Station cook vs cook manager

The differences between station cooks and cook managers 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 cook manager. Additionally, a cook manager has an average salary of $36,668, 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 cook manager are kitchen equipment, customer service, and food service.

Station cook vs cook manager overview

	Station Cook	Cook Manager
Yearly salary	$33,980	$36,668
Hourly rate	$16.34	$17.63
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	136,427	12,383
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Station cook vs cook manager salary

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

	Station Cook	Cook Manager
Average salary	$33,980	$36,668
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between station cook and cook manager education

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

	Station Cook	Cook Manager
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Station cook vs cook manager demographics

Here are the differences between station cooks' and cook managers' demographics:

	Station Cook	Cook Manager
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%	Male, 59.7% Female, 40.3%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between station cook and cook manager 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.

Cook manager example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Utilize FIFO and organize shelves.
Educate and confirm employees follow ServSafe procedures
Utilize fryers, broilers, grills, ovens and other industrial cooking equipment.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fat fryers, and griddles.
Train and certify in ServSafe food handling, storage, and preparation, and communicate these skills to educate kitchen staff.

Station cook vs cook manager skills

Common station cook skills

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

Common cook manager skills

Kitchen Equipment, 33%
Customer Service, 20%
Food Service, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Food Preparation, 3%
Customer Complaints, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Station Cook
Station Cook vs Cook Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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