Prep Cook / Dishwasher

You're the invisible engine of every restaurant kitchen. While the line cooks get the glory, you're dicing 50 pounds of onions, peeling potatoes until your thumbs go numb, and washing dishes that never, ever stop coming. It's entry-level, it's unglamorous, and every single chef who ever made it started exactly where you are — elbow-deep in a sink, wondering if this is worth it. (It is.)

What you'll actually do

• 01Wash dishes at a pace that would make a machine jealous — except the machine broke last Tuesday
• 02Dice, slice, and chop enough vegetables to feed a small country by 4 PM
• 03Peel potatoes until your fingerprints are no longer admissible evidence
• 04Organize the walk-in cooler like your life depends on it — because FIFO isn't a suggestion, it's a religion
• 05Scrub pots that have been 'soaking' since the morning shift abandoned them like orphans
• 06Deliver clean plates to the line fast enough that the head chef doesn't yell at you (they will anyway)
• 07Close the kitchen looking like you lost a fight with a grease trap — because you did

Career Path

Where this role sits in the bigger picture — and where it can take you.