Kitchen manager
Lead a team of staff and oversee the daily operations of a restaurant kitchen.
About the job
What it's like
As a kitchen manager it's your job to make sure things run smoothly! Your main responsibilities will be leading the staff and managing operational tasks such as the kitchen budget.
Where will you work?
You could work in restaurants, or any organisation where there is catering, such as:
businesses
hospitals
schools or universities
You'll work closely with the head chef, who's responsible for the cooking, the menu and directing the other chefs. In smaller kitchens, the head chef is sometimes the kitchen manager, too.
Your main tasks
As a kitchen manager, your tasks could include the following. It's likely the head chef will do some of these tasks, too, so you'll need to work in partnership. You will:
make sure food is the right quality and price
manage stocks of food and order ingredients from suppliers
control the budget and keep accurate records
manage health and hygiene procedures
organise the staff duty rota
recruit, train and develop staff
communicate with front-of-house staff
help customers if they have a problem or complaint with the kitchen
You’ll need to work quickly and calmly when under pressure and deal with unexpected situations.
Hours
You'll typically work shifts, involving early mornings and late nights. You'll also work weekends and public holidays.
Environment
Working in the kitchen is often hot and humid. At key meal times, you'll be on your feet most of the time and working under pressure. You may wear a smart outfit, or a uniform to protect your clothing and for hygiene reasons.
For part of the day, you may work at a desk away from the kitchen doing the budget or placing orders with food suppliers.
Explore more information about this job
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- cooking
- food safety and sanitation
- menu planning
- restaurant operation
- customer complaint resolution
- cost control
- continuous improvement process
- test kitchen
- guest relations
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- taking responsibility
- mentoring
- making decisions
- delegating
- coaching
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- creative
- verbal communication
- listening
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Health and Food Technology (Home economics)
Hospitality: Practical Cake Craft (Home economics)
Hospitality: Practical Cookery (Home economics)
Skills for Work: Hospitality
Foundation Apprenticeship: Hospitality
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
You don't need a university qualification for this job.
Most kitchen managers will have worked their way up from other restaurant or bar jobs. There are many relevant qualifications, such as a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) in:
National 4 – Skills for Work: Hospitality (SCQF Level 4)
HNC in Hospitality Operations (SCQF Level 7)
HND in Hospitality Management (SCQF Level 8)
SVQ Hospitality Management Skills (SCQF Level 8)
You should have relevant work-based qualifications and experience in a professional kitchen. Other management or leadership experience and qualifications can also be useful.
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