How to hire a Kitchen Manager

How to hire a kitchen manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step kitchen manager 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 manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new kitchen manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Kitchen Manager do?

Post A Kitchen Manager Job For Free, Promote It For A Fee

Post Free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your kitchen manager 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 kitchen manager 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

   Hiring the perfect kitchen manager 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of kitchen managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type Of Kitchen Manager	Description	Hourly Rate
   Kitchen Manager	Food service managers are responsible for the daily operation of restaurants and other establishments that prepare and serve food and beverages. They direct staff to ensure that customers are satisfied with their dining experience, and they manage the business to ensure that it is profitable.	$17-32
   Food And Beverage Manager	A food and beverage manager is a professional responsible for ensuring that quality food and drinks are being served at a restaurant or hotel. Food and beverage managers are required to be excellent with customers and should have great management skills to meet the organization's labor and financial goals... Show More	$18-34
   Hourly Manager	An hourly manager will lead and supervise a team of employees. As an hourly manager, you will maintain the shift operations you are assigned to and keep staff informed of operational issues... Show More	$12-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Cleanliness
   • Food Handling
   • Fifo
   • Food Waste
   • Culinary
   • Food Safety
   • Labor Costs
   • Food Products
   • Food Service
   • Quality Standards
   • ServSafe
   • Food Cost

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the daily operations of the kitchen, providing professional leadership and direction to all personnel.
   • Supervise cooks and manage the preparation, portioning, garnishing, and storage of all food items.
   • Manage kitchen staff and cook, develop new recipes, inventory and ordering, and fill in for bartending.
   • Manage kitchen staff, delegates responsibilities, place groceries order, prepare menus and prepare food base on recipes.
   • Prepare bills for orders, manage cash register, help with accounting using adding machine, POS software and programs.
   • Manage the daily operation of food production for patients, guests and employees as well as all internal and external catering.

   More Kitchen Manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the kitchen manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A kitchen manager 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 kitchen manager in Louisiana may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level kitchen manager. Additionally, a kitchen manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average kitchen manager salary

   $50,448yearly

   $24.25 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level kitchen manager salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 14, 2025

   Average kitchen manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$59,639	$29
   2	Delaware	$56,988	$27
   3	New York	$55,632	$27
   4	Washington	$55,351	$27
   5	Maine	$54,319	$26
   6	Maryland	$54,195	$26
   7	Michigan	$52,594	$25
   8	District of Columbia	$52,380	$25
   9	Massachusetts	$50,638	$24
   10	Nebraska	$50,419	$24
   11	Virginia	$50,358	$24
   12	Oregon	$50,238	$24
   13	Nevada	$50,213	$24
   14	Pennsylvania	$49,884	$24
   15	Illinois	$49,810	$24
   16	Georgia	$48,550	$23
   17	Florida	$48,367	$23
   18	Arizona	$48,140	$23
   19	Ohio	$48,105	$23
   20	Minnesota	$47,727	$23

   Average kitchen manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Hillstone Restaurant Group	$67,588	$32.49	40
   2	Buchanan & Edwards	$59,670	$28.69
   3	The Old Spaghetti Factory	$57,960	$27.87
   4	Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts	$57,529	$27.66
   5	Chili's Grill & Bar	$57,187	$27.49	88
   6	Texas Roadhouse	$57,070	$27.44	405
   7	McShane Construction	$56,246	$27.04
   8	Gordon Food Service	$55,742	$26.80	3
   9	Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurants	$55,516	$26.69	51
   10	Chicken Salad Chick	$55,440	$26.65	215
   11	BJ's Restaurants	$55,384	$26.63	55
   12	The Cheesecake Factory	$55,178	$26.53	56
   13	Legends Hospitality	$54,557	$26.23	15
   14	Flanigan's Seafood Bar and Grill	$54,532	$26.22	37
   15	Peoria Unified School District	$54,480	$26.19
   16	The Bristol	$54,449	$26.18
   17	Pitfire Artisan Pizza	$54,436	$26.17
   18	The Ethel Walker School	$54,330	$26.12
   19	Marquis Companies	$54,315	$26.11
   20	Morgan's Restaurants of Pennsylvania Inc	$54,309	$26.11

4. Writing a Kitchen Manager Job Description

   A kitchen manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a kitchen manager job description:

   Kitchen Manager job description example

   Gopuff is seeking a Kitchen Manager to join the Kitchen team. As a member of Gopuff's new Fresh Food & Local team, the Kitchen Manager role is crucial to contributing to the success of Gopuff Fresh & Local by leading and managing a vertically integrated kitchen. As Kitchen Manager, your first and most important priority is to ensure a positive experience for all of our customers and staff. You will be responsible for managing day to day operations of a new concept where the main priorities are delivering a quality product.
   
