Cafeteria and Institution Cooks
Official O*NET title: Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria (35-2012.00)
Also called: cafeteria cook, cook, dietary cook, dinner cook, food service specialist
Do you do this at work?
Answer each card — it takes about a minute.
Do you do this at work?
Clean, cut, and cook meat, fish, or poultry
Swipe right for yes, left for not me. On a keyboard: → yes, ← not me, Z undo. +2 XP per answer.
How AI is changing cafeteria and institution cooks work
1 of 12 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Green (little AI use yet) — 8%.
This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.
Tasks in this job and recorded AI use
- Clean, cut, and cook meat, fish, or poultry (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Monitor and record food temperatures to make sure food safety (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Rotate and store food supplies (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, or other cooking equipment (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Clean and inspect galley equipment, kitchen appliances, and work areas to make sure cleanliness and functional operation (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Direct activities of one or more workers who assist in preparing and serving meals (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Train new employees (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Take inventory of supplies and equipment (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Requisition food supplies, kitchen equipment, and appliances, based on estimates of future needs (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Bake breads, rolls, or other pastries (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Determine meal prices, based on calculations of ingredient prices — some recorded AI use
- Monitor use of government food commodities to make sure that proper procedures are followed — no recorded AI use
- Plan menus that are varied, nutritionally balanced, and appetizing, taking advantage of foods in season and local availability — no recorded AI use
- Monitor menus and spending to make sure that meals are prepared economically — no recorded AI use
- Compile and maintain records of food use and expenditures — no recorded AI use
Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).
Your first steps (guidance)
- Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
- Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Clean, cut, and cook meat, fish, or poultry”. Try the prompt for: “Determine meal prices, based on calculations of ingredient prices”.
Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.
Questions about AI and cafeteria and institution cooks
Will AI replace cafeteria and institution cooks?
Our data can’t predict job losses, and we don’t try to. What it does show: 1 of the 12 main tasks for this job match tasks people already use AI for (Anthropic Economic Index), giving a Green rating (little AI use yet). Using AI on a task is not the same as AI doing the whole job, and 15 of the 17 listed tasks show no recorded AI use yet.
Which cafeteria cook tasks is AI used for most?
In the data, the most AI use among this job’s tasks is for: clean, cut, and cook meat, fish, or poultry; determine meal prices, based on calculations of ingredient prices.
Which cafeteria cook tasks show little or no AI use?
For example: monitor and record food temperatures to make sure food safety; cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served; rotate and store food supplies. These are good places to keep building your own skills.
How does this job compare to others?
In Microsoft Research’s “Working with AI” study, this job’s AI applicability score is equal to or higher than 21% of the occupations they scored. That measures overlap with AI chat use, not risk of job loss.
How can a cafeteria cook start learning AI?
Start small: open a free AI assistant, try it on one task you do often, and always check facts and numbers yourself. The plan on this page is guidance, not professional advice.
See how this job ranks
Cafeteria and Institution Cooks ranks #499 of 572 jobs for the share of main tasks with AI use (#1 = most), and #13 of 14 in Food.