Line Cook resume example. Plus the keywords recruiters search for.
A line cook resume that shows the stations you work, your speed on the line and your food safety habits — with the kitchen keywords chefs and kitchen managers look for.
Reviewed by Nazir Elmurodov · Updated
/ The example
Line Cook resume example.
Carlos Mendoza
Line Cook
San Antonio, TX · carlos.mendoza@email.com · (210) 555-0189
Summary
Line cook with 4 years in high-volume and scratch kitchens. I work grill, sauté and fryer stations, keep ticket times down and keep a clean, organized station all shift.
Experience
Line Cook, Salt & Ember · May 2023 – Present
- • Run the grill and sauté stations in a 180-cover scratch kitchen, holding ticket times under 12 minutes on busy nights
- • Set mise en place from daily prep lists and cut end-of-night food waste by about 20% through better portion control
- • Follow FIFO, labeling and temperature logs; our kitchen passed every health inspection during my time here
- • Trained 4 new cooks on recipe execution and plating standards for the grill station
Prep / Line Cook, Riverbend Grill · Feb 2021 – Apr 2023
- • Handled food preparation for a 250-cover casual restaurant, with knife skills for vegetables, proteins and sauces
- • Worked the fryer and flat-top on weekend lunch rushes of 300+ covers
- • Helped with weekly inventory counts and kept the walk-in organized and up to sanitation standards
Education & certifications
ServSafe Food Handler, 2024 · Culinary Arts Certificate, Palo Alto College, 2021
Skills
Line cooking · Grill · Sauté · Fryer · Food preparation · Knife skills · Mise en place · Portion control · Food safety · Sanitation
Carlos Mendoza
Line Cook
carlos.mendoza@email.com · San Antonio, TX
(210) 555-0189
Summary
Line cook with 4 years in high-volume and scratch kitchens. I work grill, sauté and fryer stations, keep ticket times down and keep a clean, organized station all shift.
Experience
Line Cook — Salt & Ember
May 2023 – Present
• Run the grill and sauté stations in a 180-cover scratch kitchen, holding ticket times under 12 minutes on busy nights
• Set mise en place from daily prep lists and cut end-of-night food waste by about 20% through better portion control
• Follow FIFO, labeling and temperature logs; our kitchen passed every health inspection during my time here
• Trained 4 new cooks on recipe execution and plating standards for the grill station
Prep / Line Cook — Riverbend Grill
Feb 2021 – Apr 2023
• Handled food preparation for a 250-cover casual restaurant, with knife skills for vegetables, proteins and sauces
• Worked the fryer and flat-top on weekend lunch rushes of 300+ covers
• Helped with weekly inventory counts and kept the walk-in organized and up to sanitation standards
Education
ServSafe Food Handler · 2024
Certifications
Culinary Arts Certificate, Palo Alto College, 2021
Skills
Line cooking, Grill, Sauté, Fryer, Food preparation, Knife skills, Mise en place, Portion control, Food safety, Sanitation
Why it works
It names the stations and the size of the kitchen, measures speed in ticket times and covers, and shows food safety through practices like FIFO and temperature logs instead of just listing a certificate.
Use this as your starting point
Opens in the editor with every section filled in. Swap in your own details and download a PDF or Word file free.
Start from this exampleSample resume. Names, companies and figures are illustrative.
/ Summary examples
Three summary examples. Pick the one closest to you.
Two or three lines: your level, your field and one result.
- Entry level
Culinary student with 6 months as a prep cook. Strong knife skills, ServSafe Food Handler certified and comfortable working fast in a busy kitchen.
- Experienced
Line cook with 4 years on grill, sauté and fryer in high-volume kitchens. I keep ticket times under 12 minutes on 180-cover nights.
- Sous chef track
Lead line cook who runs the line on busy nights, writes prep lists, handles ordering and trains new cooks, with ServSafe Manager certification.
More for other jobs and situations (no experience, career change, senior): resume summary examples.
/ Bullet points
Bullet point examples. From duty to result.
Turn duties into results: what you did, how, and what changed.
Speed
Instead of: Cooked fast
Write: Held ticket times under 12 minutes on the grill station during 180-cover nights
Waste
Instead of: Reduced waste
Write: Cut end-of-night food waste by about 20% with tighter portion control and prep lists
Food safety
Instead of: Followed food safety
Write: Followed FIFO, labeling and temperature logs; the kitchen passed every health inspection
Volume
Instead of: Worked busy shifts
Write: Worked the fryer and flat-top through weekend lunch rushes of 300+ covers
Training
Instead of: Helped new cooks
Write: Trained 4 new cooks on recipe execution and plating standards for the grill station
Organization
Instead of: Kept station clean
Write: Set full mise en place from daily prep lists before every service
/ Keywords
Keywords and skills for line cooks.
These come up often in line cook job posts. Include only the ones you can back up in an interview, and use the exact wording from the post you're applying to.
- Line cooking
- Food preparation
- Knife skills
- Grill
- Sauté
- Fryer
- Mise en place
- Prep lists
- Portion control
- Recipe execution
- Ticket times
- FIFO
- Food safety
- Sanitation
- Inventory
- ServSafe Food Handler
- Teamwork
- Working under pressure
/ ATS tips
ATS tips for line cooks.
Name your stations
Grill, sauté, fryer, flat-top, garde manger or prep — chefs hire for specific stations, so list the ones you can run.
Describe the kitchen
Covers per night, scratch or high-volume, and the cuisine tell a chef whether you'll keep up.
Show speed and consistency
Ticket times, covers per rush and plating standards say more than "fast-paced environment".
Prove food safety habits
FIFO, labeling, temperature logs and inspection results back up your food handler certificate.
Keep it short
One page with two or three kitchens is plenty. A chef will learn the rest in a stage or working interview.
How does your line cook resume compare?
Free ATS score, missing keywords and fixes in about 10 seconds.
/ Questions
Line Cook resume FAQ.
Writing the cover letter too? See Carlos's cover letter, annotated
Do line cooks need a food handler card?
Many employers and some states, counties or cities require one. ServSafe Food Handler is a common choice; the National Restaurant Association recognizes it for three years, but local rules can differ.
What skills should a line cook list?
The stations you can run, knife skills, the cooking methods you know, food safety and sanitation, and how you handle a rush.
Should I include a culinary degree?
If you have one, yes, but kitchen experience matters most. List certificates and degrees briefly under education.
How do I move up to sous chef?
Show leadership in the kitchen: running the line, writing prep lists, ordering, training cooks and keeping food cost down. A food protection manager certification like ServSafe Manager helps too.
I only have fast-food experience. Is that useful?
Yes. Speed, consistency, food safety and working a fryer or grill under pressure all carry over. Describe the volume you handled.