Kitchen supervisor vs sous chef

The differences between kitchen supervisors and sous chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sous chef has an average salary of $48,716, which is higher than the $40,520 average annual salary of a kitchen supervisor.

The top three skills for a kitchen supervisor include culinary, cleanliness and food service. The most important skills for a sous chef are culinary, food handling, and food preparation.

Kitchen supervisor vs sous chef overview

	Kitchen Supervisor	Sous Chef
Yearly salary	$40,520	$48,716
Hourly rate	$19.48	$23.42
Growth rate	10%	15%
Number of jobs	66,303	22,393
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	37	42
Years of experience	-	6

What does a kitchen supervisor do?

A kitchen supervisor is responsible for managing the overall kitchen operations, ensuring that the kitchen employees follow sanitary procedures while doing their high-quality and maximum productivity tasks. Kitchen supervisors manage inventories, checking the adequacy of food supplies and kitchen equipment, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and third-party vendors. They also help develop marketing strategies, research the latest food trends, update menus, and create financial reports and expense forecasting. A kitchen supervisor must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially with responding to customers' inquiries and concerns and resolving complaints.

What does a sous chef do?

A sous chef is responsible for directing food preparation and general kitchen tasks with the supervision of an executive chef. A sous chef duties also include customizing healthy menus, maintaining quality check for foods, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures and standards, monitoring food and equipment supplies, suggesting new specialties, assisting customer's inquiries, and managing client's complaints. A sous chef must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as updated with the current food trends to provide the best services for the customers.

Kitchen supervisor vs sous chef salary

Kitchen supervisors and sous chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Kitchen Supervisor	Sous Chef
Average salary	$40,520	$48,716
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $58,000	Between $33,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Atlantic City, NJ
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	GoodCents	RH
Best paying industry	Start-up	Government

Differences between kitchen supervisor and sous chef education

There are a few differences between a kitchen supervisor and a sous chef in terms of educational background:

	Kitchen Supervisor	Sous Chef
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Drexel University

Kitchen supervisor vs sous chef demographics

Here are the differences between kitchen supervisors' and sous chefs' demographics:

	Kitchen Supervisor	Sous Chef
Average age	37	42
Gender ratio	Male, 65.0% Female, 35.0%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 6.8% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between kitchen supervisor and sous chef duties and responsibilities

Kitchen supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage grill area and demonstrate leadership.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and supervise all culinary employees including community service volunteers in kitchen operations and delegate daily work assignments.
Maintain kitchen and dining area under Servsafe guidelines.
Used a POS system and show advanced money management skills.
Exercise leadership skills by coordinating kitchen staff during busy times.

Sous chef example responsibilities.

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

Kitchen supervisor vs sous chef skills

Common kitchen supervisor skills

Culinary, 16%
Cleanliness, 11%
Food Service, 10%
Food Handling, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

Common sous chef skills

Culinary, 15%
Food Handling, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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Kitchen Supervisor vs Sous Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

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