A line cook is a kitchen professional who works at a specific station on the line, plating up dishes for service. They cook menu items, follow recipes and keep their station clean. Line cooks often specialise in certain types of dishes, grilled, sauces or veg. They work under the head chef or sous chef and are key to getting food out quickly and to a high standard.
Line cooks are the backbone of any kitchen. They are the food preparation engine, ensuring dishes are consistent to the restaurant’s standards. Their speed and skill directly impact service speed and food quality to the customer. In busy times the line cook can be the difference between a successful service and a kitchen in meltdown.
You’re the head chef at a busy bistro on a Friday night. Your grill line cook calls in sick at the last minute. You quickly move your sauté line cook to the grill as they’ve done that station before. You then move your garde manger (cold station) line cook to sauté as they’ve been training on hot dishes. You bring in a prep cook to cover the garde manger for the night. This quick reshuffle of your line cooks allows your kitchen to keep running smoothly and to a high standard during a peak service, showing off the importance of skilled line cooks in hospitality.'