Prep Cook Jobs

Prep Cook jobs are open across restaurants, hotels, catering companies, healthcare facilities, and institutional foodservice, from entry-level kitchen positions to lead prep roles, with specializations in banquet prep, dietary prep, and high-volume production cooking. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.

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Overview

Open roles240+
Top stateFlorida
Top employerStar Cinema Grill
Top cityTampa, FL
Work type99% On-site
Top industryHospitality

Showing 5 of 240+ Prep Cook jobs

Line Cook / Prep Cook
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New 2h ago
Line Cook / Prep Cook
Pura Vida Miami
Miami Beach, Florida
Customer Service
Food Service
Hospitality Management
$17 - $19/hr
Food Handler Certification
1,001-5,000

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Cook/ Prep Cook/ Sous Chef
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New 13h ago
Cook/ Prep Cook/ Sous Chef
The Bridge At Hickory Woods
Antioch, Tennessee
Chefs & Cooks
Food Service
Hospitality Management
$16 - $19/hr
High school diploma or GED

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Prep Cook / Driver
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New 13h ago
Prep Cook / Driver
ISS World
South San Francisco, California
Customer Service
Food Service
Hospitality Management
$26 - $29/hr
Food Handler Certification
10,000+

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Airline Catering – Kitchen Prep cook
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New 20h ago
Airline Catering – Kitchen Prep cook
Air Catering International
Hialeah, Florida
Customer Service
Food Service
Hospitality Management
On-Site

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Banquet / Event Prep Cook, Print Works Bistro
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New 20h ago
Banquet / Event Prep Cook, Print Works Bistro
Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels
Greensboro, North Carolina
Community & Nonprofit Services
Event Planning
Hospitality Management
501-1,000

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Prep Cook Job Market

Who's Hiring

Star Cinema Grill8 open roles
Nando's PERi-PERi6 open roles
Pura Vida Miami5 open roles

Top Industries Hiring

  • Hospitality & Tourism

What Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in prep cook jobs.

  • One or more years of prep or line cook experience in a commercial kitchen
  • Valid food handler or food safety certification such as ServSafe
  • Proficiency with standard knife cuts and safe knife-handling practices
  • Ability to stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 pounds
  • Familiarity with FIFO inventory rotation and proper food storage procedures
  • Availability for early morning, weekend, and holiday shifts as required

Tips for Your Prep Cook Job Search

Tailor your resume to knife skills

List specific knife cuts you're proficient in, such as julienne, brunoise, and chiffonade, alongside any equipment you've operated, like slicers, mandolines, or commercial mixers. Hiring chefs skim for concrete technical skills, not general kitchen experience.

Get a food handler card first

Most prep cook listings require a valid food handler or food safety certification before your first day. Getting yours before you apply removes a common hiring delay and signals to employers you're ready to start immediately.

Apply early to roles that fit

Migrate Mate lists prep cook openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.

Target listings by kitchen volume

High-volume kitchens, such as hotel banquet operations or hospital cafeterias, often hire prep cooks with less experience than upscale restaurants. Filtering for these environments can shorten your time to a first offer if your resume is thin on fine-dining background.

Prepare for a working interview

Many kitchens assess prep cook candidates with a brief skills trial, asking you to dice vegetables, portion proteins, or follow a recipe card on the spot. Bring your own knife roll if you have one, and confirm the format when you schedule your interview.

Negotiate schedule before accepting

Prep shifts often start early, before service begins, and the exact hours vary widely by kitchen. Clarify your expected start time, split-shift policy, and weekend rotation during the offer conversation so schedule conflicts don't surface after you've accepted.

Prep Cook Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions

Which companies are hiring the most prep cooks?

Star Cinema Grill, Nando's PERi-PERi, and Pura Vida Miami are hiring the most prep cooks right now, with openings concentrated in Florida, California, and Texas, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Volume tends to spike in spring and early fall when large hospitality and healthcare operators refresh their kitchen teams.

How many prep cook jobs are remote?

About 1% of prep cook openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, as the role is almost entirely hands-on kitchen work. The small share that is listed as remote or flexible typically involves recipe development, food styling, or culinary content creation rather than traditional prep duties.

How do you become a prep cook?

Start by obtaining a food handler certification, which most employers require before your first shift. Practice foundational knife skills and learn basic mise en place techniques at home or through a community college culinary course. Apply to entry-level prep positions at high-volume kitchens, where on-the-job training is common and formal culinary degrees are rarely required.

Can you get hired as a prep cook with no experience?

Yes, many kitchens hire prep cooks with no formal experience, particularly in high-turnover environments like cafeterias, fast-casual restaurants, and institutional foodservice. Demonstrating a food handler certification, a willingness to work early shifts, and basic familiarity with kitchen safety often matters more to hiring managers than a previous job title.

What does the prep cook interview process look like?

Most prep cook interviews begin with a short conversation about your availability, kitchen experience, and food safety knowledge. Many kitchens then move directly to a working interview, where you complete a brief practical task such as breaking down vegetables or portioning ingredients. The full process from application to offer is often completed within a few days.

Where can I find and apply to prep cook jobs?

You can find and apply to prep cook jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the roles available, find the ones that match your experience and availability, and apply directly to each listing that fits.

See All 240+ Prep Cook Jobs

Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

Find Prep Cook Jobs