What You Need to Know About Institution and Cafeteria Cook
Job Description: Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.
What Do Institution and Cafeteria Cooks Do On a Daily Basis?
- Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons.
- Take inventory of supplies and equipment.
- Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment.
- Train new employees.
- Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
- Bake breads, rolls, or other pastries.
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What Every Institution & Cafeteria Cook Should Know
Institution and Cafeteria Cooks state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Related Job Titles
- Prep Cook (Preparatory Cook)
- Cook at School
- Vegetables Cook
- Special Diet Cook
- Cook, Cashier, Food Prep (Cafeteria Worker)
Is There Job Demand for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks?
There were about 424,800 jobs for Institution and Cafeteria Cook in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 7.7% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 32,600 new jobs for Institution and Cafeteria Cook by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 64,400 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Institution & Cafeteria Cook are Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Alabama, Wyoming, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Institution & Cafeteria Cook Average Salary
The salary for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks ranges between about $18,840 and $39,880 a year.

Institution and Cafeteria Cooks who work in Connecticut, Hawaii, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $22,100 |
Alaska | $37,670 |
Arizona | $28,120 |
Arkansas | $22,320 |
California | $35,680 |
Colorado | $29,630 |
Connecticut | $38,580 |
Delaware | $32,620 |
District of Columbia | $37,270 |
Florida | $27,280 |
Georgia | $26,160 |
Hawaii | $38,110 |
Idaho | $24,960 |
Illinois | $27,550 |
Indiana | $25,200 |
Iowa | $27,110 |
Kansas | $24,190 |
Kentucky | $25,630 |
Louisiana | $21,990 |
Maine | $30,910 |
Maryland | $33,010 |
Massachusetts | $37,300 |
Michigan | $28,410 |
Minnesota | $32,810 |
Mississippi | $20,460 |
Missouri | $24,900 |
Montana | $27,060 |
Nebraska | $26,950 |
Nevada | $32,780 |
New Hampshire | $33,100 |
New Jersey | $34,050 |
New Mexico | $25,020 |
New York | $34,800 |
North Carolina | $25,240 |
North Dakota | $31,370 |
Ohio | $27,260 |
Oklahoma | $21,650 |
Oregon | $31,920 |
Pennsylvania | $29,180 |
Rhode Island | $36,060 |
South Carolina | $22,960 |
South Dakota | $26,230 |
Tennessee | $25,580 |
Texas | $24,770 |
Utah | $27,870 |
Vermont | $31,380 |
Virginia | $29,400 |
Washington | $34,230 |
West Virginia | $24,200 |
Wisconsin | $28,960 |
Wyoming | $30,580 |
What Tools & Technology do Institution and Cafeteria Cooks Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Institution and Cafeteria Cooks may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Data entry software
- Word processing software
- Spreadsheet software
- Point of sale POS software
- IBM Lotus 1-2-3
- GNOME Gnutrition
How do I Become an Institution & Cafeteria Cook?
What education or degrees do I need to become an Institution and Cafeteria Cook?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Institution and Cafeteria Cooks Are Employed

Institution and Cafeteria Cooks work in the following industries:

Similar Careers
Those thinking about becoming an Institution and Cafeteria Cook might also be interested in the following careers:
Career changers with experience as an Institution and Cafeteria Cook sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: U.S. Army Europe Images via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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