Food Service35-2012.00Specialization

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.

$35,320
Median Pay
Less than 6 months
Training
🟑
AI-Augmented

This is a specialization of

Cooks

Career Overview Video

AI Impact Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 4/6: low AI task exposure means AI will assist but humans remain essential

🟑AI-Augmented

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Low+2

12% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Stable+1

+2% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Moderate+1

EPOCH score: 12/25

Total Score4/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09

Key Responsibilities

  • Monitor and record food temperatures to ensure food safety.
  • Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
  • Rotate and store food supplies.
  • Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment.
  • Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons.
  • Clean and inspect galley equipment, kitchen appliances, and work areas to ensure cleanliness and functional operation.
  • Clean, cut, and cook meat, fish, or poultry.
  • Direct activities of one or more workers who assist in preparing and serving meals.
  • Train new employees.
  • Take inventory of supplies and equipment.

Education & Training

Typical Entry Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Time to Job Ready

0-1 years

Based on Job Zone 2. For formal education duration only, see education_duration.

Technology Skills

GNOME GnutritionIBM Lotus 1-2-3Meals PlusMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft WordPCS Revenue Control Systems FASTRAK School Meal SoftwarePoint of sale POS softwareSpreadsheet softwareWord processing software

Key Abilities

Oral ExpressionNear VisionOral ComprehensionProblem SensitivityDeductive ReasoningInformation OrderingCategory FlexibilitySpeech ClarityWritten ComprehensionInductive Reasoning

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Find jobs and training programs for cooks, institution and cafeteria- Median salary: $35K/year

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Compensation Details

$25,290
10th Percentile
$35,320
Median
$47,310
90th Percentile

Based on 435,640 employed workers

Also Known As

Boarding House CookCafeteria CookCamp CookCookCulinary SpecialistDietary AideDietary CookDinner CookFood Service SpecialistFood Service Worker

Data from O*NET 30.1 and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

O*NET Code: 35-2012.00