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.
Kitchen supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real kitchen supervisor resumes:
- 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.
- Train new employees per procedures, state standards, and servsafe standards.
- Execute opening and closing duties including HACCP food/ kitchen safety inspections and associate development.
- Assist in the selection of a POS system and employee training on the system.
- Monitor cooking and chill temperatures; also, monitor smokehouse HACCP paperwork to ensure all entries are correct.
- Ensure and maintain kitchen cleanliness in accordance with Eco-sure regulations.
- Supervise all facility personnel and payroll operations: union shop.
- Recognize for professionalism and demonstrating the ability to communicate effectively with patients.
- Supervise a team of 40 culinary specialists and educate personnel on culinary procedures.
- Maintain cash controls and all financial documentation including inventory, billing and payroll.
Kitchen supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Kitchen Supervisors are proficient in Culinary, Cleanliness, and Food Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Kitchen Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Culinary, 16%
Assist Executive chef to oversee culinary efforts involving preparation of distinctive cuisine.
- Cleanliness, 11%
Ensured and maintained kitchen cleanliness in accordance with Eco-sure regulations.
- Food Service, 10%
Supervised of inmates performing large-scale food production and food service operations at a close custody prison facility.
- Food Handling, 8%
Make certain proper food handling procedures are followed by staff including proper sanitation and general housekeeping practices.
- Kitchen Equipment, 7%
Improved equipment reliability and safety by implementing preventive maintenance procedures for kitchen equipment.
- Customer Service, 6%
Developed highly empathetic client relationships and earned a reputation for exceeding service standards Skills Used Sharpened my customer service skills.
Common skills that a kitchen supervisor uses to do their job include "culinary," "cleanliness," and "food service." You can find details on the most important kitchen supervisor responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a kitchen supervisor to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "food service managers must be courteous and attentive when dealing with patrons." Additionally, a kitchen supervisor resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "maintained kitchen flow* ensured cleanliness standards* preserved customer satisfaction"
Organizational skills. kitchen supervisors are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to kitchen supervisor responsibilities, because "managers have many different responsibilities, including scheduling and overseeing staff, budgeting, and maintaining financial records." A kitchen supervisor resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "continue to enhance and utilize customer service and organizational skills on a daily basis. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain kitchen supervisor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a kitchen supervisor rely on this skill, as "managers need to be able to resolve personnel issues and customer-related problems." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what kitchen supervisors do: "identified and resolved customer complaints regarding food preparation standards and menu options. "
Physical stamina. A commonly-found skill in kitchen supervisor job descriptions, "physical stamina" is essential to what kitchen supervisors do. Kitchen supervisor responsibilities rely on this skill because "managers often work long shifts and sometimes spend entire evenings actively helping to serve customers." You can also see how kitchen supervisor duties rely on physical stamina in this resume example: "conducted regular physical inventories, placed orders, controlled food and labor costs. "
The three companies that hire the most kitchen supervisors are:
- Aimbridge Hospitality33 kitchen supervisors jobs
- Elior North America28 kitchen supervisors jobs
- Live Nation Entertainment24 kitchen supervisors jobs
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Compare different kitchen supervisors
Kitchen 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a kitchen supervisor are more likely to require skills like "food handling," "kitchen equipment," "food production," and "basic math." On the other hand, a job as a banquet captain requires skills like "beverage service," "banquet functions," "wine," and "room set-up." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Banquet captains really shine in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $34,190. Comparatively, kitchen supervisors tend to make the most money in the start-up industry with an average salary of $41,611.On average, banquet captains reach similar levels of education than kitchen supervisors. Banquet captains are 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Kitchen supervisor vs. Bakery manager
Bakery managers are responsible for the staff's training, schedules, and assignment of tasks. Suggesting changes in the inventory, prices, and products to make based on reports are also part of a manager's job aside from purchasing supplies for the bakery when needed. Being able to communicate with one's subordinates is an important skill to have as a manager to be able to come up with better ideas in decreasing the amount of wasted and unsold products while increasing the sales. A candidate should also have leadership skills as they will be overseeing the sales and operations part of the bakery.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, kitchen supervisor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "culinary," "food service," "kitchen equipment," and "food production." Meanwhile, a bakery manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "food safety," "excellent interpersonal," "customer satisfaction," and "bakery products." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Bakery managers may earn a lower salary than kitchen supervisors, but bakery managers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $35,367. On the other hand, kitchen supervisors receive higher pay in the start-up industry, where they earn an average salary of $41,611.bakery managers earn similar levels of education than kitchen supervisors in general. They're 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Kitchen supervisor vs. Lead cook
A lead cook, or lead line cook, is an individual restaurant employee who is in charge of supervising the chain of food preparation done by line cooks. Lead cooks work directly under head cooks or chefs who provide instructions in preparing meals. They are well-versed in the restaurant's food health and safety, such as regular hand washing, utensil sanitizing, and proper garbage disposal. To be a successful lead cook, they must obtain knowledge of various cooking techniques and be passionate about food.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, kitchen supervisors are more likely to have skills like "food production," "food quality," "beverage management," and "safety procedures." But a lead cook is more likely to have skills like "math," "mixers," "patients," and "quality food."
Lead cooks earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $35,162. Comparatively, kitchen supervisors have the highest earning potential in the start-up industry, with an average salary of $41,611.Most lead cooks achieve a similar degree level compared to kitchen supervisors. For example, they're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Kitchen supervisor vs. Front of house manager
A front of house manager coordinates and supervises the front house team. Front of house managers make sure that every client receives a warm welcome. They see to it that all house services are performed smoothly. The scope of their duties and responsibilities may involve the recruitment of team members. They carry out administrative tasks in an organization or establishment such as a theater, concert hall, or restaurant. It is their job to handle the preparation and daily operations of these areas.
Types of kitchen supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025
