average hourly wage for chef
Cooks working in full-service restaurants reported higher average wages than fast-food cooks and short-order cooks, but lower wages than institutional cooks and chefs. As of May 2011, the average hourly wage for a restaurant cook was $11.25. Half of those working in this occupation earned between $8.96 and $12.98 per hour, with the highest-paid 10 percent of all restaurant cooks reporting hourly wages of $15.46 or higher.