Prep cook salary at a glance
US prep cook hourly rate: $15–$22/hr depending on city, kitchen type, and experience. Hotel and fine dining kitchens pay the most. DishwasherHero+ places prep cooks as W-2 employees at $16–$19/hr across 30+ cities with weekly pay.
Prep Cook Hourly Rate by Kitchen Type
- Fast casual / QSR: $15–$17/hr — basic prep tasks, entry-level
- Casual dining: $15–$18/hr
- Independent restaurants: $16–$20/hr — depends heavily on chef and cuisine
- Hotel kitchens: $18–$22/hr — structured pay, volume prep
- Fine dining: $18–$22/hr — precision required, longer hours
- Catering commissaries: $16–$20/hr — high volume, production-line environment
- On-demand (DishwasherHero+): $16–$19/hr — W-2 employment, flexible shifts
Prep Cook Pay by City (2026)
- New York City: $18–$26/hr
- San Francisco: $19–$24/hr — California AB5 W-2 required
- Seattle: $20–$25/hr — Washington State minimum wage $16.66/hr (2026)
- Los Angeles: $18–$23/hr
- Chicago: $17–$22/hr
- Las Vegas: $17–$22/hr
- Miami: $16–$20/hr
- Houston / Dallas: $15–$19/hr
- Atlanta: $15–$19/hr
- Toronto (CAD): CAD $17–$23/hr — Ontario ESA T4
- Vancouver (CAD): CAD $18–$24/hr
Prep Cook Career Path and Pay Progression
- Entry prep cook (0–1 year): $15–$17/hr — learning knife skills and mise en place basics
- Experienced prep cook (1–3 years): $17–$20/hr — faster, more autonomous
- Prep station lead (3+ years): $19–$24/hr — manages prep team and daily lists
- Junior line cook: $18–$22/hr — natural next step from prep
- Line cook: $20–$28/hr — executing dishes to order during service
How Prep Cooks Can Earn More
- Build speed — prep efficiency is the main metric for advancement and raises
- Learn all stations — versatility makes you more valuable and harder to replace
- Move into a prep lead role — typically adds $2–$5/hr
- Transition to line cook — the most common path to a significant pay increase
- Pick up on-demand shifts — DishwasherHero+ places prep cooks at $16–$19/hr with weekly pay and no commitment
- Work hotel banquet kitchens — high-volume prep at structured hotel pay scales
Find prep cook shifts: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles.
Find prep cook shifts near you
DishwasherHero+ places prep cooks as W-2 employees at $16–$19/hr across 30+ US and Canadian cities — weekly pay, flexible scheduling, no long-term commitment.
Also see: What is a prep cook? →
