Every great dining experience requires the right cooks to make it a reality. That’s why pros like you are needed to organize stations, maintain sanitization standards, and perform grilling and sauteing to produce some tasty dishes.
Have you provided the right skills and experiences in your cover letter and complementary line cook resume to impress food service hiring managers?
While you may be an expert at combining ingredients and seasonings for a great dining experience, compiling your abilities while writing a great cover letter can seem more challenging. We’re here to help with our line cook cover letter examples to show you how to structure yours successfully.
Why this cover letter works
- As you pen your line cook cover letter, remember every restaurant’s skill palette is different. The establishment in question might be looking for someone with unique skills like stir-frying, grilling and searing and/or food preparation.
- Your winning game plan is to dissect the job description and address the requisite skills individually. So, sprinkle each paragraph with real-life experiences where you showcased those specific skills and fostered impactful results.
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Why this cover letter works
- Ready to cook some magic with your prep cook cover letter? Here’s the secret sauce: blend your passion for culinary arts with the hiring establishment’s mission.
- Take Nina’s example; she weaved her knack for solving culinary puzzles with her potential of acing the preparation role. By showing that you’re not just aware of their work but truly value it, you create a connection that gives your application that competitive edge.
Why this cover letter works
- The introduction to your lead line cook cover letter should be a delightful appetizer, setting the mood for the main course (your skills and experiences). See how Jacob stirs in genuine admiration for Clancy’s Restaurant’s 4.3/5 rating from 900+ customer reviews on Google.
- Alternatively, recognize the hiring establishment’s recent feat (perhaps an intriguing new menu or an award) or demonstrate heartfelt acknowledgment of their journey from humble beginnings.
Related cover letter examples
How to Write Your Line Cook Cover Letter
Like every customer you serve has varying needs, such as one guest preferring their steak medium and another wanting it rare, companies are similar when looking for line cooks. Depending on the foods they serve and their kitchen processes, varying skills will be required.
For example, one restaurant may be seeking help running grills, whereas another needs assistance with deep frying processes. You’d want to create a cover letter to stand out for each one.
Start strong with the opening of your line cook cover letter
Think of the opening of your cover letter like you’re preparing the restaurant’s atmosphere for a great dining experience. In this case, making it feel specific to each company is crucial to grab a hiring manager’s attention. One of the best ways to start is greeting a specific contact person by name, which you can often find in the job description or the company’s website.
Then, as you begin your opening paragraph, focus on how you can connect with each food service’s mission while aligning your cooking skills with their needs. For example, you could write about how you’ll use your knowledge of infrared broiling units to ensure excellent cooking quality that creates a great customer experience.
The opener below is a good start, but it lacks some essential details that would make it stand out, like specific cooking skills or how the applicant aligns with the restaurant’s mission.
Could use some more details!
Dear Ms. Paulson,
When I found your line cook job listing, I immediately thought I’d be a great fit for your needs. I’d be eager to use my culinary skill set as part of your top-notch restaurant team.
Instead, aim for an opener like the one below that shows how the applicant aligns with the restaurant’s desire to create an excellent customer experience with attention to culinary detail.
A great opener with specific restaurant values!
Dear Mr. Collins,
Seeing Clancy’s Restaurant’s fantastic 4.3/5 rating across 900+ Google reviews instantly pulled me towards applying for the lead line cook role. Your impressive customer reviews showcase a dedication to excellent service and attention to culinary detail, echoing the values I prioritize. I admire your commitment to fostering a community of satisfied food lovers in the heart of New Orleans.
Add the right ingredients to the body of your line cook cover letter
As you’re mixing up the ingredients in your line cook cover letter, it’s important to put the right skills and experiences in the body.
Sticking with the mindset of aligning with the needs in the job description, you should present actionable achievements here with metrics relevant to restaurants. For example, you could say you maintained accuracy while preparing dishes to boost customer satisfaction by 39%.
If you don’t have much work experience, you could also write about any culinary education you have or transferable skills like working in retail, where you managed inventories or provided excellent customer service.
A top-notch body paragraph with relevant cooking skills!
At Gabrielle Restaurant, I honed my skills in plating and presentation. This position emphasized the aesthetic value of every dish served. I put this into practice and orchestrated a plating technique redesign rooted in our cultural heritage, which increased customer engagement by approximately 34%.
Create an effective closing to your line cook cover letter
Think of closing your cover letter like you’re adding the final seasonings and garnishes that will take your plate presentation to the next level before bringing the dish out to the customer.
In this case, it involves adding the right elements that will leave a lasting impact on hiring managers, such as rephrasing your top skills in broiling and dicing and connection to the restaurant’s mission.
It’s also a great idea to thank them for their time and use a call to action, such as “I’m eager to discuss this line cook position with you in more detail.
The closer below sounds a bit too bland. It lacks specific skills or a connection to the company’s mission that will make the applicant stand out as a line cook.
A bit too bland!
I believe my skills and experiences will make me the right line cook for your needs. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Linda Washington
The closer below is a much better example of an applicant presenting skills in food safety, seasoning, and sauteing that will make them a great fit for the line cook role at Capital Grille.
A great closer with applicable cooking skills!
It’s not just my culinary skills but also my commitment to safety, evidenced by my food safety certification attached herewith, that contributes to my aptness for the line cook role at The Capital Grille. I’m thrilled to discuss how my seasoning, sizzling, and sauteing savviness align with your culinary goals. Thank you for considering my application.
Sincerely,
Aria Costa
Even if some line cook jobs list the cover letter as optional, you should still submit one. It’ll help you stand out by connecting to the company’s mission and showcasing specific skills like stir-frying techniques or searing.
Line cook cover letters should be one page long. Keep it concise and specific to company needs, such as referencing plating techniques and garnishing for a restaurant focused on plate presentation.
Try to match the tone of your line cook cover letter to what each company uses in the job description. It’ll show how you will fit in with their culture, such as using an upbeat tone to show how you’ll work well in a welcoming and family-friendly restaurant.
