Kitchen Manager Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Kitchen Manager, or Kitchen Supervisor, is the person who ensures that kitchen departments run smoothly and ensures that all kitchen and restaurant staff adhere to safety regulations. Their duties include supervising kitchen staff, organising food orders, overseeing food preparation, cooking and examining food plating and temperatures.

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Kitchen Manager duties and responsibilities

A Kitchen Manager supervises kitchen duties by managing the pantry, inventory, controlling how food is stored and prepared and supervising how the customers are serviced. Successful Kitchen Managers guide a restaurant’s kitchen staff to deliver quality, timely food and ensure that all customers are satisfied. Some of the main duties include:

Ensuring that all food items and products are stored, prepared and served based on the restaurant’s recipe, preparation and portion standards
Evaluating and disciplining kitchen personnel accordingly and making employment and termination decisions
Ordering kitchen materials and ingredients based on the menu and market demand
Supervising food preparation in the kitchen and ensuring that customers are satisfied
Maintaining clean working environments and making sure that employees follow the restaurant’s preventive maintenance measures
Maintaining adequate inventory levels and conducting weekly inventories
Working with Restaurant Managers to create menu items, pricing and establishing portion sizes of each meal
Scheduling shifts by business hours, days, and occasions
Overseeing the training of employees to ensure the safe operation of kitchen equipment and utensils and the proper handling of heavy items and hazardous materials.

Kitchen Manager Job Description Examples:

Example 1

Kitchen Manager - Opportunities in the Liverpool area!

Join one of our branded pubs in the Liverpool area! If you've got branded experience as a Kitchen Manager, Head Chef, or Supervisor in a fast-paced and high volume pub or restaurant, send us your CV!

WHAT WILL I BE DOING? AS Kitchen Manager YOU’LL…

Train, motivate and inspire your team to deliver an efficient food operation

Always conform to health and hygiene regulations

Be responsible for the kitchen’s financial performance which can lead to attractive rewards

Oversee food ordering

Lead a team

Manage stock control and food preparation

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: Up to £34,000.00 per year

Additional pay:

Bonus scheme

Performance bonus
Benefits:

Company events

Cycle to work scheme

Employee discount

Flexible schedule

On-site parking

Referral programme

Sick pay

Store discounts

Wellness programmes
Schedule:

8 hour shift

Holidays

Monday to availability

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What does a Kitchen Manager do?

A Kitchen Manager supervises the daily back-of-house restaurant operations. They report directly to the Restaurant Manager and are responsible for multiple tasks in the restaurant including food preparation, maintenance of quality standards, sanitisation and cleanliness, coaching of employees, meal presentation, portion and cost control.

Although most Kitchen Managers are Chefs, their responsibilities don’t always involve cooking. They can prepare restaurant menus and monitor the delivery of orders.

Kitchen Manager skills and qualifications

Kitchen Managers often work long hours. They should be self-motivated and skilled at mentoring their staff in an environment that is mainly customer-focussed. As they are involved in food preparation and guidance, it’s essential for them to have excellent communication skills. A successful Kitchen Manager candidate will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications, that typically include:

Ability to plan menus and order materials and ingredients accordingly
Familiarisation with a wide variety of recipes
Great organisational skills
Good conflict management skills
Ability to excel in a fast-paced environment
Ability to work extensive hours throughout the day

Kitchen Manager experience requirements

The candidate should have experience working as a Head Chef or Restaurant Manager and hands-on exposure of preparing menus, ordering ingredients and preparing a wide range of recipes. They should have several years of experience working in a hospitality-related field and in a fast-paced environment. They should also have experience with delegating tasks and maintaining quick service.

Kitchen Manager education and training requirements

There are no official education requirements for beginner Kitchen Managers. However, candidates with a degree in restaurant management or at the very least any certification from a culinary school is preferable. Candidates must have certifications and licenses to show their in-depth understanding of kitchen health and safety regulations. Any other certificates in the culinary arts are a plus.

Kitchen Manager salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Kitchen Manager is £25,768 per year. However, this may differ depending on factors like experience, education, location and company.

Job description samples for similar positions

If the position described does not meet your needs, here are similar job description samples that may be a better fit:

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Kitchen Manager job description FAQs

What makes a good Kitchen Manager job description?

A great Kitchen Manager job description helps attract innovative and experienced candidates. To help make your description standout, make sure that the job description captures important details about your company, including the job requirements, type of establishment, company culture and the outline some of the benefits of the job.

What qualities make a good Kitchen Manager?

Great Kitchen Managers have excellent people skills. They are able to work with all kinds of Cooks and Chefs to keep kitchen conflicts at a minimum. They often make sure that the kitchen runs smoothly in terms of food preparation and timely service.

What is the difference between the Head Chef and Kitchen Manager?

The Head Chef, or Chef de Cuisine, plays a vital role in the preparation of menus and recipes. They can also be hired to take charge over Corporate Chefs in multiple restaurants and take charge of the menu, supplier changes and pricing. The Kitchen Manager, on the other hand, does not change menus outside of the specials for the day or week.

Must Kitchen Managers be Chefs?

Every Kitchen Manager should have leadership skills in addition to their culinary arts training, as their work often involves overseeing all kitchen responsibilities. Kitchen Managers can also be Chefs as they often perform multiple kitchen functions. However, Kitchen Managers who are not Chefs can be hired, depending on your organisation’s needs, for example someone who has good administrative skills rather than cooking skills may be needed.