Cooks, Restaurant

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Food Preparation & Serving
• O*NET-SOC code: 35-2014
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Prepare relishes and hors d'oeuvres.
• Keep records and accounts.
• 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.

Tools and technology

Facebook, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Blenders, Boning knives, Charbroilers, Chefs' knives, Cimeter knives, Commercial microwave ovens, Convection ovens

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Cooks, Short Order
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
• Food Preparation Workers
• Bakers
• Cooks, Fast Food
• Butchers and Meat Cutters
• Cooks, Private Household
• Chefs and Head Cooks

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Cooks, Restaurant — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.