Kitchen Team Member Job Description

The Kitchen Staff in a Food Processing Industry

The kitchen staff works in front of cooks, waitstaff, and sometimes customers in restaurants, cafeterias, and catering kitchens. They work part-time or full-time, days, nights, weekends, and sometimes early in the morning to prepare food. The kitchen staff arrives early to organize the kitchen and do food prep to streamline cooking and meal presentation, including washing, peeling, and cutting fruits and vegetables.

The kitchen staff organizes customers plates before the waitstaff brings the final product to the customer. They know the day's meals and the menu before they are delivered. The kitchen staff works with management and head cooks to properly store food in kitchens, cold storage, and storerooms.

They transfer food and supplies to the kitchen when needed. If they are the first to arrive, the kitchen staff will turn on the lights and grills, start the kitchen prep work, and prepare the kitchen and customer areas for service. The kitchen staff cleans and turns off all the cooking equipment when they are the last to leave.

Some employers require a high school degree or GED, but the kitchen staff does not. Many employers look for at least one year of experience in the industry when they hire. The Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data shows the median annual pay for food preparation workers was $21,440 in 2016

The Chef Patissier in a Hotel

An arrangement of people in job to accomplish the goals of the operation is one of the definitions of a business organization. The organizational structure of the kitchen staff will reflect the needs of the operation, job functions and various goals. The needs of the enterprise's design can affect the organization of food production.

Kitchen organization is to assign tasks so they can be done efficiently and properly and so all workers know what their responsibilities are. The way a kitchen is organized can be different. It is possible for there to be as many as four to six Sous Chefs in large establishments, particularly when separate kitchens are set up for different cuisines.

Chef de partie is in charge of a section of activities in the kitchen. There is a The Chef de Partie may have the status and duties of a Sous Chef in addition to his sectional responsibilities.

The chef grade manger is in charge of the food. The raw materials of cookery are prepared and dressed in the larder, which is also a place where food is steamed. The main kitchen staff leave and the night duty cook takes over.

Normally one person is enough for the Grade Manger and a separate Chef de Nuit may be retained. The cook does not stay on duty throughout the night but only until the late meals stop. The Chef is important in the kitchen because of the repertory of soups, including consomme, cremes and veloutes, purees, soups and many speciality and nationing essences.

Whataburger's Team Leader

Food preparation, customer service, and the day to day tasks involved in the operation are some of the duties that a Team Member at Whataburger needs to perform. Your main responsibility is to interact with customers, which includes taking and receiving orders, processing payments, and responding appropriately to whatever the customer needs. The products are prepared based on the company's service philosophy.

They must follow the standards when it comes to maintaining the safety and clean environment. Managers at Whataburger report directly to General Managers and they will be supervising all Team Members on assigned shift. The General Manager is responsible for hiring personnel, orienting and evaluating Team Members, trains newly hired member about all the aspects of the operations, and implementing store policies and guidelines.

The restaurant managers are responsible for keeping the premises clean. They need to make sure that the highest standard of product quality and excellent customer service is being implemented. Team leaders are responsible for ensuring the compliance of the store's standard operating procedures.

They need to make sure that all Team Members are meeting the company's standards in uniform and personal hygiene and that they fill in a position chart that is balanced for operational excellence. The kitchen stations at Whataburger are made to use the proper procedures for food preparation and handling, and the team leaders are responsible for that. They must communicate any problems to the restaurant general manager so that appropriate actions can be taken.

The kitchen brigade system

Commercial kitchens can be found in small mom-and-pop restaurants to the high-volume production environments of convention centers and institutions. The tasks that the individual cooks and the staff do in the kitchen are consistent and so are the responsibilities of the kitchen staff. The kitchen brigade system was outlined by a French chef in the 19th century.

In modern restaurants, the roles of individual cooks are not clearly defined, and there are not as many single-purpose work stations. Line cooks are the most skilled and experienced in cooking, with more demanding jobs being handled by experienced cooks. First cooks are often given the responsibility of supervising the kitchen in the absence of the sous-chef.

How to Create a Safe and Open Kitchen Culture

The narrative on kitchen culture has undergone a change over the last few years. Restaurant owners are more focused on making sure employees are fulfilled and that toxic work cultures are stamped out before they can thrive. Less formal changes that you implement at the team level are one of the ways to change your kitchen culture.

Make an effort to recognize your employees for their hard work. Good work can be promoted internally or at staff meetings. Informal team outings are a great way to say thank you.

A routine where your top performers are highlighted and applauded, and possibly with a prize, is a possibility. Explanation: Invest in your employees.

Training programs and other professional development programs show your staff that you are committed to their career development. If you don't know where to start, ask! Talk to your kitchen staff about what they want their next career move to be, and then start thinking about small changes you can make that can help, like a grassroots mentorship program or a class you can help subsidize.

Creating a positive work atmosphere is not always fun. Team members need to understand your expectations and be held accountable when they don't. Wendy's offers paid bonding leave for families and financial assistance for adoption.

A Kitchen Operations Checklist

A kitchen operations checklist is a good tool for anyone in the food service or hospitality industry. It is used to make sure that kitchen procedures are followed by the staff and completed across different shifts. A kitchen operations checklist is helpful to any facility that prepares food.

Businesses can cut down on expenses, improve food safety and quality, and deliver stellar customer service by using regular kitchen walkthroughs. Kitchen operations checklists are needed to prevent incidents in the kitchen that can lead to food poisoning. The executive chef is in charge of the kitchen operations.

All kitchen staff have a share in that responsibility. Sometimes the executive chef has an assistant who acts as the kitchen manager when the executive chef is busy with food quality and safety concerns. Food safety should be a priority in the kitchen.

Businesses and consumers can be protected from getting sued or shut down if they focus on food safety. Ensuring that kitchen staff adhere to all hygiene and safety procedures is one of the preventative procedures that restaurants, hotels, and other commercial kitchens should take. The dishes should be prepared in a timely and appealing manner.

The health department requires that kitchen facilities be clean and well maintained. The kitchen staff can be more productive and efficient if the facility is clean. Cleaning should be done daily during opening and closing of the kitchen.