Retail
Cook, 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.
Annual openings
5,919
BLS median wage
$41,600
Typical education
Flexible / varies by employer
10-year growth
+10%
Career requirements
What does this career require?
The education, credentials, and on-the-job competencies Colorado employers expect for this role.
Typical education
Flexible / varies by employer
Credential requirement
No specific credential listed yet
Previous experience as a Restaurant Cook is highly valued by Public Health employers when hiring a Compliance Officer/Inspector.
Is this work a fit?
What the work actually feels like
How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.
Automation exposure
High exposure
Many tasks are repeatable, so technology could reshape the day-to-day over time.
A typical day
- Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
- Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
- Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
- Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
- 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.