Cooks, Restaurant

Hospitality and TourismO*NET 35-2014.00United States

Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $37,202
Projected change: +15.4%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 1.45M jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What cooks, restaurant do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.
Bake breads, rolls, cakes, and pastries.
Carve and trim meats such as beef, veal, ham, pork, and lamb for hot or cold service, or for sandwiches.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $28,230
25th percentile: $33,606
50th percentile: $37,202
75th percentile: $44,623
90th percentile: $48,740

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $37,202 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+15.4%much faster than average

20251,450,028 jobs

2035 projected1,673,766 jobs

223,738 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 81.8%
Associate degree: 11.8%
Some college: 6.4%
Certificate: 0.1%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Cooking
Food Safety And Sanitation
Sanitation
Food Preparation
Food Services
Restaurant Operation
Lifting Ability
Grilling
Recipes
Food Quality Assurance And Control
Hazard Analysis And Critical Control Points (HACCP)
General Mathematics
Inventory Management
Deep Fryers
Knife Skills
Food Plating And Presentation
Meal Planning And Preparation
Packaging And Labeling
Baking
Safety Procedures

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Cooks67,619 postings
02Prep Cooks15,337 postings
03Pizza Makers4,004 postings
04Lead Cooks3,151 postings
05Banquet Cooks1,539 postings
06Production Cooks1,536 postings
07Cook Supervisors1,458 postings
08Restaurant Cooks1,440 postings
09Line Cooks1,236 postings
10Kitchen Cooks1,178 postings
11Cashiers Team Member1,051 postings
12Sushi Cooks930 postings
13Cooks/Kitchen Managers899 postings
14Cooks/Cashiers861 postings
15Cooks/Shift Managers834 postings
16Benefits Supervisors815 postings
17Child Care Professionals808 postings
18Cooks/Food Specialists754 postings
19Cooks/Helpers693 postings
20Line/Prep Cooks671 postings

Top employers

01Compass Group5,271 postings
02Healthcare Services Group3,394 postings
03Aramark3,389 postings
04Sodexo2,911 postings
05Raising Cane's2,151 postings
06Marriott International2,104 postings
07Elior Group2,040 postings
08Pizza Hut1,947 postings
09Chili's Grill & Bar1,556 postings
10Panda Express1,291 postings
11Domino's Pizza1,214 postings
12Taco Bell1,088 postings
13Brookdale Senior Living1,085 postings
14Jack's Family Restaurants1,035 postings
15Hilton984 postings
16Summit Food Service841 postings
17French Lick Resort777 postings
18First Watch730 postings
19Cracker Barrel646 postings
20Buffalo Wild Wings636 postings

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