Kitchen Assistant: What is the cost of hiring?

What is a kitchen assistant?

A kitchen assistant supports chefs and cooks in hospitality settings such as restaurants, cafés, hotels and catering kitchens. They carry out basic food preparation and cleaning tasks while ensuring hygiene and safety standards are upheld. By taking on these essential background duties, kitchen assistants free up chefs to concentrate on cooking and service, helping the kitchen run efficiently.

Why recruit a kitchen assistant?

Kitchen assistants help maintain smooth and efficient kitchen operations by supporting food safety, preparing ingredients and handling routine cleaning tasks. Their contribution reduces pressure on chefs and cooks, ensuring service runs on time and at a consistently high standard. Employers may need to recruit a kitchen assistant when kitchen teams are overstretched, hygiene standards start to slip or customer demand increases.

Contributions of a great kitchen assistant:

• Preparing ingredients and basic dishes efficiently under chef supervision
• Maintaining clean, organised work areas and equipment
• Monitoring stock rotation and upholding hygiene standards in line with regulations
• Contributing to a cooperative, supportive kitchen environment

Defining your recruitment needs for a kitchen assistant

When defining recruitment needs, employers should consider the size and demands of their kitchen operations, the type of cuisine served and the available budget. Depending on requirements, the role may focus solely on back-of-house support or include additional duties such as food service, handling deliveries or operating kitchen equipment. Make note of any specialist duties your new employee will perform, such as handling deliveries, operating kitchen machinery or undertaking any complex food-prep tasks.

It’s also important to decide whether a full-time, part-time or seasonal kitchen assistant is needed, depending on operating hours and peak trading periods.

Alternative job titles include kitchen porter or kitchen hand, commis chef.

What are the types of kitchen assistant?

Kitchen assistant roles are generally consistent, but duties may vary depending on the type of kitchen and service level:

• Kitchen porter – focuses on cleaning duties, dishwashing and maintaining tidy work areas
• Prep assistant – primarily prepares ingredients for chefs in larger kitchens
• Catering kitchen assistant – supports catering events by helping with equipment, loading/unloading and setting up service areas
• School or care home kitchen assistant – works in institutional kitchens with emphasis on food safety and large-scale meal preparation

Similar positions to a kitchen assistant include:

• Food and beverage assistant: assists with food service and catering duties at events and banquets
• Commis chef or chef de partie: entry-level kitchen roles that involve more advanced cooking responsibilities than a kitchen assistant
• Catering assistant: supports catering operations, often combining food prep with service tasks

When writing your kitchen assistant job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on kitchen assistant jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Kitchen assistant
• Catering assistant
• Cleaning
• Kitchen porter
• Kitchen
• Catering
• School kitchen assistant
• Assistant
• Cafe
• Care home

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Where to find kitchen assistants?

To find the right kitchen assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruitment strategies:

• Colleges and training providers: partner with local colleges or vocational schools offering catering, hospitality or food hygiene courses to connect with candidates trained in hospitality and food hygiene
• Referrals from existing staff or industry contacts: your current team or industry network may be able to refer reliable kitchen assistants looking for new opportunities
• Recruitment agencies: specialist hospitality or catering recruiters can supply experienced staff who are pre-screened, while temp agencies can provide seasonal workers to cover busy periods
• Post your job online: try posting your kitchen assistant job on Indeed to find and attract quality kitchen assistant candidates

Skills to look for in a kitchen assistant

A successful kitchen assistant candidate will typically have the following skills and competencies, which may be gained through a variety of experiences, training or education:

• Basic food preparation skills and use of kitchen equipment
• Knowledge of food safety practices and hygiene regulations
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently under pressure
• Good organisational skills and attention to detail
• Strong teamwork skills and the ability to follow instructions
• Physical stamina for performing manual or repetitive tasks

Writing a kitchen assistant job description

Now that you know the key skills, salary expectations, popular jobseeker search terms and recruitment insights for a kitchen assistant, you’re ready to write a job description.

A kitchen assistant job description typically includes a compelling summary of the job, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position. You may also want to include information about your company culture, benefits and perks to attract candidates to your open role.

Ready to get started? See our full guide for writing kitchen assistant job descriptions.

Interviewing kitchen assistant candidates

Strong candidates for kitchen assistant positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Experience with basic food preparation and cleaning tasks
• Understanding of food hygiene and safety regulations
• Ability to work effectively under pressure
• Communication, collaboration and teamwork in a kitchen setting
• Familiarity with common kitchen equipment

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of kitchen assistant interview questions for examples (with sample answers).