How to hire a kitchen clerk

How to hire a kitchen clerk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step kitchen clerk hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a kitchen clerk, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect kitchen clerk also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of kitchen clerk salaries for various roles:

   Type of Kitchen Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Kitchen Clerk	Food preparation workers perform many routine tasks under the direction of cooks, chefs, or food service managers. Food preparation workers prepare cold foods, slice meat, peel and cut vegetables, brew coffee or tea, and perform many other food service tasks.	$12-18
   Food Prep/Dishwasher	A food prep/dishwasher's role is to perform food preparation and cleaning duties in a kitchen, under the supervision and directives of a chef or manager. One of their primary responsibilities is washing dishes, sanitizing utensils, and preparing ingredients by washing, peeling, and cutting them according to size... Show more	$11-17
   Food Service Worker	Foodservice workers are employees at restaurants, food trucks, or any outlet that provides food to customers. They may be assigned to welcome customers, take food orders, prepare food orders in the kitchen, serve food, handle customer payments, clean up the tables once the guests leave, or maintain the whole store's cleanliness... Show more	$10-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Handling
   • Food Products
   • Customer Service
   • Display Cases
   • Slicers
   • Food Service
   • Customer Orders
   • Safety Guidelines
   • Groceries
   • Allergies
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Caterings
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Food Preparation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Assist the catering manager to manage, prepare, cook and deliver each day s caterings.
   • Operate large-volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, and handle assembly and disassembling of smoothie machine.
   • Mix water with detergents and acids to prepare cleaning solutions according to specifications, general cleanliness according to safety and company guidelines
   • Brew, serve, and sell coffee at Starbucks kiosk within the store.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your kitchen clerk job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A kitchen clerk can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, kitchen clerks' average salary in louisiana is 41% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level kitchen clerks 33% less than senior-level kitchen clerks.
   • Certifications. A kitchen clerk with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a kitchen clerk's salary.

   Average kitchen clerk salary

   $15.63hourly

   $32,512 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level kitchen clerk salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 31, 2025

4. Writing a kitchen clerk job description

   A job description for a kitchen clerk role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a kitchen clerk job description:

   Kitchen clerk job description example

   Deli Clerks are responsible for making sandwiches, juices, and smoothies according to instruction cards and customer requests. Ensure that food quality standards are being upheld for all deli products. Help promote a food company appearance by providing courteous, friendly, and efficient service to customers and team members.
   Responsibilities:
   1. Give customers immediate and undivided attention
   2. Ensure quality and proper presentation of all foods items
   3. Follow all food safety regulations including proper labeling, dating, storage and rotation
   4. Strictly adhere to all recipes and instruction cards
   5. Fulfill customer orders such as sandwiches, smoothies, and juices quickly, efficiently, and accurately
   6. Maintain full levels of all food displaying units; grab-n-go, dessert case, etc
   7. Observe all deli policies, procedures, safety rules, cleanliness and sanitation, and Weights and Measures instructions
   8. Operate and sanitize all equipment in a safe and proper manner
   9. Show understanding and sensitivity to different dietary preferences such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and raw diets
   10. Ensure that breaks are taken at their appropriate times, as instructed by supervisors
   11. Communicate effectively with team members as well as immediate supervisors regarding all operation and performance issues
   
   Qualifications:
   1. CA Food Handlers' Card
   2. Previous deli and customer service work experience
   
   Requirements:
   1. Passion for Natural Foods
   2. Excellent communications skills and willingness to work as a team
   3. Ability to work with urgency and meet deadlines
   4. Have a strong familiarity with all products in the deli
   5. Proactive in all aspects of the job
   6. Ability to instruct others in a constructive and positive manner
   7. Strong time management and organizational skills
   8. Basic computer skills
   9. Ability to properly handle high levels of stress and large volumes of customers while maintaining a positive and friendly disposition
   10. Flexible work schedule to meet department needs
   
   Essential Job Functions:
   1. Walking and standing for long periods of time
   2. Bend and stooping to grasp objects up to 50 lbs. Bend and twist neck and waist, reach above and below shoulders and squat.
   3. Repetitive use of hands for grasping, pushing, pulling, and fine manipulation
   4. Environmental exposure to extreme temperatures (coolers, ovens, freezer, outdoors, etc)
   
   Dress Code:
   Includes a Lassen's shirt, earth-tone slacks, apron, hair net or hat, and non-slip shoes.
   This job description is intended to describe the general requirements for the performance of this job. It is not a complete list of duties, responsibilities or requirements. Other duties not listed here may be assigned as needed.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right kitchen clerk for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit kitchen clerks, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 kitchen clerk

   Once you've found the kitchen clerk candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 kitchen clerk. 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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