Onboarding plan
Prep Cook Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)
A practical, printable plan to take a new prep cook from first day to full productivity.
Prep Cook onboarding at a glance
Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.
Before day one
- Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
- Verify required credentials: Food handler card, ServSafe Food Handler (as applicable)
- Prepare equipment and access: knives and cutting boards; food processors and mixers; slicers; measuring cups and scales
- Assign a buddy or preceptor
- Enroll the new hire in Prep Cook training so foundations are covered before or during week one
Week one: orient and protect
- Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
- Use cut-resistant gloves with slicers
- Keep knives sharp and stored safely
- Lift with your legs
- Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate
- Shadow an experienced prep cook through a full shift
- Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)
Days 1–30: learn
Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.
- Supervised practice: dice an onion
- Supervised practice: label and store prepped food
- Supervised practice: clean and sanitize a prep table
- Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
- 30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins
Days 31–60: contribute
Goal: handle a regular workload independently.
- Wash, peel and cut produce: independently
- Portion meats and proteins: independently
- Prepare sauces, dressings and simple recipes: independently
- Measure ingredients accurately: independently
- Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
- Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
- 60-day check-in
Days 61–90: own
Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.
- Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
- Begin cross-training on a secondary task
- Agree on a credential goal (for example, Food handler card)
- Discuss the career path: Dishwasher or Prep Cook → Line Cook → Sous Chef
- 90-day review
Competency checklist
| Skill or task | Trained | Observed | Signed off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dice an Onion | |||
| Label and Store Prepped Food | |||
| Clean and Sanitize a Prep Table | |||
| Knife skills | |||
| Recipe following | |||
| Measuring | |||
| Food labeling and storage |
How to measure onboarding success
- Days to independent shifts
- Health inspection and audit results
- Guest satisfaction and review scores
- 30- and 90-day retention
How Prep Cook training maps to this plan
- Introduction to the Prep Cook Role
- A Day on the Job
- Essential Prep Cook Vocabulary
- Core Duties and Responsibilities
- Common Tasks, Step by Step
- Tools, Equipment and Technology
- Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
- Skills Employers Look For
- Launching Your Prep Cook Career
- Final Knowledge Check