Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Food service, cleaning, and personal care / 35-2014.00

Cooks, Restaurant

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.

US jobs
1,409,890
Median wage
$37,390 a year
Job family
Food service, cleaning, and personal care

Can agents do the work of cooks, restaurant?

We read the evidence for the whole job family, Food service, cleaning, and personal care: Not yet (first measured in the last 12 months)

Direct benchmarks exist, but agents complete less than 20% of their tasks.

Evidence: BEHAVIOR Challenge 2025, 12.4% of tasks fully completed (Full task success rate).

52% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.

  • 49%Prepare foods or beveragesMeasured
  • 9%Inspect completed work or finished productsNot measured
  • 7%Monitor equipment operationNot measured
  • 5%Direct organizational operations, activities, or proceduresNot measured
  • 3%Provide food or beverage servicesNot measured
  • 3%Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or productsNot measured
  • 3%Develop recipes or menusNot measured
  • 3%Inspect facilities or equipmentNot measured

Benchmarks for this occupation

These benchmarks name this occupation in their job mapping.

Direct evidence

Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in food service, cleaning, and personal care, not always this occupation's tasks.

Also relevant

These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
  • Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
  • Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
  • Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
  • Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
  • Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
  • Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
  • Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
  • Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
  • Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
  • Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
  • Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.
Other job titles for this occupation (21)

Back Line Cook · Banquet Cook · Breakfast Cook · Cook · Fry Cook · Grill Cook · Line Cook · Prep Cook (Preparation Cook) · Prep Person (Preparation Person) · Saucier · Broiler Cook · Foreign Food Specialty Cook · Hotel Cook · Larder Cook · Production Cook · Railroad Cook · Restaurant Cook · Specialty Cook · Specialty Foods Cook · Station Cook · Vegetable Cook