Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

• Compile and maintain records of food use and expenditures.66

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Monitor and record food temperatures to ensure food safety.53
• Determine meal prices, based on calculations of ingredient prices.48
• Requisition food supplies, kitchen equipment, and appliances, based on estimates of future needs.44

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Clean and inspect galley equipment, kitchen appliances, and work areas to ensure cleanliness and functional operation.25
• Bake breads, rolls, or other pastries.26
• Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons.28

Task exposure values and classifications come from the versioned data release — they are structured data, not model output. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 38 puts Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the least-exposed quarter of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this level is about the mix: 1 of 17 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 8 augmentable, and 8 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

One next move: lean into the durable core above and adopt AI on the routine remainder before it becomes a mandate.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

No adjacent role in the current data release is at least 10 points lower with ≥50% skill overlap — we don’t label anything “safer” unless the data supports it.

Labor-market context

• $37,450median wage
• 441,050employed
• 69,700annual openings
• +2.0%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Cooks, Restaurant 34
• Cooks, Short Order 34
• Food Preparation Workers 30
• Cooks, Private Household 33
• Chefs and Head Cooks 47
• Cooks, Fast Food 26

FAQ — Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

What does a score of 38 mean for a Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria?

It means that, weighted across the 17 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 38 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the least-exposed quarter of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

The highest-exposure tasks are: Compile and maintain records of food use and expenditures. Exposure is scored per task from structured data, not generated by a language model.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Clean and inspect galley equipment, kitchen appliances, and work areas to ensure cleanliness and functional operation; Bake breads, rolls, or other pastries; Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.