Your work. Your records.
Restaurant Cook Workplace Records Guide
Restaurant cooks may move between preparation, service, cleaning and stock rotation within the same shift. A concern about hours, station changes or a kitchen warning is easier to explain when these phases are separated. Note the service period and assignment involved rather than relying only on the time customers were seated.
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
Station sequence
List preparation, service and cleanup assignments in order, including who directed a move between stations.
Time correction
Keep your original time entry, requested correction and any response together for the affected pay period.
Equipment report
Record the equipment involved, what you observed and when a supervisor received your report.
Start with the work you actually do
Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Cooks, Restaurant (35-2014.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.Source task 18723 · updated 08/2025
- Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.Source task 18722 · updated 08/2025
- Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.Source task 18724 · updated 08/2025
- Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.Source task 2170 · updated 08/2025
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Cooks, Restaurant (SOC 35-2014). 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 | $13.91 | $15.47 | $17.41 | $32,180 |
| Alaska | $17.70 | $19.30 | $21.21 | $40,140 |
| Arizona | $17.40 | $18.59 | $21.57 | $38,670 |
| Arkansas | $13.69 | $14.51 | $17.03 | $30,180 |
| Connecticut | $17.82 | $18.98 | $22.09 | $39,480 |
| Delaware | $17.03 | $18.19 | $21.62 | $37,840 |
| Florida | $16.85 | $17.80 | $20.60 | $37,020 |
| Georgia | $14.03 | $17.28 | $18.19 | $35,940 |
| Hawaii | $17.91 | $21.84 | $26.71 | $45,420 |
| Idaho | $14.35 | $17.52 | $20.41 | $36,440 |
| Indiana | $13.77 | $16.91 | $18.07 | $35,170 |
| Iowa | $14.60 | $17.15 | $18.36 | $35,670 |
| Kansas | $14.27 | $16.89 | $18.00 | $35,130 |
| Kentucky | $13.87 | $16.65 | $17.88 | $34,640 |
| Louisiana | $12.43 | $13.97 | $17.29 | $29,050 |
| Maine | $19.13 | $21.78 | $22.94 | $45,290 |
| Michigan | $16.72 | $17.78 | $20.60 | $36,980 |
| Minnesota | $17.32 | $18.55 | $21.81 | $38,590 |
| Mississippi | $12.50 | $14.21 | $16.32 | $29,560 |
| Missouri | $14.80 | $17.76 | $20.54 | $36,940 |
| Montana | $16.87 | $18.30 | $21.11 | $38,060 |
| Nebraska | $16.25 | $17.81 | $20.44 | $37,030 |
| New Hampshire | $17.88 | $19.33 | $22.52 | $40,200 |
| New Mexico | $14.53 | $16.84 | $17.94 | $35,020 |
| New York | $17.84 | $21.00 | $22.37 | $43,680 |
| North Carolina | $14.28 | $17.02 | $18.35 | $35,400 |
| North Dakota | $14.62 | $17.53 | $18.32 | $36,470 |
| Ohio | $14.19 | $17.09 | $18.23 | $35,540 |
| Oklahoma | $13.78 | $15.25 | $18.01 | $31,720 |
| Pennsylvania | $14.37 | $17.59 | $19.09 | $36,580 |
| Rhode Island | $16.64 | $17.55 | $21.95 | $36,510 |
| South Dakota | $15.89 | $17.42 | $18.71 | $36,220 |
| Tennessee | $14.72 | $17.51 | $19.59 | $36,420 |
| Texas | $13.72 | $16.71 | $17.80 | $34,760 |
| Utah | $15.00 | $17.55 | $20.17 | $36,490 |
| Vermont | $18.02 | $21.82 | $22.76 | $45,390 |
| Virginia | $16.00 | $17.67 | $20.67 | $36,750 |
| West Virginia | $12.88 | $14.23 | $16.91 | $29,590 |
| Wisconsin | $15.02 | $17.57 | $19.37 | $36,550 |
| Wyoming | $14.15 | $17.71 | $20.70 | $36,830 |
“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.
Follow the work before and after service
Write down the scheduled start, actual preparation activities and closing tasks relevant to the concern. Distinguish time at the grill or line from deliveries, stock rotation and sanitation work. Match this account to your own time entries and any correction request. Label estimates clearly when you do not have a contemporaneous record.
Record the kitchen instruction
Identify the instruction about food handling, station coverage or equipment, who gave it and whether it changed during service. If you reported a temperature or sanitation concern, note the date, recipient and response without turning the note into a conclusion about legal compliance. Separate what you measured personally from what another worker reported.
Choose a narrow personal record set
Retain your permitted schedule, pay statement, evaluation and employment correspondence. Do not take kitchen security recordings, confidential recipes, supplier contracts or customer details. If a cleaning or temperature log may clarify the sequence, identify the log and shift for review rather than copying it without permission. Describe the workplace interaction in your own words.
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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