Line Cook Jobs in Arlington, TX
Line cooks in Arlington work some of the busiest kitchens in North Texas, from the Loews hotels and AT&T Stadium concessions in the Entertainment District to restaurants along I-20 and the city's main hospital. Most cooks here earn about $15 to $19 an hour. Current openings come first, then who is hiring.
Current line cook Openings in Arlington, TX
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Line Cook Work in Arlington
Arlington's line cook demand is driven by events. Loews Arlington Hotel and Live! by Loews on Nolan Ryan Expressway run restaurant lines such as Farena, a wood-fired Italian kitchen, and Cut & Bourbon, plus banquet production for meetings and conventions. A few blocks away, AT&T Stadium hires concessions cooks for Cowboys games and concerts, and every Rangers home stand at Globe Life Field adds more covers to the district. A cook here learns to run a station at a ticket rate many neighborhood restaurants never see.
Outside the district, steadier work comes from casual dining and buffet kitchens in south Arlington and North Arlington and from Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital on West Randol Mill Road, where cooks produce hot and cold food for patients and the cafeteria on a fixed schedule.
Top Arlington Employers Hiring Line Cooks
These employers have posted cook roles in Arlington on their own careers sites:
- Loews Arlington Hotel and Live! by Loews - the two Entertainment District hotels have posted Cook III and Garde Manger Cook II roles supporting their outlets and banquets.
- Legends Global at AT&T Stadium - the stadium's hospitality operator hires concessions cooks who cook to recipe and portion standards on game and event days.
- Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital - the hospital on West Randol Mill Road posts Cook II roles covering hot and cold production.
- Cracker Barrel - the North Watson Road restaurant in North Arlington has posted a grill and line cook opening.
- Golden Corral - the buffet restaurant on East Interstate 20 in south Arlington hires cooks for its hot bar and grill.
Line Cook Salaries in Arlington
- Entry level: about $13 to $15 per hour for cooks new to the line.
- Experienced: roughly $15 to $19 per hour for cooks who hold a station on their own.
- Senior: about $19 to $23 per hour for lead cooks and hotel or banquet cooks.
These are estimates. The federal median for cooks was $17.62 an hour in May 2025, with the top tenth above $22.84, and food preparation pay in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro runs a little below the national average. Hotel, hospital and stadium kitchens usually pay toward the top of each band and offer benefits to full-time staff, while overtime during baseball season, football season and convention weeks lifts take-home pay for event-district cooks.
How to Become a Line Cook in Arlington
Texas does not license cooks, and no degree is required. What the state does require is an accredited food handler course within 30 days of hire under Texas Food Establishment Rules section 228.31, with the certificate kept on premises. The card is valid for two years.
For formal training, Tarrant County College teaches Culinary Arts at its Southeast Campus, 2100 Southeast Parkway in Arlington, with an Associate of Applied Science and a Culinary Arts I Level 1 certificate. Most Arlington line cooks start in dish or prep instead, learn one station and then add another. If you plan to run a kitchen later, the Certified Food Manager exam is the next credential to earn.
What the Job Involves
You set up your mise en place before service, then cook and plate tickets on one or two stations such as grill, saute, fry or garde manger. You hold food at safe temperatures, follow recipes and portion specs, call and answer expo, and break down and clean your station at close. Expect heat, long hours on your feet, sharp tools, and nights, weekends and holidays.
Skills Employers Look For
- Texas food handler card within 30 days of hire
- Knife skills and consistent portioning under time pressure
- Station experience on grill, saute, fry or garde manger
- Temperature control and clean, inspection-ready habits
- Reading a ticket rail and keeping pace on busy event days
- Reliability for nights, weekends and holidays
- Bilingual Spanish and English, useful in many Arlington kitchens
Career Path and Advancement
The Arlington kitchen ladder is short. Dishwasher to prep cook to line cook is a common first year, and strong cooks then pick up more stations, lead a shift and move to sous chef. Hotel kitchens at the Loews properties number their cook levels, so a Cook II can step up to Cook III and then to banquet or sous chef roles. A Certified Food Manager certificate is usually the trigger for a kitchen manager offer.
Related Careers in Arlington
Line cooks in Arlington usually arrive from one of these roles or move into one of them:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be a line cook in Arlington, TX?
No. Texas does not license cooks. You do need an accredited food handler course within 30 days of hire under Texas Food Establishment Rules section 228.31, and your employer keeps the certificate on site. The card is good for two years.
How much do line cooks make in Arlington, TX?
Most experienced line cooks earn about $15 to $19 an hour, with new cooks starting near $13 to $15 and lead or banquet cooks reaching $19 to $23. These are estimates based on federal wage data and local postings. Overtime on event days can add a good deal more.
Do Arlington line cooks get extra hours during Cowboys and Rangers seasons?
Often, yes. Kitchens in the Entertainment District, including the Loews hotels and the AT&T Stadium concessions operation, staff up for home games, concerts and conventions. Winter weeks between seasons are usually quieter.
Can you become a line cook in Arlington with no experience?
Usually not straight onto the line. Most kitchens hire new workers as dishwashers or prep cooks and train them on a station. Seasonal event employers and buffet kitchens tend to be the easiest places to get that first kitchen job.
Is culinary school worth it for line cooks in Arlington?
It helps but is not required. Tarrant County College's Culinary Arts program at the Southeast Campus in Arlington offers an associate degree and shorter certificates, and hotel kitchens tend to value that training. Many cooks build the same skills on the job instead.
Ready to apply? Browse all Line Cook jobs in Arlington, TX on LocalJobPage and apply today.