What does a cook supervisor do?
Cook supervisors are responsible for coordinating the kitchen members and ensure that all orders are prepared on time and according to customer specifications. They must be skilled in the culinary department, knowledgeable of the food safety regulations, and lead a team of cooks, washers, and helpers to achieve an organized kitchen. Monitoring the kitchen inventory, scheduling work shifts for the team, and working with the restaurant manager about the week's menu are also the responsibilities of cook supervisors.
Cook supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cook supervisor resumes:
- 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.
- Prepare varied culinary dishes customize retirement community residents and staff.
- Approve an assortment of menu items available in the facility cafeteria, interpret and follow all applicable HACCP regulatory requirements.
- Maintain and follow proper hygiene and sanitation standards.
Cook supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 33% of Cook Supervisors are proficient in Food Handling, Food Service, and Portion Control. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Sense of taste and smell, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Cook Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Food Handling, 33%
Supervised all areas of proper food handling, preparation, production, and proper portion control in large quantity cooking.
- Food Service, 26%
Enforce rules and regulations governing facility security, inmate accountability, inmate conduct and Food Service Responsibilities.
- Portion Control, 9%
Developed and followed standardized recipes, and used portion control methods, including the weighing/measuring of meal components.
- Kitchen Equipment, 5%
Operated various kitchen equipment References provided upon request References Name, Position.
- HACCP, 5%
Approved an assortment of menu items available in the facility cafeteria, interpreted and followed all applicable HACCP regulatory requirements.
- Meal Preparation, 4%
Supervised inmates during meal preparation; instructed in proper techniques for measuring and following recipes
Most cook supervisors use their skills in "food handling," "food service," and "portion control" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential cook supervisor responsibilities here:
Dexterity. The most essential soft skill for a cook supervisor to carry out their responsibilities is dexterity. This skill is important for the role because "cooks should have excellent hand–eye coordination." Additionally, a cook supervisor resume shows how their duties depend on dexterity: "started as a prep cook to gain a hands of understanding of the commercial kitchen operations. "
Sense of taste and smell. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling cook supervisor duties is sense of taste and smell. The role rewards competence in this skill because "cooks must have a keen sense of taste and smell to prepare meals that customers enjoy." According to a cook supervisor resume, here's how cook supervisors can utilize sense of taste and smell in their job responsibilities: "maintain and operate all large volume cooking equipment's such as grills and deep fryer. "
Physical stamina. This is an important skill for cook supervisors to perform their duties. For an example of how cook supervisor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "cooks spend a lot of time standing in one place, cooking food over hot stoves, and cleaning work areas." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a cook supervisor: "purchased food products with approved vendors secured inventory control responsible for physical safety training, and proper documentation needed to pass audits".
The three companies that hire the most cook supervisors are:
- Compass Group USA122 cook supervisors jobs
- Elior North America70 cook supervisors jobs
- Aramark64 cook supervisors jobs
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Compare different cook supervisors
Cook supervisor vs. Kitchen assistant manager
An assistant kitchen manager is in charge of a large establishment or restaurant when the manager is not around. They supervise all operations in the kitchen, monitor the performance of the staff, train the newly hired crew, and create an inventory report of all supplies. They must also ensure that clients expectations are met by providing them the best service. An assistant kitchen manager needs to be customer-oriented and detail-oriented, and they must also have management skills, critical thinking skills, and organizational skills.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, cook supervisor responsibilities require skills like "haccp," "meal preparation," "rehabilitation," and "food production." Meanwhile a typical kitchen assistant manager has skills in areas such as "customer service," "product quality," "labor costs," and "employee development." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Kitchen assistant managers tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $41,915. In contrast, cook supervisors make the biggest average salary, $40,304, in the health care industry.On average, kitchen assistant managers reach similar levels of education than cook supervisors. Kitchen assistant managers are 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cook supervisor vs. 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. Also, they organize meetings to give updates on service or policy changes as well as administering any staff issues and resolving them in a timely manner. Additionally, they guide the setup of the banquet, preserve stock room supply, and ensure all sanitary regulations and company policies on appropriate and safe food handling are followed by every staff member.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real cook supervisor resumes. While cook supervisor responsibilities can utilize skills like "food handling," "portion control," "kitchen equipment," and "haccp," banquet captains use skills like "customer service," "beverage service," "banquet functions," and "wine."
On average, banquet captains earn a lower salary than cook supervisors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, banquet captains earn the most pay in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $34,190. Whereas cook supervisors have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $40,304.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Banquet captains tend to reach similar levels of education than cook supervisors. In fact, they're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cook supervisor vs. 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. They also ensure that business goals are met. Shift leaders check whether team members are working, and they ensure that they always comply with company policies and guidelines. They also monitor the performance of their employees and coach them should the employees need help in any area of their work. Shift leaders should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, cook supervisors are more likely to have skills like "food handling," "portion control," "kitchen equipment," and "haccp." But a shift leader is more likely to have skills like "patients," "customer service," "math," and "cash handling."
Shift leaders earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $36,581. Comparatively, cook supervisors have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $40,304.When it comes to education, shift leaders tend to earn similar degree levels compared to cook supervisors. In fact, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cook supervisor vs. Bar manager/bartender
A bar manager/bartender is responsible for handling daily bar operations to achieve the highest customer satisfaction. Bar manager/bartenders often interact with guests, responding to their inquiries and special requests, and immediately resolving service complaints. They also develop marketing strategies to attract guests by updating menu information and researching the latest market trends. Bar managers/bartenders also monitor inventories and stock supplies, coordinating with third-party vendors, and negotiating contracts with trusted suppliers. A bar manager/bartender must have excellent leadership skills and oversee the compliance of all staff to the bar regulations and safety standards.
Types of cook supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025
