Line cook job description template

What a line cook does

Line cooks are the engine of a restaurant kitchen. They prep their station, cook to spec under pressure, and keep the line clean and safe while tickets keep coming. Experienced cooks read job descriptions for three things: the station, the volume, and the kitchen culture. Say which station you're hiring for and how many covers you do. Vague postings attract cooks who leave after their first busy weekend.

Line cook job description template

Copy the description, replace everything in [brackets], and cut any line that isn't true for your job. The duties and requirements are a starting point written by HR practitioners, not a legal standard, so edit them to match the real work.

Line cook

Details
- Department: [Department]
- Reports to: [Manager title]
- Location: [City, State, or remote]
- Employment type: [Full-time, part-time, or seasonal]
- FLSA status: Nonexempt
- Pay range: [$X to $Y per hour]

About [Company]
[Two or three sentences about what your company does, who it serves, and why people like working here.]

Job summary
We're hiring a line cook to prepare dishes to our standards on the [station], keep the line clean and organized, and help our kitchen deliver great food every service.

What you'll do
- Prepare ingredients and set up the station before service.
- Cook menu items to recipe, portion, and plating standards.
- Follow tickets and communicate clearly with the expo and other stations.
- Store, label, and rotate food correctly to prevent waste and contamination.
- Follow food safety, sanitation, and allergen procedures.
- Clean and sanitize the station, equipment, and tools.
- Help with deliveries, inventory, and prep for upcoming shifts.
- Support other stations when the kitchen is busy.

What you'll need
- Previous kitchen experience or culinary training.
- Food handler card as required by [State or county].
- Ability to stand for long periods, lift up to 50 pounds, and work in a hot kitchen.
- Availability for nights, weekends, and holidays.

Nice to have
- Experience on [grill, sauté, fry, or other station].
- Culinary school or apprenticeship.
- Experience in a high-volume kitchen.

Skills
Knife skills, Speed and consistency, Food safety, Communication on the line, Organization, Composure under pressure.

Physical demands and work environment
Commercial kitchen. Requires standing for the full shift, working near open flames and hot equipment, lifting up to 50 pounds, and exposure to cleaning chemicals.

Pay and benefits
[$X to $Y per hour], based on experience and location. [List benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plan match, paid time off, and training.]

Equal opportunity
[Company] is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview, contact [name] at [email or phone].

How to customize it for your job

• Name the station and the volume, such as covers per night.
• Say whether there's a staff meal and how shifts are scheduled.
• Mention growth paths, such as sous chef.
• Describe the kitchen culture honestly.

Then check it against the HRTally job description standard, our 10-point checklist, and run it through the inclusive language swap list. Both take about five minutes.

How much to pay a line cook

Half of US cooks, restaurant earned more than $17.98 an hour in May 2025, and half earned less, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That national figure is a starting point, not a pay range. Pay for the same job can differ by 30 percent or more between metro areas, so check the BLS occupation profile for state and metro data before you set your range.

For hourly roles, the legal floor matters as much as the market rate. Check the current rate where the job is based in our minimum wage by state table, and the state's overtime and break rules in our state labor law library.

To convert between hourly and annual pay, use our salary to hourly calculator. If you hire in a state or city with a pay transparency law, the range must appear in the posting itself. Our pay transparency laws guide lists where, and our guide to salary bands explains how to set ranges you can defend.

Exempt status, licenses, and legal notes

FLSA status: Nonexempt (overtime eligible). Job titles don't decide overtime eligibility. Duties and pay do. Our guide to exempt vs non-exempt employees walks through each test, and the overtime calculator shows what a nonexempt employee is owed.

Several states and counties, including California, Texas, Illinois, and Washington, require food employees to get a food handler card within a set time after hire. Under the FDA Food Code, which most states have adopted, employees must report certain illnesses to the person in charge. Line cooks are nonexempt. Cooks under 18 face limits on operating some kitchen equipment, such as power-driven meat slicers, under federal child labor rules.

This is general information for US employers, not legal advice. Laws change and vary by state and city, so confirm the current rules or talk to employment counsel before you rely on them.

Interview questions to ask

Ask every candidate the same core questions and score answers against the same criteria. Structured interviews are fairer and predict job performance better than open conversation.

1. What station are you strongest on, and why?
2. Walk me through how you set up for a Saturday night.
3. What do you do when you get buried on tickets?
4. How do you prevent cross-contact for an allergy order?

When you're ready to schedule, use our interview invitation email template. For a full hiring process, read the recruitment process guide.

Frequently asked questions