Food Service · Career brief

Cooks, Restaurant

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Cooks, Restaurant at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$37,390

Lower national median pay

2025 national median. Bottom quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

12.1%

Strong projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Top 10% for growth among careers on ChooseField.

3Openings

218,600

Exceptional hiring volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top 10% for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

No formal credential

A four-year degree is not the typical entry route

No formal educational credential + related experience. Related work experience is typically required.

5The work

Hands-on

Practical work with tools, systems, or physical environments

Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

ChooseField take

The strongest national signals are growth and opening volume; each ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if hands-on work appeals to you and you are comfortable with entry without a formal credential. Main tradeoff: BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Before choosing, compare:Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Cooks, Short Order

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Cooks, Restaurant with another field Explore rankings in Food Service Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$37,390

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

12.1%employment growth218,600openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

No formal educational credential; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

1,417,500

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Cooks, restaurant (35-2014).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

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.
Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.
Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.
Hands-on manipulation of tools, controls, or objects occupies a meaningful part of the workday.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Handling and Moving Objects3.4
Performing General Physical Activities3.0
Getting Information2.9
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings2.8
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People2.8

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Realistic5.6
Conventional3.8
Enterprising3.7
Social2.9
Artistic2.7
Investigative1.6

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Food Production Production and Processing Mathematics Sales and Marketing

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Prepare the same item more than once under a time and cost limit, then improve consistency using another person's feedback.
Ask someone doing this job which feeder role built the required experience, what that earlier job paid, and how long the transition actually took.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Cooks, restaurant nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Speaking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

Prior related experience: less than 5 years. Look for the preceding roles and promotion route before treating this as a first job.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options