Prep Person Vs Cook

The differences between prep people and 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 prep person and a cook. Additionally, a prep person has an average salary of $33,901, which is higher than the $31,803 average annual salary of a cook.

The top three skills for a prep person include cleanliness, food products and dishwashers. The most important skills for a cook are food handling, food service, and cleanliness.

Prep person vs cook overview

	Prep Person	Cook
Yearly Salary	$33,901	$31,803
Hourly rate	$16.30	$15.29
Growth Rate	16%	16%
Number Of Jobs	165,758	184,818
Job Satisfaction	-	-
Most Common Degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average Age	38	38
Years Of Experience	4	4

Prep person vs cook salary

Prep people and cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prep Person	Cook
Average Salary	$33,901	$31,803
Salary Range	Between $19,000 And $57,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest Paying City	New York, NY	Seattle, WA
Highest Paying State	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best Paying Company	24 Carrots Catering and Events	University of California, Berkeley
Best Paying Industry	Professional	Government

Differences between prep person and cook education

There are a few differences between a prep person and a cook in terms of educational background:

	Prep Person	Cook
Most Common Degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most Common Major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most Common College	-	-

Prep person vs cook demographics

Here are the differences between prep people' and cooks' demographics:

	Prep Person	Cook
Average Age	38	38
Gender Ratio	Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5%	Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%
Race Ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between prep person and cook duties and responsibilities

Prep Person Example Responsibilities.

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Receive and put away all food orders utilizing FIFO.
Prepare and produce food using large-volume cooking equipment such as grills and deep-fat fryers.
Help with waste control and FIFO.
Promote from dishwasher to prep person with the lead over dishwashers
Cook foods by baking, roasting, frying, sauteing and grilling.

Cook Example Responsibilities.

Achieve completion to cook, prep and dish meticulous meals to an immense amount of customers with proficient dexterity quality.
Organize production and set up broiler station for lunch shift, manage grill with 30-40 steaks at varying temps and cuts.
Lead cook line and instruct cooks and other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of dishes.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles.

Prep person vs cook skills

Common Prep Person Skills

Cleanliness, 59%
Food Products, 30%
Dishwashers, 5%
Food Handling, 4%
Customer Service, 1%
Kitchen Equipment, 0%

Common Cook Skills

Food Handling, 14%
Food Service, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Basic Math, 7%
Culinary, 6%

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Prep Person vs Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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