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Restaurant Cook Salary in the United States

How much does a Restaurant Cook make in the United States? The salary range for a Restaurant Cook job is from $37,837 to $45,913 per year in the United States. Click on the filter to check out Restaurant Cook job salaries by hourly, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and yearly.

Average base salary
updated at March 01, 2025
$41,530
Per Year
The average salary for a Restaurant Cook is $41,530
per Year in the United States.
Individually reported data submitted by users of our website

HOW SHOULD YOU USE THIS DATA?

Employees: Use this as a guide for salary expectations, but be aware that responsibilities can change across companies for the same job title, so there may be differences between this data, other free site and our subscription products bought by employers.

Employers: This data could be used as reference point in your market pricing, but not the only source, due to differences across jobs locations, and sizes of companies.Consider additional sources like our Employer reported data.

Base Salary
$37,837
$41,530
Medium
$45,913

Highest Paying Cities for Restaurant Cook in the United States

Restaurant Cook salaries in the United States will pay differently by cities. Below following are the eight cities with the highest income for Restaurant Cook jobs in the United States. The city with the highest salary is San Jose. Click on the Restaurant Cook salary in cities you are interested in to view detailed job salary information.

States with Higher Salaries for Restaurant Cook

The five states where Restaurant Cook jobs get higher salaries in the United States are: District of Columbia, California, New Jersey, Alaska, and Massachusetts. Compared with the average salary of a Restaurant Cook in the United States, the state of District of Columbia with the highest job income for this job. The second and third states are California and New Jersey respectively. The high or low salary paid to Restaurant Cook by the US has a greater relationship with the demand for jobs and the cost of living.

How Much Do Similar Professions Get Paid in the United States?

There are some different titles for Restaurant Cook jobs, and the job title of Restaurant Cook will vary in different companies. The job title has a lot to do with the department and responsibilities, and the same job title will vary in different departments. The following list is the salary of jobs similar to Restaurant Cook, start to view Restaurant Cook-related jobs you are interested in.
Restaurant Line Cook
Average salary
United States
$37,555
per Year
Cook
Average salary
United States
$37,431
per Year
Assistant Cook/Cook
Average salary
United States
$36,787
per Year
Line Cook/Prep Cook
Average salary
United States
$37,200
per Year
Fry Cook
Average salary
United States
$40,884
per Year

How Much Should You Be Earning?

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What Does a Restaurant Cook Do?

Professional restaurant cooks do the basic tasks of cooking – braising, blanching, whisking, garnishing, grilling and more.

December 06, 2021

The term 'cook' within a restaurant kitchen may also refer to a person with little to no creative influence on a menu and little to no command over others within the kitchen, such as a line cook.

December 04, 2021

Restaurant cooks are responsible for many of the daily tasks in a restaurant, such as maintaining the cleanliness of the restaurant, particularly the cooking area.

December 01, 2021

It is far too general to order a plate of Chow Mein in Asia because there are so many varieties, and the restaurant will not know what to cook for you.

November 28, 2021

Perched atop Tower III, our AAA four-diamond fine dining restaurant offers French and New American cuisine, a cellar filled with more than 10,000 bottles of wine and stunning views of the city, Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet.

November 28, 2021

Most Common Benefits for Restaurant Cook

Social Security
Healthcare
401(k)
Pension
Disability
Time Off (days)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about salaries for a Restaurant Cook
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Professional restaurant cooks do the basic tasks of cooking – braising, blanching, whisking, garnishing, grilling and more.
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Check the below career pages for detailed pay ranges for similar professions to Restaurant Cook:
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Explore our personal salary report to know the Restaurant Cook market value in the United States. And find out if any places are having a higher Restaurant Cook salary.
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The highest Restaurant Cook salary is $45,913, while the lowest is $37,837 in the United States.
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