Occupations · Food Preparation and Serving
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 35-2014.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 91% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $41,980 | 62,890 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $44,700 | 57,770 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $37,090 | 47,100 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $36,160 | 40,490 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $36,200 | 33,190 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $33,760 | 32,020 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $36,600 | 31,750 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $42,050 | 30,860 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $38,700 | 25,110 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $37,040 | 24,790 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $46,970 | 24,410 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $37,480 | 23,240 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: No formal educational credential · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2025-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2025-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 4
No longer listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| chef | 3434.1 | close |
| private chef | 3434.1.3 | close |
| diet cook | 5120.1.1 | broader |
| industrial cook | 5120.1.4 | broader |
| fish cook | 5120.1.2 | broader |
| grill cook | 5120.1.3 | broader |
| pizzaiolo | 9411.1 | broader |
| cook | 5120.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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