Your work. Your records.
Institution and Cafeteria Cook Workplace Records
Institutional cooks prepare food to planned menus, serving schedules and dietary requirements. A workplace concern can involve an assignment change, preparation before service or criticism after a supply problem. Record the employer and setting, such as a contractor-operated cafeteria or an institution’s own kitchen. Similar cooking titles may describe different employment arrangements; the title alone does not establish applicable coverage.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Preparation outline
Identify assigned preparation, service and cleanup tasks alongside your own scheduled and recorded work times.
Changed menu
Note when a menu or quantity instruction changed and who supplied the direction relevant to your concern.
Reporting sequence
Record the operational concern and response without including individual dietary needs or altering kitchen logs.
Start with the work you actually do
Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria (35-2012.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Monitor and record food temperatures to ensure food safety.Source task 21148 · updated 08/2019
- Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.Source task 9488 · updated 08/2019
- Rotate and store food supplies.Source task 21149 · updated 08/2019
- Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment.Source task 9491 · updated 08/2019
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria (SOC 35-2012). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $10.40 | $13.04 | $16.01 | $27,120 |
| Alaska | $21.99 | $23.36 | $25.71 | $48,580 |
| Arizona | $17.66 | $19.07 | $22.09 | $39,660 |
| Arkansas | $13.61 | $14.54 | $16.97 | $30,240 |
| Connecticut | $19.21 | $22.17 | $23.55 | $46,120 |
| Delaware | $19.05 | $21.19 | $22.14 | $44,080 |
| Florida | $16.58 | $17.43 | $19.15 | $36,250 |
| Georgia | $14.53 | $16.87 | $18.39 | $35,090 |
| Hawaii | $19.80 | $22.97 | $28.46 | $47,770 |
| Idaho | $14.78 | $17.11 | $18.75 | $35,600 |
| Indiana | $14.94 | $17.30 | $18.50 | $35,980 |
| Iowa | $14.89 | $17.22 | $18.23 | $35,810 |
| Kansas | $13.86 | $15.36 | $17.32 | $31,950 |
| Kentucky | $13.89 | $15.17 | $17.97 | $31,550 |
| Louisiana | $10.72 | $12.26 | $14.62 | $25,490 |
| Maine | $18.33 | $20.91 | $22.85 | $43,490 |
| Michigan | $16.04 | $17.72 | $19.07 | $36,870 |
| Minnesota | $18.19 | $20.90 | $22.40 | $43,460 |
| Mississippi | $11.11 | $13.17 | $14.30 | $27,390 |
| Missouri | $14.35 | $16.78 | $18.27 | $34,900 |
| Montana | $16.12 | $17.86 | $20.63 | $37,150 |
| Nebraska | $16.36 | $17.50 | $18.93 | $36,390 |
| New Hampshire | $19.15 | $21.81 | $23.80 | $45,370 |
| New Mexico | $15.54 | $17.54 | $19.09 | $36,470 |
| New York | $18.63 | $22.06 | $24.77 | $45,880 |
| North Carolina | $15.04 | $17.38 | $19.05 | $36,140 |
| North Dakota | $17.47 | $18.99 | $22.28 | $39,490 |
| Ohio | $15.91 | $17.65 | $18.90 | $36,720 |
| Oklahoma | $12.00 | $14.07 | $16.90 | $29,270 |
| Pennsylvania | $14.98 | $17.57 | $19.72 | $36,540 |
| Rhode Island | $19.40 | $22.39 | $23.34 | $46,570 |
| South Dakota | $15.48 | $17.66 | $19.70 | $36,730 |
| Tennessee | $14.49 | $17.10 | $18.69 | $35,570 |
| Texas | $14.02 | $17.00 | $18.71 | $35,360 |
| Utah | $17.14 | $18.36 | $21.87 | $38,200 |
| Vermont | $20.16 | $22.29 | $23.38 | $46,370 |
| Virginia | $16.79 | $18.22 | $21.37 | $37,890 |
| West Virginia | $13.34 | $14.30 | $17.15 | $29,740 |
| Wisconsin | $17.33 | $18.58 | $21.30 | $38,650 |
| Wyoming | $15.37 | $17.76 | $19.18 | $36,940 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Connect preparation with the service schedule
Outline the food-preparation duties assigned to you and their timing relative to meal service. Include menu changes, special preparation requirements and cleanup when relevant to the issue. Compare your own time entries with your recollection of the work, marking estimates clearly. The posted meal period does not necessarily show when your assigned preparation began or when required cleanup ended.
Describe supply or temperature concerns factually
Note the instruction, ingredient shortage or equipment condition you reported and the response you received. If performance feedback concerns a missed meal or rejected batch, distinguish your assigned task from ordering, equipment repair or final service decisions controlled by others. Do not recreate unsafe food conditions or change a temperature record for the purpose of strengthening your employment account.
Keep dietary records separate
Do not copy patient diets, student meal eligibility information, resident lists or confidential institutional records into personal storage. Use general task descriptions in your timeline and identify relevant kitchen record types for review. Retain your own permitted schedule, pay statements and management correspondence. If restricted information is essential to explaining the event, obtain handling guidance before sharing it.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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