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The differences between kitchen managers and kitchen leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kitchen manager has an average salary of $50,448, which is higher than the $35,678 average annual salary of a kitchen lead.
The top three skills for a kitchen manager include customer service, kitchen equipment and cleanliness. The most important skills for a kitchen lead are customer service, culinary, and food products.
| Kitchen Manager | Kitchen Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $50,448 | $35,678 |
| Hourly rate | $24.25 | $17.15 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 151,781 | 56,300 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A kitchen manager is responsible for supervising overall kitchen operations duties, checking food storage, and distributing appropriate kitchen staff tasks. Kitchen managers' jobs also include monitoring food preparation, ensuring that all orders and serving portions are correct, organizing menu prices, researching current market trends of the food industry, and maintaining the highest sanitation procedures. Kitchen managers should also assist guests with their inquiries, manage concerns, and handle complaints. They should have excellent communication and leadership skills to lead the kitchen staff in providing the best customer experience.
A kitchen manager acts as the overseer of food preparation and cooking. They ensure that all staff are working efficiently. They maintain the cleanliness of workstations and monitor all supplies used. To avoid lapses, they monitor the staff during cooking to ensure that the kitchen serves the best quality of food. Also, they create reports on the monthly expenses of supplies.
Kitchen managers and kitchen leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Kitchen Manager | Kitchen Lead | |
| Average salary | $50,448 | $35,678 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $67,000 | Between $27,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redmond, WA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Washington |
| Best paying company | Hillstone Restaurant Group | Zoës Kitchen |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a kitchen manager and a kitchen lead in terms of educational background:
| Kitchen Manager | Kitchen Lead | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Cornell University | - |
Here are the differences between kitchen managers' and kitchen leads' demographics:
| Kitchen Manager | Kitchen Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0% | Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |