Sous chef vs kitchen manager

The differences between sous chefs and kitchen managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sous chef, becoming a kitchen manager takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a kitchen manager has an average salary of $50,448, which is higher than the $48,716 average annual salary of a sous chef.

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

Sous chef vs kitchen manager overview

	Sous Chef	Kitchen Manager
Yearly salary	$48,716	$50,448
Hourly rate	$23.42	$24.25
Growth rate	15%	10%
Number of jobs	22,393	151,781
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	Associate Degree, 31%
Average age	42	39
Years of experience	6	4

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.

What does a kitchen manager do?

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.

Sous chef vs kitchen manager salary

Sous chefs and kitchen managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sous Chef	Kitchen Manager
Average salary	$48,716	$50,448
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $70,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Atlantic City, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Rhode Island
Best paying company	RH	Hillstone Restaurant Group
Best paying industry	Government	Hospitality

Differences between sous chef and kitchen manager education

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

	Sous Chef	Kitchen Manager
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	Associate Degree, 31%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Drexel University	Cornell University

Sous chef vs kitchen manager demographics

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

	Sous Chef	Kitchen Manager
Average age	42	39
Gender ratio	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%
Race ratio	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%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between sous chef and kitchen manager duties and responsibilities

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 manager example 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.

Sous chef vs kitchen manager skills

Common sous chef skills

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

Common kitchen manager skills

Customer Service, 15%
Kitchen Equipment, 13%
Cleanliness, 9%
Food Handling, 9%
Fifo, 8%
Food Waste, 6%

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Sous Chef vs Kitchen Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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