The great service of a restaurant is seen by the way the food is served and the quality of ingredients that are sued. Customers always return to the restaurant that serves the best food and with the best quality even if they have to pay more for it. It is the satisfaction of eating great food that makes people go back for more. Little do people know that it took a lot of effort and hardwork to give the customers the favorite meals they always love to order. This job is the Kitchen Supervisor’s specialty.
What is a Kitchen Supervisor?
A Kitchen Supervisor is the key role in ensuring that all kitchen duties are performed to their utmost capabilities.
Duties of a Kitchen Supervisor
- The Kitchen Supervisor has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulder. This job has various tasks needed to be done in a daily basis to ensure that the restaurant’s operation especially in the kitchen is smooth and on track.
- A Kitchen Supervisor is tasked to plan out the menu and may include the setting of the price. For the food business where menus may change in a daily basis, it is the duty of the Kitchen Supervisor to determine the menu that may make use of leftover food and other ingredients on surplus.
- It is the responsibility of a Kitchen Supervisor to oversee the kitchen helpers and the cooks; to make sure that all employees follow safety and health standards. A Kitchen Supervisor is also responsible for the interview, hiring and firing of the kitchen staff.
- A Kitchen Supervisor is obligated to organize and rotate all food in stock and taking inventory. He checks the food stock for freshness and quality on a regular basis. With this, it is the Kitchen Supervisor’s call to purchase food and kitchen supplies; for large equipment, he may file requests with the purchasing department.
- A Kitchen Supervisor is the one who makes a schedule for the routinary equipment maintenance, waste removal, linen and cleaning services.
- It is the duty of a Kitchen Supervisor to look into any customer complaints and be able to resolve such complaints on food service or quality. He sets a meeting with the employees to ensure that such situations that were complained about will be avoided in the future.
Work Condition of a Kitchen Supervisor
This kind of job may be found in business and school cafeterias, restaurants, hotels, hospitals or even prisons. A Kitchen Supervisor works more than 40 hours a week and can work on weekends, holidays and nights. The kitchen area a Kitchen Supervisor usually works in is hot and fast-paced.
This job entails a lot of duties and responsibilities so it requires the Kitchen Supervisor to be able to have good leadership skills, good communications skills, can work well under pressure and a good team player as well. A great personality is also required of a Kitchen Supervisor as he can motivate his kitchen staff to do their best in accomplishing their individual duties and a quick thinker as his job involves deciding on a fast manner especially on busy hours.
A Kitchen Supervisor also needs to be strong physically as lifting, constant standing and walking are part of the everyday routine of the job.
Educational Requirements of a Kitchen Supervisor
To be a Kitchen Supervisor, a high school diploma and two years in a culinary college is the minimum requirement. Proficient knowledge in computer application like MS Office is also a requirement.
Occupation and Progress of a Kitchen Supervisor
This job is a progression from an entry level and can be achieved through experience of at least five years in the same industry of the food business where at least three years of that is in depth exposure to the position of Kitchen Supervisor. To continue in achieving the next level of Kitchen Manager, more experience and additional education are needed. For someone who enjoys working in the food business, the ultimate goal is to own a restaurant or to become the executive chef of a famous restaurant. Being a Kitchen Supervisor is a preparatory ground to be able to handle the big responsibility of a Kitchen Manager or a restaurant owner.