Station cook vs lead line cook

The differences between station cooks and lead 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 station cook and a lead line cook. Additionally, a lead line cook has an average salary of $34,293, 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 lead line cook are kitchen equipment, culinary, and fine dining.

Station cook vs lead line cook overview

	Station Cook	Lead Line Cook
Yearly salary	$33,980	$34,293
Hourly rate	$16.34	$16.49
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	136,427	173,672
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Associate Degree, 47%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Station cook vs lead line cook salary

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

	Station Cook	Lead Line Cook
Average salary	$33,980	$34,293
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Kirkland, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	The Culinary Institute of America
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between station cook and lead line cook education

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

	Station Cook	Lead Line Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Associate Degree, 47%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Station cook vs lead line cook demographics

Here are the differences between station cooks' and lead line cooks' demographics:

	Station Cook	Lead Line Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%	Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between station cook and lead line 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.

Lead line cook example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Skil in the preparation of a variety of culinary styles ranging from contemporary American cuisine to many international culinary styles.
Train and supervise many of the Spanish- speaking dishwashers to work effectively on the line.
Observe workers engage in preparing, portioning, and garnishing foods to ensure that standards are met.
Follow HACCP system, and practice safety and sanitation as well adhere to the company policies and regulations.
Produce HACCP forms and guidelines to have better awareness of quality of food being produce in the kitchen.

Station cook vs lead line cook skills

Common station cook skills

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

Common lead line cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Culinary, 11%
Fine Dining, 9%
Cleanliness, 8%
Food Handling, 8%
Customer Service, 7%

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Station Cook vs Lead Line Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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