Kitchen Manager (1)

Also known as: Catering Supervisor

As a kitchen manager within food service management you could be working in a range of establishments that require food service – from a hospital to a university. As a kitchen manager your role is to manage the food production and the catering staff as they serve meals in a cafeteria or restaurant.

Your day-to-day duties may involve:
• food preparation
• managing budgets
• maintaining health and hygiene procedures
• allocating tasks to junior team members
• ordering stock

The kitchen manager will work closely with the head chef to develop the menu and organise the catering staff as they prepare the meals. You will be given a budget by the organisation to create the menu, and as the kitchen manager you will ensure that the content is healthy and there is plenty of choice for all religious, cultural, and health considerations. Every week you will perform a stock take to minimise wastage when making the next order.

Every day the kitchen manager will brief the team about the menu and the plan of action to ensure meals are served on time. You will supervise your team as they prepare and cook the food, and teach them food preparation techniques. Health and safety is crucial in a kitchen environment and as the kitchen manager it is your responsibility to maintain the health, hygiene and safety standards. You will look out for unsafe and unhygienic practices, and make sure your team is trained to use the equipment.