Explore
Restaurant kitchen
Line Cook
Six hours of controlled chaos on the hot line.
Typical pay
$32k-$60k
How you get in
On the job or culinary school
Outlook
Always hiring; turnover is high
Line cooks execute a station during service. Physical, fast and communal, with a culture unlike any office job.
A day in the life
- 1:00pClock in, start prep
- 3:30pSet the station, taste sauces
- 5:00pFamily meal and pre-shift
- 5:30pDoors open, tickets start
- 9:00pPeak rush, forty tickets on the rail
- 11:30pBreak down and deep clean
How to get in
Start on prep and work up
Duration
6-18 months
Cost
$0 — paid from day one
Credential
None — the pass is the test
- Get hired on prep or dish at a kitchen with a chef worth learning from
- Show up early, stay late and keep your station clean
- Take a garde manger or fry station when it opens
- Work your way toward the hot line and sauté
Culinary school
Duration
1-2 years
Cost
$20,000-$60,000
Credential
Culinary arts diploma or associate degree
- Complete a culinary program with a required externship
- Use the externship to get into a kitchen you could not walk into
- Graduate and still start near the bottom of the line
- Faster theory and technique, but the debt is real and the pay is not
Stage your way in
Duration
Weeks to months
Cost
$0, though a stage is usually unpaid
Credential
None — a reference from the chef
- Ask to stage — work a free trial shift — at kitchens you admire
- Prove you can keep up and take correction without ego
- Convert a stage into a paid station
- Repeat at progressively better restaurants
What people love
- · Learn a real craft fast
- · No degree needed
- · Immediate feedback
What wears people down
- · Nights, weekends, holidays
- · Low pay for the intensity
- · Burns, cuts and burnout