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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $36,830 in the US and is projected to grow 15% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a No formal educational credential, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.43 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Time Management, Speaking, Active Listening.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £24,228 a year for Cooks (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £20,334 to £27,831 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5435). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Service and sales workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Cooks, restaurant, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 5. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Qualification ITI Food Production (General) (1 year after Class 10), or a 1.5-year Diploma in Food Production at an IHM[1][2]
- 2 · First role Cook in a hotel or restaurant kitchen[1]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- DGT — Food Production (General) CTS curriculum (read on 2026-09-27)
- NCHMCT — Diploma in Food Production (read on 2026-09-27)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Food Production
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Production and Processing
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
A day in the life
You start your shift by checking the walk-in fridge, rotating stock so older items are used first and throwing out anything past its best. You set up your station, sharpen knives and bring the grill and ovens up to the right temperature. Through the morning you prep vegetables, portion meat and fish, and make sauces and stocks, tasting and seasoning as you go. When service starts, orders stream in and you roast, grill and steam dishes to order, then plate and garnish them before sliding them to the pass. You keep an eye on a new kitchen helper, showing them how to keep up without cutting corners. After the rush you scrub down surfaces, clean the equipment and label leftovers. The heat, repetitive chopping and long hours standing can be tiring. But hearing the head cook say a dish looks perfect, or seeing a full order go out right on time, is deeply satisfying.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Cooks, restaurant 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.
What does a typical day look like in Cooks, restaurant?
You start your shift by checking the walk-in fridge, rotating stock so older items are used first and throwing out anything past its best. You set up your station, sharpen knives and bring the grill and ovens up to the right temperature. Through the morning you prep vegetables, portion meat and fish, and make sauces and stocks, tasting and seasoning as you go.
How much does Cooks, restaurant earn?
The median annual salary for Cooks, restaurant in the US is $36,830.
What is the job outlook for Cooks, restaurant?
The role is projected to grow 15% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 1,460,200 workers.
How do I become cooks, restaurant?
The typical entry education is a No formal educational credential. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Cooks, restaurant need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Time Management, Speaking, Active Listening, Active Learning. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Cooks, restaurant?
Our AI-durability model gives Cooks, restaurant a score of 0.43 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Cooks, restaurant has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.