What Does a Line Chef Do?

Line Chefs are in charge of cooking or preparing meat, vegetables, soup, and other ingredients according to area guidelines. Their responsibilities include managing and supervising kitchen staff, coordinating with fellow chefs, replenishing supply inventories, and setting-up cooking areas, ensuring adequate and high-quality ingredients. Among their other usual tasks involve cutting vegetables and meat, preparing sauces, and resolving issues should any arise. Moreover, they must maintain their designated area's cleanliness, all while enforcing and adhering to the health and sanitation standards.

Line Chef Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real line chef resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
  • Clean stoves, ovens, shrowds, floors, stainless steel tables.
  • Prepare food for special groups including those who have eating disorders or allergies.
  • Close down the kitchen after each shift, making sure all BOH staff follow closing checklist for kitchen stations.
  • Maintain highest level of cleanliness and sanitation
  • Maintain company and government standards of preparation, safety and cleanliness.
  • Collaborate with culinary team to create attractive and appetizing signature presentations as central component of catering events.
  • Prepare and cook food at a high intensity culinary establishment using a newly acquire set of culinary techniques.
  • Work broiler station preparing entr e proteins as well as LTO's.
  • Prevent waste by returning food items not used to the designated storage area; cover and date perishables.
  • Return all food items not used on next shift to design storage areas, being sure to cover/date all perishables.
  • Investigate customer complaints and operate equipment, food expediter
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Line Chef Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 16% of Line Chefs are proficient in Kitchen Equipment, Sanitation Standards, and Food Handling. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.

We break down the percentage of Line Chefs that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Kitchen Equipment, 16%

    Maintained strict safety standards and organized all kitchen equipment to maximize productivity.

  • Sanitation Standards, 11%

    Maintained and encouraged productivity, consistency, and acceptable safety and sanitation standards.

  • Food Handling, 8%

    Followed proper food handling methods and maintained correct temperature of all good products and consistently kept clean and safe environment.

  • Customer Service, 8%

    Collaborated with staff and management to provide superior customer service and creating an excellent dining experience.

  • Cleanliness, 8%

    Maintained highest level of cleanliness and sanitation

  • Broilers, 7%

    Line chef responsible for saute, fryer, and broiler.

"kitchen equipment," "sanitation standards," and "food handling" aren't the only skills we found line chefs list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of line chef responsibilities that we found, including:

  • Arguably the most important personality trait for a line chef to have happens to be business skills. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "executive chefs and chefs who run their own restaurant need to understand the restaurant business" Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that line chefs can use business skills to "improved the reputation of the clubs ala carte business"

  • Another trait important for fulfilling line chef duties is communication skills. According to a line chef resume, "chefs must communicate their instructions clearly and effectively to staff so that customers’ orders are prepared correctly." Here's an example of how line chefs are able to utilize communication skills: "make sure the proper communication is maintained between the kitchen staff and the wait staff regarding food orders. "

  • Creativity is also an important skill for line chefs to have. This example of how line chefs use this skill comes from a line chef resume, "chefs and head cooks need to be creative in order to develop and prepare interesting and innovative recipes" Read this excerpt from a resume to understand how vital it is to their everyday roles and responsibilities, "ensured fresh produce was available inspected kitchen cleanliness monitored food temperatures maintained and ordered inventory"

  • A line chef responsibilities sometimes require "leadership skills." The responsibilities that rely on this skills are shown by this resume excerpt: "chefs and head cooks must have the ability to motivate kitchen staff and develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with them." This resume example shows how this skill is used by line chefs: "worked to provide the highest quality of customer service developed strong communication skills through interacting with customers and other employees leadership:"

  • Yet another important skill that a line chef must demonstrate is "time-management skills." Chefs and head cooks must efficiently manage their time and the time of their staff This is clearly demonstrated in this example from a line chef who stated: "use all kitchen equipment to complete tasks on time. "

  • Another skill commonly found on line chef resumes is "dexterity." This description of the skill was found on several line chef resumes: "chefs and head cooks need excellent dexterity, including proper knife techniques for cutting, chopping, and dicing." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill could fit into the day-to-day line chef responsibilities: "provided hands-on expertise in areas that included menu planning, cost control and analysis, staffing, budgeting, and marketing. "

    • See the full list of line chef skills.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious line chefs are:

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    What Food Service Coordinators Do

    Food service coordinators are responsible for organizing the food preparation for a considerable section of a huge operation such as the bakery, catering, and pantry section. They arrange, prepare, and synchronize the preparation of main entrees. Also, they coordinate and prepare all snacks and meals at a distinct facility as well as supervise the performance of food service specialists and student assistants in preparing food. Qualifications for the job include agility and physical strength to lift and reach kitchen materials and supplies as well as working in a hot environment while standing for a long period.

