What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the U.S. earn more than $37,450 a year — the middle 80% land between $28,480 and $49,670. About 441,050 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Service and sales workers earn about ₹15,575 a month on average — around ₹1.9 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$37,450typical pay / year
441,050people in this work
$49,670+top 10% earn
₹1.9 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Fixing4
Control and regulate temperatures
+Set and monitor oven, holding cabinet and blast chiller targets so cooked proteins hit 165°F within two hours…
Control and regulate temperatures
+Set and monitor oven, holding cabinet and blast chiller targets so cooked proteins hit 165°F within two hours and hot-holding stays above 140°F across every service, log readings each hour and flag any drift for corrective action.
The tools that do the workGNOME GnutritionESCOjob descriptionsO*NET
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Apportion and serve food
+Portion plated meals to meet the published serving sizes for lunch service, note any allergy substitutions on…
Apportion and serve food
+Portion plated meals to meet the published serving sizes for lunch service, note any allergy substitutions on the ticket, and hand trays to the server line so every guest receives the correct meal and calorie count.
The tools that do the workMeals Plusjob descriptionsO*NET
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Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils
+Inspect, scrub and sanitize all pots, pans, utensils and prep bowls after dinner rush, run the machine cycle…
Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils
+Inspect, scrub and sanitize all pots, pans, utensils and prep bowls after dinner rush, run the machine cycle when items meet prewash standards, and record chemical concentration and machine cycle times on the wash log.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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Rotate and store food supplies
+Check incoming stock dates, move older items to the front of the cooler, mark use-by dates on cartons,…
Rotate and store food supplies
+Check incoming stock dates, move older items to the front of the cooler, mark use-by dates on cartons, discard anything past safe storage times and update the inventory sheet so first-in, first-out is enforced.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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Protecting1
Assign specific baking tasks
+Assign bakers to make morning breads and sheet cakes with quantities tied to tomorrow’s service counts,…
Assign specific baking tasks
+Assign bakers to make morning breads and sheet cakes with quantities tied to tomorrow’s service counts, confirm allergen-free trays for special orders, and note oven schedules so proofs and bakes finish before breakfast prep.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCOO*NET
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The daily work15
Select adequate ingredients
+Choose ingredients for tonight’s vegetarian service that meet our supplier specs, avoid peanuts and shellfish…
Select adequate ingredients
+Choose ingredients for tonight’s vegetarian service that meet our supplier specs, avoid peanuts and shellfish for allergy safety, fit the cost-per-portion target of $2.50, and arrive fresh enough to hold three hours on the line.
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Combination of textures
+Compose three dishes that contrast soft, crunchy and creamy textures for Saturday dinner service, using only…
Combination of textures
+Compose three dishes that contrast soft, crunchy and creamy textures for Saturday dinner service, using only on‑hand proteins and produce, keeping total prep under two hours and noting any allergy swaps.
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Operate kneading of food products
+Run the dough program for tomorrow’s rolls: set mixing time and speed for high‑gluten flour, schedule a…
Operate kneading of food products
+Run the dough program for tomorrow’s rolls: set mixing time and speed for high‑gluten flour, schedule a 90‑minute bulk ferment, log mixer batch number and sanitation check, and flag any dough run over 3 kg.
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Direct activities of one or more workers who assist in preparing and serving meals.
+Run service today: assign Maria to sauté station, Jorge to plating and Lisa to desserts, brief them at 10:30…
Direct activities of one or more workers who assist in preparing and serving meals.
+Run service today: assign Maria to sauté station, Jorge to plating and Lisa to desserts, brief them at 10:30 on portion sizes, allergy alerts for peanut and shellfish, and have Lisa check hot-holding temps every hour during the lunch rush.
The tools that do the workMeals PlusO*NET
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Train new employees.
+Train Ana and Paul this morning: demonstrate safe fryer and grill operation, walk them through the standard…
Train new employees.
