Line Cook

JOB DESCRIPTION POSITION SUMMARY

The Line Cook is responsible for preparing and executing menu items according to established recipes, specifications, portions, and presentation standards while maintaining a clean, organized, safe, and professional workstation.

Line Cooks are the foundation of kitchen execution. Every dish served to a guest must be prepared with consistency, attention to detail, proper technique, and pride—regardless of volume or how busy the restaurant becomes.

The ideal candidate is dependable, organized, team-oriented, receptive to coaching, and capable of working with urgency while maintaining quality and composure.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIESCULINARY EXECUTION & QUALITY

• Prepare and cook menu items according to established recipes and specifications.
• Follow all portion, cooking, seasoning, and presentation standards.
• Maintain consistency from the first dish of the shift through the last.
• Taste and inspect food throughout preparation and service.
• Ensure proper temperatures, textures, seasoning, and presentation.
• Never serve food that does not meet restaurant standards.
• Immediately communicate quality concerns to culinary leadership.
• Follow allergy and dietary-request procedures carefully and accurately.
• Maintain awareness of ticket times and service flow.
• Work with urgency without sacrificing quality or safety.

STATION SETUP & MISE EN PLACE

Every Line Cook is responsible for arriving prepared and having their station completely ready before service.

• Review daily prep and station requirements.
• Complete assigned prep accurately and on time.
• Set up the station according to established standards.
• Maintain appropriate pars for anticipated business.
• Verify the quality and freshness of all mise en place.
• Ensure all products are properly labeled, dated, stored, and rotated.
• Maintain clean and organized refrigeration, drawers, shelves, and work surfaces.
• Communicate shortages before service begins.
• Stock appropriate utensils, containers, towels, sanitation supplies, and equipment.
• Ensure equipment is functioning properly before service.

Being scheduled at the start of service does not mean beginning to get ready for service. The station must be ready when service begins.

SERVICE EXECUTION

• Read and execute tickets accurately.
• Communicate clearly with expo and fellow cooks.
• Coordinate cooking times with other stations.
• Follow proper firing and pickup procedures.
• Maintain awareness of ticket times.
• Respond immediately to direction from expo or culinary leadership.
• Communicate delays, missing products, mistakes, or other concerns immediately.
• Assist neighboring stations when necessary.
• Maintain composure during high-volume service.
• Remain focused and aware of the entire line rather than only individual tasks.

PREP & PRODUCTION

• Complete assigned prep lists.
• Follow recipes exactly unless instructed otherwise by culinary leadership.
• Use proper knife skills and preparation techniques.
• Portion products accurately.
• Minimize unnecessary trim and waste.
• Maintain established yields.
• Properly cool, store, label, date, and rotate prepared products.
• Communicate incomplete prep or shortages before they become service problems.
• Assist other team members with production when assigned work is complete.

CLEANLINESS & ORGANIZATION

A professional cook maintains a clean station throughout the shift—not only at closing.

• Clean as you work.
• Keep cutting boards and work surfaces clean and sanitized.
• Maintain organized refrigeration and storage.
• Keep floors free of food, grease, water, and other hazards.
• Keep towels and sanitation buckets properly maintained.
• Remove unnecessary containers, equipment, and clutter.
• Properly store knives and tools.
• Sweep and clean assigned areas throughout the shift.
• Maintain clean equipment.
• Participate in daily and scheduled deep cleaning.
• Leave the station cleaner and more organized than it was received.

FOOD SAFETY & SANITATION

Food safety is non-negotiable.

Line Cooks must:

• Follow all applicable health department and food-safety requirements.
• Wash hands properly and frequently.
• Maintain excellent personal hygiene.
• Prevent cross-contamination.
• Follow proper glove-use procedures.
• Maintain safe food temperatures.
• Follow proper cooling, reheating, thawing, and storage procedures.
• Properly label and date all products.
• Follow FIFO rotation.
• Keep raw and ready-to-eat products properly separated.
• Maintain proper sanitizer concentration and procedures.
• Follow established allergy protocols.
• Immediately report refrigeration, plumbing, pest, equipment, or sanitation concerns.
• Never use questionable, spoiled, improperly stored, or unsafe food.

