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Cooks, Restaurant in California

Want to work as a Cooks, Restaurant in California? Here’s what you need to know. 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 do Cooks, Restaurant Make in California?

For cooks, restaurant working in California, wages run about $44,290 per year (or about $21.30/hour).Earnings range from $36,430 at the 10th percentile to $54,690 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$36,430	$17.52
25th percentile	$38,160	$18.35
Median (50th)	$44,290	$21.30
75th percentile	$46,960	$22.58
90th percentile	$54,690	$26.29

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in California relative to the national average — is 0.94.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, cooks, restaurant earn a median of $41,438 per year ($19.92/hour), above the California median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 1,741,328 cooks, restaurant across the United States. In California alone, approximately 160,270 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 18,370 cooks, restaurant.

Top California Metros for Cooks, Restaurant

These are the California metros with the most cooks, restaurant in California.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	57,770	$44,700
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	22,290	$45,230
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	16,310	$38,600
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	15,380	$45,040
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	8,570	$43,600
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	8,460	$46,960
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	3,210	$39,300
Fresno, CA	2,910	$37,630
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	2,470	$45,020
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	2,320	$43,320
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	2,240	$37,630
Salinas, CA	2,060	$44,490
Stockton-Lodi, CA	1,820	$38,380
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	1,790	$42,290
Modesto, CA	1,550	$38,770
Napa, CA	1,350	$46,270
Vallejo, CA	1,140	$43,820
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	1,130	$42,460
Visalia, CA	970	$37,970
Chico, CA	670	$38,020
Redding, CA	590	$37,850
Merced, CA	500	$37,740
Yuba City, CA	460	$38,410
El Centro, CA	350	$38,230
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	270	$38,140

Top States for Cooks, Restaurant Employment

These states have the highest employment of cooks, restaurant work.

State	Number Employed
California	160,270
Florida	134,480
Texas	125,880
New York	62,430
Illinois	61,630
Pennsylvania	54,830
North Carolina	50,400
Ohio	49,880
Georgia	49,320
Virginia	41,010
Michigan	37,860
Washington	34,790
Arizona	34,740
Colorado	33,920
Massachusetts	31,640
New Jersey	30,720
Missouri	28,390
Indiana	27,640
Tennessee	27,300
Minnesota	26,900

Highest-Paying States for Cooks, Restaurant

Where cooks, restaurant earn the most: cooks, restaurant.

State	Annual Median Salary
Massachusetts	$46,280
District of Columbia	$45,230
Washington	$44,980
Maine	$44,870
Hawaii	$44,710
Vermont	$44,560
California	$44,290
New York	$39,890
Colorado	$39,170
New Hampshire	$39,050

Skills

Key cooks, restaurant skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for cooks, restaurant, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, cooks, restaurant typically:

• 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.

Work Activities

• Handling and Moving Objects
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Getting Information
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Processing Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Training and Teaching Others
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Facebook

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

• Culinary Arts

Related Careers

Other careers like cooks, restaurant include:

• Food Service Managers
• Chefs and Head Cooks
• First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
• Cooks, Fast Food
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
• Cooks, Private Household

Also Known As

Back Line Cook, Back of House Team Member (BOH Team Member), Banquet Cook, Breakfast Cook, Broiler Cook, Chef De Partie, Cook, Foreign Food Specialty Cook, Fry Cook, Grill Cook, Hotel and Restaurant Cook, Larder Cook, Line Cook, Pizza Maker, Prep Cook (Preparation Cook).

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 35-2014.00