Cooks, Restaurant
O*NET files this work under Cooks, Restaurant: people who prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. Interest ratings put Realistic on top at 5.6 out of 7 and Conventional second, so the code is RCE and the day leans toward hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world. The preparation level is some preparation, typically a few months to a year of learning on the job. O*NET’s skill data points to time management, speaking, and monitoring as the ones to build. The job can ask you to ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters. People who want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world usually fit better here than those who need research, analysis and working through hard problems.
What they 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.
Main tasks
- 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.
Skills
- Time Management
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You like clear rules and getting the details right.
- You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
- You are comfortable relying on time management and speaking.
May not suit you if
- You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
- You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 1.6 out of 7 here.
- You want a career built on years of advanced study.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCE takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.
Preparation
Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Back Line Cook
- Banquet Cook
- Breakfast Cook
- Cook
- Fry Cook
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.