Cooks (Restaurant)
O*NET title: Cooks, Restaurant
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.
Also called: Back Line Cook, Banquet Cook, Breakfast Cook, Broiler Cook, Cook, Foreign Food Specialty Cook
Median pay
$37,390
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$28,700 – $47,900
People employed
1,409,890
Holland code
RCE
Realistic · Conventional · Enterprising
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you OK being on your feet and moving most of the day?
- 2.Do you prefer a steady pace without constant deadlines?
- 3.Do you want to stay at 40 hours a week or less?
- 4.Are you comfortable following clear instructions?
- 5.Would you rather not deal with customers or the public?
The hard parts
- Long hours on your feet
Cooks (Restaurant) pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What cooks (restaurant) do
- 01Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
- 02Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
- 03Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
- 04Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
- 05Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
- 06Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
Skills that matter most
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Active Learning
- Reading Comprehension
Knowledge
- Food Production
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Production and Processing
- Education and Training
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a high school diploma (O*NET Job Zone 2).
- Related work experience: none.
- On-the-job training: anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from cooks (restaurant)
- Bakers88% · −1%
- Butchers and Meat Cutters86% · +7%
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant77% · −5%
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products77% · −4%
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders77% · +11%
Change into cooks (restaurant)
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Butchers and Meat Cutters89% · $40,140
- Bakers88% · $37,160
- Slaughterers and Meat Packers81% · $40,130
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant80% · $35,360
- Fast Food and Counter Workers78% · $31,200
Majors that lead here
- Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General
- Culinary Arts/Chef Training
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.