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What is a line chef and how to become one
A line chef, also known as a line cook or prep cook, is responsible for preparing and plating dishes according to the restaurant menu and the chef's specifications. As a line chef, you are also responsible for assisting the chef on stocking, inventory, and setting up the kitchen, ensuring cleanliness and safety alongside dish preparation, and adhering to hygiene and safety standards. You are also expected to work with other kitchen employees towards customer satisfaction, wash and clean the cooking utensils used after your shift.
As a line chef, you should be a team player, know how to manage time, have great organizational, listening, and communication skills. Formal education is not compulsory to be a line chef, but a degree from a culinary school, vocational school, or related courses would be preferred. Experience in the field is also required as well as how to safely use kitchen utensils. Your average salary as a line chef is $26,203 per year.
What general advice would you give to a Line Chef?
Patti Stobaugh
Avg. Salary $26,651
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 15%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.71%
Asian 10.43%
Black or African American 10.32%
Hispanic or Latino 17.78%
Unknown 5.26%
White 55.51%
Genderfemale 30.61%
male 69.39%
Age - 41American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 41Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is
6.4 - fair
Line Chef career paths
Key steps to become a line chef
Explore line chef education requirements
Start to develop specific line chef skills
Skills 
Percentages Kitchen Equipment 16.15% Sanitation Standards 11.28% Food Handling 7.79% Customer Service 7.76% Cleanliness 7.74% Complete relevant line chef training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New line chefs learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a line chef based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real line chef resumes.Gain additional line chef certifications
More About CertificationsLine chef certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific line chef certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for line chefs include Certified Food Manager (CFM) and ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification.
Research line chef duties and responsibilities
- Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
- Clean stoves, ovens, shrowds, floors, stainless steel tables.
- Prepare food for special groups including those who have eating disorders or allergies.
- Close down the kitchen after each shift, making sure all BOH staff follow closing checklist for kitchen stations.
Prepare your line chef resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your line chef resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a line chef resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Line Chef Resume templates
Build a professional Line Chef resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Line Chef resume.
Apply for line chef jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a line chef job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Line Chef Job
Are you a Line Chef?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average line chef salary
The average Line Chef salary in the United States is $26,651 per year or $13 per hour. Line chef salaries range between $18,000 and $37,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do line chefs rate their job?
Line Chef reviews
Not sedentary, moving around. Creativity.
Repetitive tasks. Or obviously, working with people who are highly critical.
Design & creating food making customer happy cooking every area as line, prep, steam, broil, grill, creating comfort food desserts and catering. Ordering and managing a kitchen
Nothing to complain about love being a chef
I like being able to work with food and get creative. I enjoy learning new techniques for a set of skills that can be applied outside the workplace.
It's pretty stressful on the body. I definitely could not see myself doing this the rest of my life; I am 19 and I can admit it's hard work - and I would consider myself in shape. Like dishwashers, I do consider myself underappreciated as well. We don't make very much money - In some cases, the servers make more than us! I think it's because our specific organization doesn't allow the kitchen staff to get tips at all.
Updated January 8, 2025