    In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take food service coordinator for example. On average, the food service coordinators annual salary is $5,434 higher than what line chefs make on average every year.

    While their salaries may differ, one common ground between line chefs and food service coordinators are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like kitchen equipment, sanitation standards, and food handling.

    There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a line chef responsibilities require skills like "broilers," "chefs," "mix ingredients," and "steam meats." Meanwhile a typical food service coordinator has skills in areas such as "meal preparation," "food safety," "servsafe," and "cash handling." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

    Food service coordinators really shine in the media industry with an average salary of $33,827. Whereas line chefs tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $28,064.

    The education levels that food service coordinators earn is a bit different than that of line chefs. In particular, food service coordinators are 3.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a line chef. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Food Service Associate?

    A food service associate performs fundamental functions in the food industry. Food service associates prepare and serve food items. They cater to special events, which involve facility preparation, food presentation maintenance, and setting up tables. Their duties include cleaning preparation and service equipment. They restock the work stations for the essential supplies. The skills they need to perform their job include customer service, teamwork, work with diverse cultural, ethnic, and academic backgrounds, and learn safety and health regulations.

    The next role we're going to look at is the food service associate profession. Typically, this position earns a higher pay. In fact, they earn a $4,991 higher salary than line chefs per year.

    Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Line chefs and food service associates both include similar skills like "kitchen equipment," "sanitation standards," and "food handling" on their resumes.

    But both careers also use different skills, according to real line chef resumes. While line chef responsibilities can utilize skills like "broilers," "chefs," "mix ingredients," and "steam meats," some food service associates use skills like "excellent interpersonal," "math," "basic math," and "food trays."

    On average, food service associates earn a higher salary than line chefs. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, food service associates earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $33,477. Whereas, line chefs have higher paychecks in the education industry where they earn an average of $28,064.

    In general, food service associates study at similar levels of education than line chefs. They're 1.1% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Chef De Cuisine Compares

    A chef de cuisine, also known as an executive chef, oversees a kitchen's daily operations in public and private establishments to ensure food quality and efficient services. Their duties require cooking and leadership skills because they involve leading menu development and meal preparation, coordinating staff, delegating responsibilities, selecting and sourcing ingredients, and handling customer issues and concerns promptly and professionally. Moreover, a chef de cuisine leads and empowers staff to reach the kitchen's daily goals while implementing health standards and regulations.

    The third profession we take a look at is chef de cuisine. On an average scale, these workers bring in higher salaries than line chefs. In fact, they make a $25,275 higher salary per year.

    While looking through the resumes of several line chefs and chef de cuisines we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "kitchen equipment," "sanitation standards," and "food handling," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

    Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from line chef resumes include skills like "patients," "chefs," "mix ingredients," and "steam meats," whereas a chef de cuisine might be skilled in "menu development," "food safety," "food service," and "wine. "

    Additionally, chef de cuisines earn a higher salary in the hospitality industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $53,893. Additionally, line chefs earn an average salary of $28,064 in the education industry.

    Chef de cuisines are known to earn similar educational levels when compared to line chefs. Additionally, they're 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Chef De Partie

    A Chef De Partie is responsible for supervising a section of the kitchen, such as pastry, butchery, fish, or sauces. They enforce strict health and hygiene standards.

    Chef de parties tend to earn a higher pay than line chefs by about $13,287 per year.

    While their salaries may vary, line chefs and chef de parties both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "kitchen equipment," "sanitation standards," and "food handling. "

    While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "customer service," "patients," "chefs," and "mix ingredients" are skills that have shown up on line chefs resumes. Additionally, chef de partie uses skills like food safety, mise, wine, and r on their resumes.

    Chef de parties earn a higher salary in the hospitality industry with an average of $39,260. Whereas, line chefs earn the highest salary in the education industry.

    The average resume of chef de parties showed that they earn similar levels of education to line chefs. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 2.4% more. Additionally, they're more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.

    Types Of Line Chef

    1-2 years

    Line Cook

    Average Salary: $32,894
    High School Diploma
    Available Jobs: 116,862

    How To Become a Line Cook

    4-6 years

    Chef

    Average Salary: $46,824
    Associate Degree
    Available Jobs: 53,484

    How To Become a Chef

    4-6 years

    Sous Chef

    Average Salary: $48,716
    Associate Degree
    Available Jobs: 44,162

    How To Become a Sous Chef

    4-6 years

    Pastry Chef

    Average Salary: $44,879
    Associate Degree
    Available Jobs: 12,306

    How To Become a Pastry Chef

    4-6 years

    Head Chef

    Average Salary: $45,470
    Associate Degree
    Available Jobs: 9,265

    How To Become a Head Chef

    4-6 years

    Chef De Cuisine

    Average Salary: $51,926
    Associate Degree
    Available Jobs: 5,793

    How To Become a Chef De Cuisine

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    Updated May 19, 2023