Grill Cook Salary: What You’ll Make and Why
Grill cooks make around $28,299 to $48,868 on average in the US, depending on experience, location, skills, and other factors.
According to various salary aggregate websites, a grill cook’s salary in the US ranges between $28,299 and $48,868, with an average salary of $33,879. As of July 2022, the base salaries for grill cooks are listed as follows:
| Payscale | ZipRecruiter | Indeed | Salary.com | Glassdoor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $29,282 | $28,299 | $32,119 | $30,826 | $48,868 |
Keep in mind: Salary aggregate websites typically rely on data submitted anonymously by individuals using their site. Some websites may have received larger amounts of data of either higher or lower than average salaries, which may affect the site’s calculated average.
Read more: What Is a Grill Cook? How to Become One
What influences a salary?
The salary of a Grill Cook is determined by a number of factors, including education, experience, and job location. In this article, we will take a closer look at how these factors impact salary.
Years of experience
Salary increases are generally tied to your experience level. In general, the more years you spend working as a grill cook, the more you can expect to earn. Here’s how experience can impact your grill cook salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Compensation Survey.
| Level of experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry-level (less than 1 year) | $25,432 |
| Early career (1 to 4 years) | $29,808 |
| Mid career (5 to 9 years) | $34,735 |
| Experienced (10 to 19 years) | $38,491 |
| Late career (20+ years) | $45,707 |
Location
Where you live can also impact how much you can make as a grill cook. Typically, working in a large metropolitan area correlates to a higher salary, as well as a higher cost of living.
Here is a list of some major cities with their corresponding average grill cook salary according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| City | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $45,833 |
| Seattle, WA | $42,587 |
| New York City, NY | $41,359 |
| Boston, MA | $40,544 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $39,087 |
| Dallas, TX | $31,011 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $30,999 |
| Birmingham, AL | $30,976 |
| New Orleans, LA | $29,382 |
| Houston, TX | $28,693 |
How does this compare to similar jobs?
Here’s how a grill cook’s salary stacks up against similar jobs.
| Related Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Busser | $21,610 |
| Server | $24,179 |
| Food Runner | $22,572 |
| Chef | $31,514 |
| Sous Chef | $44,369 |
| Line Cook | $27,104 |
| Dishwasher | $23,011 |
| Host | $29,586 |
| Prep Cook | $25,676 |
How to increase your grill cook salary
Now that you have a better idea of what you could expect to earn as a grill cook, let’s look at ways to boost your salary.
1. Strengthen your skills
Pursuing and improving in-demand skills could make you more competitive for promotions and higher-paying positions. These skills include:
- Fire management: Understand how to control the heat of the grill to cook food properly
- Proper food handling: Handle food according to health and safety guidelines to prevent foodborne illness
- Knife skills: Cut food into uniform pieces using different knife cuts
- Plate presentation: Arrange food on plates in an appealing way
- Time management: Work quickly and efficiently to cook food orders in a timely manner
2. Maintain a consistent performance
As a grill cook, you’ll need to be able to work quickly and efficiently under pressure. Maintaining a consistent performance will show your boss that you’re reliable and capable, and it may lead to a raise down the line.
3. Negotiate your job offer
When you’re offered a job, don’t just accept the first salary that’s offered. Instead, try to negotiate for a higher salary. If you’re able to successfully negotiate, you could end up with a higher salary than you would have otherwise.
Article Sources
1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “National Compensation Survey, https://www.bls.gov/ncs/.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
2. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wages, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes352014.htm.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
3. Payscale. “Grill Cook Hourly Pay, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Grill_Cook/Hourly_Rate.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
4. Ziprecruiter. “Grill COOK Annual Salary, https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Grill-COOK-Salary.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
5. Indeed. “Indeed Salary Finder, https://www.indeed.com/career/salaries.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
6. Salary.com. “Grill Cook Salary, https://www.salary.com/research/salary/listing/grill-cook-salary.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
7. Glassdoor. “Grill Cook Salaries, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/grill-cook-salary-SRCH_KO0,10.htm.” Accessed July 2, 2022.