How to hire a cook supervisor

How to hire a cook supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step cook supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a cook supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new cook supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a cook supervisor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your cook supervisor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a cook supervisor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A cook supervisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, cook supervisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents cook supervisor salaries for various positions.

   Type of Cook Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Cook Supervisor	Cooks prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods, which may include soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.	$12-29
   Banquet Captain	Banquet captains are responsible for directing each banquet staff in the entire meal service and assign tasks to them as required. Their duties include teaching new staff members how to execute their designated tasks in the banquet... Show more	$13-19
   Shift Leader	Shift leaders are tenured or experienced employees who are assigned to oversee employees in specific work shifts. They manage team members who are assigned in their shift... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Handling
   • Food Service
   • Portion Control
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • HACCP
   • Meal Preparation
   • Culinary
   • Rehabilitation
   • Cleanliness
   • Food Production
   • Leadership
   • Food Storage
   • ServSafe
   • Sanitation Standards

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
   • Assist culinary director in assign duties relate to kitchen operations.
   • Work with multiple POS systems by entering and processing orders.
   • Organize and put away inventory when it arrive using HACCP guidelines.
   • Cook all orders that are enter in pos system, enter orders on pos system, clean kitchen when closing.
   • Have ServSafe food sanitation certification.

   More cook supervisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the cook supervisor job description is a good way to get more applicants. A cook supervisor salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a cook supervisor in Louisiana may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level cook supervisor. Additionally, a cook supervisor with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average cook supervisor salary

   $41,118yearly

   $19.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level cook supervisor salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average cook supervisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$59,345	$29
   2	California	$55,441	$27
   3	Massachusetts	$52,423	$25
   4	District of Columbia	$49,119	$24
   5	New Jersey	$48,832	$23
   6	Washington	$47,877	$23
   7	Pennsylvania	$44,551	$21
   8	Colorado	$39,718	$19
   9	Arizona	$37,424	$18
   10	Ohio	$37,343	$18
   11	Florida	$36,285	$17
   12	North Carolina	$35,580	$17
   13	New Mexico	$35,150	$17
   14	Montana	$35,102	$17
   15	Texas	$33,727	$16
   16	Missouri	$32,426	$16
   17	Oklahoma	$31,459	$15
   18	Kansas	$28,795	$14

   Average cook supervisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Chelsea Jewish Lifecare	$52,492	$25.24	2
   2	Maine Veterans' Homes	$51,447	$24.73	17
   3	MelroseWakefield Healthcare	$49,616	$23.85
   4	Rest Haven-York	$47,565	$22.87
   5	Indian Health Service	$42,516	$20.44
   6	Apple Rehab	$42,154	$20.27
   7	Pine Street Inn	$42,077	$20.23	3
   8	Loomis Communities	$41,328	$19.87
   9	Wolcott Hall For Special Care	$40,868	$19.65
   10	Crossroads Diversified Services	$40,117	$19.29
   11	Children's Home & Aid	$40,002	$19.23
   12	Morrison Healthcare	$39,982	$19.22	619
   13	First Atlantic	$39,571	$19.02	8
   14	Garden Spot Village	$38,990	$18.75	1
   15	Eurest Services USA	$38,961	$18.73	519
   16	Elior North America	$38,757	$18.63	346
   17	Sodexo Management, Inc.	$38,701	$18.61	1,214
   18	Great Western Dining Service, Inc.	$38,622	$18.57	16
   19	The GEO Group	$38,336	$18.43	14
   20	Compass Group USA	$37,935	$18.24	7,470

4. Writing a cook supervisor job description

   A good cook supervisor job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a cook supervisor job description:

   Cook supervisor job description example

   • Certification in healthcare cooking (ServSafe or Sodexo)
   • Previous management or supervisory experience
   • Minimum 2 years of experience in large-scale cooking
   • Strong knowledge of large scale & therapeutic food prep
   • Must be able to do some physical work
   • Must be able to work every other weekend
   • Should be a strong team player
   • High School Diploma or Equivalent
   • Excellent customer service & communication skills
   • Will manage Kitchen in absence of food service director

   LOCATION:

   Pawtucket, RI

   ABOUT US:

   Oak Hill Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare is a 129-bed rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility located in the heart of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, near the banks of the Seekonk River. Caring for people at Oak Hill Center is more than a job, it’s calling, as we are dedicated to providing a warm and nurturing environment. Our staff is committed to ensuring the highest quality of life for all our residents, helping each to get stronger, healthier, and happier. We want all residents to leave Oak Hill Center with dignity and independence. Oak Hill Center is a proud member of the Center’s Health Care continuum.

   Centers Health Care is a fully integrated post-acute care continuum offering rehabilitation and skilled nursing services in more than 45 locations covering four states. In addition, we provide special services including in-center and home dialysis, ventilator care, and care for those with Alzheimer’s. The Centers Health Care family offers Skilled Nursing, Urgent Care, Managed Care, Renal Dialysis Services, Clinical Laboratory Services, Adult Day Health Care, and Assisted Living services, as well as every level of Home Care. Centers is well known for our commitment to our employees, offering outstanding ongoing training and development, career advancement opportunities, competitive pay rates, generous compensation packages and more.

   CentersHealthCare.com/careers

   Equal Opportunity Employer –M/F/D/V

   Powered by JazzHR

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   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right cook supervisor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with cook supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit cook supervisors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your cook supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit cook supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with cook supervisor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new cook supervisor

   Once you've selected the best cook supervisor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new cook supervisor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a cook supervisor?