10 of the Most Popular Types of Prep Chef Jobs in 2026

See what kind of roles similar to Prep Chef jobs are hiring now

Top Types Of Prep Chef Jobs

• Cook

  Salary range: $28,000 - $37,500

  A Cook—also called a Chef—is ultimately responsible for preparing the food that is served in restaurants or other dining establishments. As the head of the kitchen, Cooks also supervise other work and oversee the kitchen to ensure it all runs smoothly. In some restaurants, Cooks are responsible for creating recipes and menus, planning events, ensuring that food and kitchen regulations are followed, and sticking to a restaurant budget. There are different levels of this position that you can earn, meaning that there can be a wide range to all the potential possibilities and responsibilities of a daily Cook. For example, there’s the Head Chef who runs the kitchen while the other Cooks are responsible for specific types of food.

• Prep Cook

  Salary range: $28,500 - $36,000

  A prep cook works in a restaurant or private kitchen, preparing ingredients for other chefs to cook. As a prep cook, your responsibilities center on simplifying the cooking process for everyone in the kitchen. Your duties include cleaning, peeling, chopping, cutting, slicing, and dicing vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, and other food. You are also responsible for maintaining health and safety standards in the kitchen, which is a responsibility of everyone on the staff. You need excellent knife skills to safely and quickly prepare food, and you need communication skills to follow instructions and collaborate with your coworkers. Experience working in a kitchen is helpful when you look for jobs as a prep cook, but a prep cook can sometimes be considered to be an entry-level position.

• Executive Chef

  Salary range: $71,500 - $98,500

  An executive chef is the head of the entire kitchen operation of a restaurant. Executive chefs manage inventory, budgeting, menu planning, training, plating, and all kitchen staff, from sous chefs to dishwashers. They ensure the high standard of food quality and that service runs smoothly and efficiently. Executive chefs are the highest level of level of management in the kitchen, and they are ultimately responsible for its success or failure.

• Private Chef

  Salary range: $52,500 - $120,000

  A private chef prepares meals for clients, usually in the client’s home kitchen. In addition to meal prep, a private chef cooks food and may plate the food as well. A private chef typically only works for one client, while a personal chef may take on many clients, according to the American Personal and Private Chef Association (APPCA). The type of food that a private chef cooks depends on the dietary needs and preferences of the client.

• Line Cook

  Salary range: $31,500 - $39,500

  A line cook is a restaurant staff member who works in the kitchen, usually working a particular station on the line during service. As a line cook, your responsibilities and duties may include setting your station mise en place, firing food to order, and plating food. Line cooks work at a station, for example, the grill or fryer, but they are cross-trained to work any position in the kitchen. Your job is to work as a team with the entire kitchen staff to prepare meals that are consistently high in quality and delivered rapidly to the front of the house.

• Personal Chef

  Salary range: $43,000 - $90,000

  Personal Chefs plan and prepare meals for their clients. Some cook in their clients' homes or offices, while others work in a professional kitchen or their own kitchen and transport the meals to their clients. In this role, you may work for just one client or have several clients at the same time. Your job duties include discussing meal preferences and dietary restrictions with your client, shopping for ingredients, and preparing the meals. If you cook in your client's home, you are also responsible for cleaning up and putting away kitchen tools. Personal Chefs may cook meals a few times a week or every day, depending on their client's contract expectations.

• Sous Chef

  Salary range: $50,000 - $67,500

  A sous chef is the second-in-command in a restaurant kitchen. Sous means under in French, and it relates to the sous chef being in charge of the kitchen when the chef is not there or occupied. It’s a coveted position. Sous chefs manage the kitchen and train new staff. This position also allows for culinary creativity. Sous chefs manage food presentations, relay recipes and instructions from the head chef, and maintain an optimal level of efficiency of the staff. They apply their skills to the food, training new chefs on how to perfect a dish or recipe, and creating delicious meals for their customers.

• Monday Friday Chef

  Salary range: $35,000 - $64,500

  Monday Friday Chef is a typical job search query Most salaries for Monday Friday Chef jobs pay between $35,000 (25th percentile) and $64,500 (75th percentile) annually. Take a look at the variety of open positions nationwide for Monday Friday Chef job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• No Experience Cook

  Salary range: $28,000 - $37,500

  No Experience Cook is a typical job search query Most salaries for No Experience Cook jobs pay between $28,000 (25th percentile) and $37,500 (75th percentile) annually. Take a look at the variety of open positions nationwide for No Experience Cook job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Line Cooks

  Salary range: $31,500 - $39,500

  Line Cooks is a popular job search query. Most salaries for Line Cooks jobs pay between $31,500 (25th percentile) and $39,500 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Line Cooks job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.