When unsure whether a product is safe, stop and ask a chef or manager. Never guess with food safety.

WASTE & COST CONTROL

Every cook has responsibility for protecting the restaurant's products and controlling food cost.

• Follow portion standards.
• Use ingredients responsibly.
• Minimize unnecessary waste.
• Avoid overproduction.
• Follow proper storage procedures to prevent spoilage.
• Use appropriate trim and product utilization practices.
• Do not discard usable product without authorization when required.
• Record waste according to restaurant procedures.
• Immediately communicate damaged or spoiled product.
• Respect ingredients, equipment, and company property.

RECEIVING & STORAGE

When assigned:

• Assist with receiving deliveries.
• Inspect products for quality.
• Store products promptly and correctly.
• Follow FIFO rotation.
• Maintain organized walk-ins, freezers, and dry storage.
• Keep food properly elevated and stored.
• Immediately report damaged, incorrect, or unacceptable products.

OPENING RESPONSIBILITIES

Opening duties may include:

• Inspecting station cleanliness.
• Checking refrigeration temperatures.
• Turning on and safely preparing assigned equipment.
• Reviewing prep requirements.
• Completing mise en place.
• Checking product quality and freshness.
• Stocking the station.
• Preparing sanitation supplies.
• Communicating shortages or equipment concerns.
• Ensuring the station is completely ready before service begins.

CLOSING RESPONSIBILITIES

Closing duties may include:

• Properly cool and store remaining food.
• Label and date all products.
• Consolidate and organize products appropriately.
• Clean and sanitize work surfaces.
• Clean assigned cooking equipment.
• Clean refrigeration interiors and exteriors as assigned.
• Sweep and clean floors.
• Remove trash.
• Clean and organize utensils and smallwares.
• Restock for the following shift when required.
• Complete assigned deep-cleaning responsibilities.
• Communicate low inventory, prep needs, maintenance concerns, and product issues to culinary leadership.
• Ensure the station is clean, organized, safe, and ready for the next shift.

TEAMWORK & COMMUNICATION

Kitchen success depends on the entire team.

Line Cooks are expected to:

• Communicate clearly and respectfully.
• Help teammates when their own station is under control.
• Accept coaching without becoming defensive.
• Ask questions when unsure.
• Communicate mistakes immediately rather than hiding them.
• Treat FOH and BOH employees professionally.
• Respect direction from culinary leadership.
• Contribute to a positive, productive kitchen environment.
• Avoid unnecessary negativity, arguments, or disruptive behavior.
• Understand that no station operates independently from the rest of the restaurant.

PROFESSIONALISM & PERSONAL HYGIENE

• Arrive on time and ready to work.
• Maintain a clean uniform and professional appearance.
• Maintain excellent personal hygiene.
• Wear appropriate non-slip footwear.
• Maintain proper grooming standards.
• Remain focused and productive while working.
• Follow company policies regarding phones, breaks, attendance, and workplace conduct.
• Treat coworkers, managers, vendors, and guests with respect.
• Demonstrate pride in your work and workstation.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

Successful Line Cooks consistently:

• Produce high-quality food.
• Follow recipes and specifications.
• Maintain proper portions.
• Execute tickets accurately.
• Maintain appropriate ticket times.
• Keep stations clean and organized.
• Complete prep on time.
• Follow food-safety procedures.
• Minimize waste.
• Communicate effectively.
• Support fellow team members.
• Respond positively to coaching.
• Demonstrate reliability and punctuality.
• Maintain standards during high-volume service.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to stand for extended periods.
• Ability to work in hot and fast-paced kitchen environments.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, and pull up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to bend, reach, squat, and perform repetitive tasks.
• Ability to safely use knives and commercial kitchen equipment.
• Ability to work mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays according to business needs.

SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

A successful Line Cook comes to work prepared, maintains a clean and organized station, completes prep correctly, executes dishes consistently, communicates with the team, responds well to coaching, and takes pride in every plate leaving the kitchen.

Being a great Line Cook is not simply about cooking quickly.

It is about quality, consistency, organization, cleanliness, urgency, teamwork, and pride in execution—every plate, every service, every shift.

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