   ResponsibilitiesLeadership & Professional CommunicationHave a strong understanding of the business that you operate, including daily, weekly, and monthly performance against goals Manage a high-volume cloud kitchen, producing a wide variety of food menu items for delivery Staffing & People Management. Build a repeatable process to hire A-players for your kitchen. One of your biggest tasks will be attracting, screening and interviewing Kitchen Associate talent to bring the best to people to GopuffMaintaining a fully stocked working kitchen that is organized in the best way to handle busy delivery business Adhere to local health & safety standards and maintain a clean kitchen Schedule in a timely manner and manage to a labor budget Supervise the proper execution of all kitchen menu items and recipes, and training your Kitchen Associates to properly prepare the entire menu Inventory, ordering, and menu management - you are responsible for ensuring that your kitchen opens every day with the ability to cook every item on the menu Ensure the trains run on time. Every operating day, ensure your kitchen opens on time and properly with the opening checklist, and make sure your kitchen closes properly according to the closing checklist and any systemic issues are immediately escalated - whether you are there that day or not!You are responsible for all customer interactions at your cafe - everything that your teams do well is a reflection of you; everything that your team does poorly or fails to do is also a reflection of you. The buck stops with you.Displays a customer-first attitude by training and holding kitchen associates accountable for delivering legendary customer service and top notch food and beverage products Demonstrates a professional and calm demeanor at all times - especially during periods of high volume and stress Cultivates and maintains a positive vibe within the team and kitchen Plans, communicates and delegates responsibilities and practices to kitchen associates to ensure a positive and smooth flow of operations Utilizes existing tools to prioritize communications with both kitchen team members and your Gopuff field operations colleagues while using discretion to filter communications when and where necessary Coaches and directs Kitchen Associates to help reach operational goals. Acts as an objective observer to identify problems, concerns and opportunities for operational improvement Manages associates by regularly conducting performance assessments, providing feedback and setting goals to improve team performance
   
   Qualifications5+ years of food service supervisory experience, with Kitchen Manager experience highly preferred and ServeSafe Certification preferred Strong professional competence, comfortability, and experience with Google Suite, Slack, etc Experience with scheduling software and hiring/disciplinary actionA strong sense of professional responsibility and ownership
   Sign on Bonus:$500 Sign on bonus - 60 day retention
   Benefits
   We want to help our employees stay safe and healthy! We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, optional FSAs and HSA plans, 401k, commuter benefits, supplemental employee, spouse and child life insurance to all eligible employees.
   
   We also offer:
   -Gopuff employee discount
   -Career growth opportunities
   -Internal rewards programs
   -Annual performance appraisal and bonus
   -Equity program
   
   At Gopuff, we know that life can be unpredictable. Sometimes you forget the milk at the store, run out of pet food for Fido, or just really need ice cream at 11 pm. We get it-stuff happens. But that's where we come in, delivering all your wants and needs in just minutes.
   
   And now, we're assembling a team of motivated people to help us drive forward that vision to bring a new age of convenience and predictability to an unpredictable world.
   
   Like what you're hearing? Then join us on Team Blue.
   
   Gopuff is an equal employment opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive workplace where we do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or familial status, age, ancestry, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We believe in diversity and encourage any qualified individual to apply.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right kitchen manager 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 kitchen managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit kitchen managers 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 kitchen manager job on Zippia to find and recruit kitchen manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with kitchen manager 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 kitchen manager

   Once you've selected the best kitchen manager 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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.)

   Sign Up To Download Full List

   Sign Up

How much does it cost to hire a kitchen manager?