+Train Ana and Paul this morning: demonstrate safe fryer and grill operation, walk them through the standard chicken breading and allergen procedures, supervise their practice run during prep, then sign off their competency sheet before they work lunch.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Take inventory of supplies and equipment.
+Do a full inventory before closing: count dry goods, dairy, and cleaning supplies, tag any damaged pans or…
Take inventory of supplies and equipment.
+Do a full inventory before closing: count dry goods, dairy, and cleaning supplies, tag any damaged pans or broken utensils for replacement, flag low-stock items under three days' supply, and generate a restock list for tomorrow's vendor order.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Determine meal prices, based on calculations of ingredient prices.
+Calculate next week's meal prices: total ingredient costs for spaghetti dinner including pasta, sauce, meat,…
Determine meal prices, based on calculations of ingredient prices.
+Calculate next week's meal prices: total ingredient costs for spaghetti dinner including pasta, sauce, meat, and sides, add labor and overhead per portion, then set price to maintain a 30 percent food cost margin for the school lunch line.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Create new food designs and recipes
+Develop two seasonal recipes this week: create a vegetarian entrée and a nut-free dessert, list precise…
Create new food designs and recipes
+Develop two seasonal recipes this week: create a vegetarian entrée and a nut-free dessert, list precise ingredient weights, step-by-step cooking times, equipment needed, and note allergen substitutions and plating guidance for the line.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCO
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Mix ingredients
+Mix ingredients for tomorrow's service: combine dry spice blend in a bowl to the measured grams, weigh and…
Mix ingredients
+Mix ingredients for tomorrow's service: combine dry spice blend in a bowl to the measured grams, weigh and hydrate the dough and rest for the specified time, then portion into 40 uniform servings and label with prep time and allergen warnings.
The tools that do the workGNOME GnutritionESCO
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Monitor cooking process
+Watch the braise and fry stations from 11:00 to 14:00, log temperatures and times every 15 minutes, flag any…
Monitor cooking process
+Watch the braise and fry stations from 11:00 to 14:00, log temperatures and times every 15 minutes, flag any deviation over 5°C or 10 minutes, and tell me immediately if a ticket will be late or needs reheating.
The tools that do the workGNOME GnutritionESCO
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Direct workers in task performance
+Assign Emma to sauté and Marco to plating for the lunch rush, tell them to stagger start by five minutes,…
Direct workers in task performance
+Assign Emma to sauté and Marco to plating for the lunch rush, tell them to stagger start by five minutes, confirm allergen checks before service, and call a brief pre-shift to review portion sizes at 10:45.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCO
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Handle kitchen equipment according to the requirements
+Inspect the range, slicer and tilt skillets now, confirm safety guards and calibrations, note any worn seals…
Handle kitchen equipment according to the requirements
+Inspect the range, slicer and tilt skillets now, confirm safety guards and calibrations, note any worn seals or loose knobs, tag out equipment that fails and arrange maintenance before dinner service.
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Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
+Compare today's production against the recipe yields and batch records, verify ingredient weights and HACCP…
Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
+Compare today's production against the recipe yields and batch records, verify ingredient weights and HACCP checkpoints, and produce a short nonconformance note if any step strays from the formulation.
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Apply flame handling regulations
+Run a quick gas and open-flame safety check before service, ensure fire blankets and suppression are…
Apply flame handling regulations
+Run a quick gas and open-flame safety check before service, ensure fire blankets and suppression are unobstructed, brief staff on emergency shut-off points, and log completion with time and signer.
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Food allergies
+Pull the allergen list for today's menu, mark every ticket with allergen flags, assign one cook to prepare…
Food allergies
+Pull the allergen list for today's menu, mark every ticket with allergen flags, assign one cook to prepare allergy-safe plates in a dedicated area, and text the server team the confirmed substitutions.
Pasted it? Good. When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Says who?
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Activities this job lives in
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The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses