How much do NYC cooks make?

[Chef BV]

I'm just a cook coming from little old Charlotte, NC and moving to NYC to follow the dream. I'm wondering how much line cooks generally make in good kitchens so I can have an idea for interview purposes. I don't want to ask for too little and I don't know how much too much is because it's NYC, it's a completely different beast. Any help in this subject would be so very helpful. Thanks a lot!

[BPBNY]

Not much without any previous nyc experience. It also really depends on the restaurant. You can make anywhere from 90-150 dollars a day depending on your experience and how many stars the restaurant is. Last cooks job i had at a 2 star restaurant working 12 hour 5 day weeks, sometimes 6 day weeks was 36.000 a year.

[yasuofenix]

I use to work for a couple restaurants in New York and it paid crap. It was like $9 to start for only 12 hours but you actually worked closer to 14. And one week it was 6 days then 5 days then repeat. They say 12 hours working, but you got your own station to run and have to do a lot of the prep work you come in earlier. Like I said closer to 14, and with that you make less than $9 because of the extra time. Then there's pay taken out for family meal in the bigger places. It really sucks.

And these two restaurants were 1 michelin starred places. I staged at a two star, and was offered a job. But the pay was too low and it was actually dirty which surprised me. Never work at a dirty place no matter how many stars.

Most places will try to pay you less because well they don't really need you. Everyone wants to be a chef these days. Unless you have some special talent you are easily replaceable.

And I never asked for pay they just told me it. It was always like take it or leave.

But if you love to cook it won't matter. Stage in a few places feel it out and whichever one takes your fancy try to get the job there. If its your dream you will suffer for it. But whichever place you get into try to work there at least two years. Put that in your head is my advice.

Good luck dude if you need any other advice I'll help if I can, just PM me.

[Chef BV]

Wow, thanks for the replies. It's going to be a big change for me cooking in NYC, but it is my passion. I'm just worried about making ends meet with bills and rent. I'll figure it out I guess. Keep up with the advice. Does there happen to be a thread on here about making it in NYC for cooks?

[The Flame]

At my last job, we were on salary. So we were basically getting exploited. We worked 6 days, for about 14 hours a day. And after taxes my weekly paycheck was like $500. My current job I make just $9 for about 60 hours a week. So after taxes is about $550 a week.

It is definitely not a lot at all. But that is how it always is, the better and more recognized the restaurant., the less money you make and you can expect to be on salary.

It is just depressing when you think that servers work half the hours and make almost my weekly paycheck on a weekend night/brunch shift.

[BKYLN]

I make $12/hr at a Michelin one-star, about 50 hrs/week.