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Career Definition of a Kitchen Manager

A Kitchen Manager ensures a smooth running professional kitchen with few errors, accidents, staff squabbles or equipment issues. While restaurants refer to kitchen staff as 'back of the house,' their work directly impacts the success of a restaurant. Incorrectly prepared food or poor timing can give a restaurant a bad reputation that can put it out of business. The Kitchen Manager supervises, coordinates and motivates kitchen staff, which may consist of a few general line cooks or several specialties such as prep cook, grill cook and chef. A Kitchen Manager may work the line during a rush or help plate food as needed. Kitchen Managers may also be responsible for employee scheduling, food orders and food quality, sanitation inspections and kitchen equipment according to CareerBuilder.com.

Becoming an Kitchen Manager

Required Education: Kitchen Management Professional

Kitchen Managers come from a variety of backgrounds. Many kitchen managers began as line cooks or wait staff. Others have an associate or bachelor's degree in Restaurant and Hospitality or Culinary Arts. While there are no educational requirements for Kitchen Manager, those who aspire to become a restaurant manager or open their own place may find formal education extremely helpful, particularly with respect to the study of food costs, vendor contracts and marketing.

Skills Required for a Career as a Kitchen Manager

The job of a Kitchen Manager is tough. They work long hours and must be able to motivate and mentor their subordinates in a hot, pressure-packed kitchen beholden to demanding diners. A Kitchen Manager must possess superb interpersonal skills and know how to work with both line cooks and sometimes difficult chefs in order to keep conflict to a minimum. The ability to speak Spanish is highly desired by employers and can make life easier for a Kitchen Manger. Despite the 'heat of the kitchen,' many thrive on the excitement and frenzy of the restaurant business.

Career and Economic Outlook : Kitchen Management

Despite their dependence on the economy, the National Restaurant Association, www.restaurant.org, projects a 14% increase in total restaurant jobs through 2019. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, reports salaried food service managers, including Kitchen Managers, earn nearly $43,000 a year. Additionally, Kitchen Managers typically are provided free meals as a fringe benefit.