State of Connecticut Home Follow Research on FacebookFollow CTDOL on InstagramFollow CTDOL on LinkedINFollow CTDOL on YouTube
Connecticut Department of Labor Home Connecticut Labor Market Information Home Connecticut Labor Market Information Home
LMI Home About JCC Contact Us Link to JCC Help Site Map
Job & Career Connection Home Page
  Occupation Profile   
 
 5 Steps
Step 1 Find an Occupation
that is Right for You
Step 2 Learn About an Occupation
Step 3 Search for
Education & Training
Step 4 Search for
Jobs & Employers
Step 5 Job Seeker Resources
 Printer Friendly Version
 
COOKS, RESTAURANT
An Occupation in
 
Occupation Description:
 
  Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.
 
Career Video:
  Video Icon  Cooks, Restaurant
  Open-captioning or video transcript included for the hearing impaired. Career videos brought to you by CareerOneStop. Copyright © 2017 All Rights Reserved.
 
Typical Tasks:
 
 
  • Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment and work surfaces, or serving areas to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
  • Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
  • Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
  • Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
  • Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
  • Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
  • Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
 
Knowledge:
 
 
  • Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques..
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction..
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar..
  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods..
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects..
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources..
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications..
 
Search for Jobs on CareerOneStop:
 
  Search for Cooks, Restaurant Jobs
  (Please note that some searches may not produce any results.)
 
Education & Training:
 
  Moderate-term on-the-job training (1 to 12 months)
 
      View Related Programs on Connecticut's Education & Training ConneCTion site
 
Wage Information:
 
 
Region Average Annual Average Hourly Entry Level (hourly) Mid-Range  (hourly)
Statewide $39,727.00 $19.10 $16.10 $17.35 - $21.27
Bridgeport/Stamford $41,490.00 $19.95 $16.92 $17.85 - $22.49
Danbury $38,531.00 $18.52 $15.49 $15.83 - $20.59
Hartford $38,954.00 $18.73 $15.92 $17.40 - $20.62
New Haven $39,397.00 $18.94 $15.93 $17.20 - $21.35
New London/Norwich $39,470.00 $18.98 $15.92 $17.21 - $20.62
Waterbury $38,686.00 $18.60 $15.54 $17.02 - $19.57
Torrington $38,913.00 $18.71 $15.38 $16.34 - $21.66
      
Select a town to see its region Not sure which Region applies to you?
    

 
Occupation Outlook:
 
 
Region Employment Average Annual Growth Rate Average Annual Job Openings
2022 2032
State of Connecticut 12,810 17,710 0.3% 2,775
 
 
Chart of Growth Rate and Annual Openings   Employment in this occupation is expected to grow more slowly than average, and the number of annual openings will offer limited job opportunities.
Key:
  N/A = Not Applicable, ***** = Over $60.00 per hour, ##### = Over $124,821
 
Similar Occupations:
 
 
State of Connecticut Department of Labor - Office of Research, 200 Folly Brook Boulevard, Wethersfield, CT 06109
LMI Home | CTDOL Home | Feedback | This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. (more)
ct.gov logo with flag embelishment About CT Policies Accessibility Directories Social Media For State Employees