	Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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 station cook and banquet cook duties and responsibilities

Station cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Filter and boil out fryers.
Share responsibilities with culinary supervisors on weekly food orders and assist in completing restaurant temperature charts nightly.
Maintain and follow proper hygiene and sanitation standards.

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.

Station cook vs banquet cook skills

Common station cook skills

Culinary, 53%
Cold Station, 16%
Food Handling, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Fine Dining, 3%
Slicers, 2%

Common banquet cook skills

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

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Station Cook vs Banquet Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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