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Cooks, Restaurant

Also called: Cook, Grill Cook, Line Cook, Prep Cook (Preparation Cook)

What they do:

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.

On the job, you would:
  • Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
  • Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
  • Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
On the job, you'll need:

Manufactured or Agricultural Goods

  • food production
  • manufacture and distribution of products

Business

  • customer service

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Basic Skills

  • keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

Resource Management

  • managing your time and the time of other people

Hand and Finger Use

  • hold or move items with your hands
  • keep your arm or hand steady

Ideas and Logic

  • notice when problems happen
  • order or arrange things

Realistic

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

  • Cooperation
  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Self Control
  • Initiative

Spreadsheet software

  • Microsoft Excel

Electronic mail software

  • Microsoft Outlook

Point of sale POS software

  • Point of sale POS restaurant software

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Bright.

New job opportunities are very likely in the future. This career will grow rapidly in the next few years and will have large numbers of openings.

Median Annual Salary: $34,110

Education

High school diploma/GED or no high school diploma/GED is usually needed.

Explore More

See other careers in the Hotel & Food industry.