A number of variables can affect a cook's income, including workplace and geography. Full-service restaurants were the largest employer of restaurant cooks, paying an average of $11.12 per hour. Hotel and motel restaurants paid an average of $13.36 per hour, while limited-service restaurants averaged $9.98 per hour.Shipboard cooks were among the highest-paid, averaging $17.72 per hour. Cooks' wages are often closely related to the minimum wage in a given area, and vary correspondingly from state to state.Hawaii, with its high cost of living, paid its cooks an average of $14.95 per hour.Arkansas' $9.11 per hour was the country's lowest average wage.otel and motel restaurants paid an average of $13.36 per hour, while limited-service restaurants averaged $9.98 per hour. Shipboard cooks were among the highest-paid, averaging $17.72 per hour. Cooks' wages are often closely related to the minimum wage in a given area, and vary correspondingly from state to state.