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Line Cook at Wegmans Food Markets

Wegmans Food Markets Northborough, MA $19 - $20/hour

Job Description

Schedule: Part time
Availability: Morning, Afternoon, Evening (Includes Weekends).
Age Requirement: Must be 18 years or older
Location: Northborough, MA
Address: 9102 Shops Way
Pay: $19 - $20 / hour
Job Posting: 02/01/2026
Job Posting End: 03/01/2026
Job ID:R

EARN A BONUS UP TO $500! Hiring immediately!

As a line cook at Wegmans, you'll sharpen your culinary skills by preparing menu items for prepackaged meals and hot food bars, helping customers enjoy delicious meals. You'll work with top chefs in a dynamic, fast-paced kitchen where every day is different. With opportunities to grow and pursue your passion for food, the possibilities at Wegmans are endless.

Responsibilities:

  • Deliver incredible customer service by preparing ingredients and creating high-quality meals
  • Follow recipes, use proper knife skills, and apply cooking techniques to ensure consistency
  • Effectively multitask and balance prep work while ensuring meals are prepared in a timely manner
  • Understand how products look and taste at their peak of perfection
  • Assist with ordering to help maintain appropriate inventory levels and minimize waste

Requirements:

  • 1+ years of experience working in a production kitchen
  • Prep work experience

At Wegmans, we've always believed we can achieve our goals only if we first fulfill the needs of our people. Putting our people first and offering competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits and a wide range of meaningful perks is just the beginning of what defines a rewarding career at Wegmans.

Comprehensive benefits

  1. Paid time off (PTO) to help you balance your personal and work life
  2. Higher premium pay rates for working overtime, on Sundays, or on a recognized holiday
  3. Health care benefits that provide a high level of coverage at a low cost to you
  4. Retirement plan with a 401(k) match
  5. A generous scholarship program to help employees meet their educational goals
  6. LiveWell Employee & Family program to support your emotional, work-life and financial wellness

Our employees have put us high on Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list every year since it was first produced in 1998. Discover what it means to work for a mission-driven, values-based company where YOU make the difference.

Certain eligibility requirements must be satisfied, and offerings may differ based upon area or the company and/or position.

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At Wegmans, we've always believed we can achieve our goals only if we first fulfill the needs of our people. Putting our people first and offering competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits and a wide range of meaningful perks is just the beginning of what defines a rewarding career at Wegmans.

Comprehensive benefits
  1. Paid time off (PTO) to help you balance your personal and work life
  2. Higher premium pay rates for working overtime, on Sundays, or on a recognized holiday
  3. Health care benefits that provide a high level of coverage at a low cost to you
  4. Retirement plan with a 401(k) match
  5. A generous scholarship program to help employees meet their educational goals
  6. LiveWell Employee & Family program to support your emotional, work-life and financial wellness

Our employees have put us high on Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list every year since it was first produced in 1998. Discover what it means to work for a mission-driven, values-based company where YOU make the difference.

Certain eligibility requirements must be satisfied, and offerings may differ based upon area or the company and/or position.

$40k - $42k beats the market for Cooks, Fast Food nationally

National salary averages
$40k - $42k
↑ 34% vs typical mid-level
Entry
Mid
Senior
This job
$22k Market range (10th-90th percentile) $39k

Pay increases slowly with experience in this field.

This is a strong offer—weigh total comp and growth potential. Raises may be modest; negotiate well upfront.

Hot hiring, constrained wages

Employers are hiring actively, but pay hasn't caught up with demand. Focus on competing offers and non-salary benefits.

Hiring leverage
Candidate-favored
Wage leverage âš  Disconnect
Constrained
Mobility
High mobility
Durability
High fragility

Why this market feels harder than it looks

This market is hiring aggressively, but compensation hasn't caught up and most openings are backfilling churn, not expansion. Employers are filling roles, but not bidding wages up.

Who this leverage applies to

Stronger for: Senior candidates with options
Weaker for: Entry-level candidates, Career switchers

Where to negotiate

Base salary
Sign-on bonus
Title / level
Remote flexibility
Scope & responsibility
Start date / PTO

Likely Possible Unlikely

Watch out for

Wage disconnect: Hiring is active but pay hasn't responded—negotiate on other terms.

Don't let hiring headlines mislead you—focus on concrete offers. Your leverage may be less durable than it appears—move decisively.

Does this path compound?

Job Growth →
High churn
Growth, flat pay
🚀 Compound
Growth + pay upside
⚠️ Plateau
Limited growth
Specialize
Experts earn more
Pay Upside →
Stable but flat

Steady work, but limited growth in both jobs and pay.

-14%
10yr growth
Most openings come from retirements and turnover, not new positions.
82,100 openings projected annually—mostly replacing retirees and turnover.
Typical: No formal educational credential

Consider building adjacent skills to stay marketable.

Labor data: BLS 2024