Embarking on the quest for a kitchen manager position, you've honed your resume to perfection only to find yourself stumped by the cover letter. This crucial document is not a resume echo—it's your stage to share a personal success story, illustrating the one accomplishment that makes you beam with professional pride. Striking a balance between formality and originality, without slipping into clichés or verbosity, can be challenging. Keep it concise, limit it to one page, and let's craft a cover letter that opens doors to your culinary leadership.
- Introduce your profile to catch recruiters' attention;
- Use professional templates and examples to make sure your kitchen manager cover letter follows the best industry standards;
- Settle on your most story-worthy achievement to shine a light on what makes your application unique;
- Write a kitchen manager cover letter, even when you lack professional experience.
Ready to start with the basics: upload your resume to Enhancv's AI, below, to see the kitchen manager cover letter it would write for you.
If the kitchen manager isn't exactly the one you're looking for we have a plethora of cover letter examples for jobs like this one:
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- Pastry Chef cover letter example
- Assistant Restaurant Manager cover letter example
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Kitchen manager cover letter example
Owen Wright
Chicago, Illinois
+1-(234)-555-1234
help@enhancv.com
- Highlighting Demonstrable Achievements: The cover letter emphasizes specific accomplishments, such as redesigning the menu to increase customer satisfaction and sales by 22%, which showcases the candidate's ability to make impactful decisions.
- Quantifying Success: Using quantifiable metrics, such as reducing food waste by 25% and saving $20,000 through supplier negotiations, presents a clear picture of the candidate's contributions to cost-saving measures and operational efficiency.
- Relevance to Role: The cover letter focuses on skills and experiences that are directly relevant to the role of Kitchen Manager, such as menu redesign, inventory management, and business acumen, demonstrating a strong alignment with the responsibilities of the position.
- Call to Action: The closing paragraph of the cover letter is an invitation for further discussion, expressing eagerness to contribute and a direct interest in the specific role, which signals a strong and focused intent from the candidate.
Five tips on formatting your kitchen manager cover letter
Do you want to make a good impression on recruiters and, at the same time, follow the best industry advice on writing your kitchen manager cover letter?
Make sure to include the following:
- Header and Salutation;
- Introductory paragraph;
- Body paragraph;
- Closing paragraph;
- Signature (this one is up to you).
Remember to use the same modern, simple font for your kitchen manager cover letter as you did for your resume (e.g. Lato, Rubik, etc.)
Ensure your kitchen manager cover letter is single-spaced and is wrapped around a one-inch margin, like in our cover letter templates.
Once completed, use our cover letter builder to export your kitchen manager cover letter in the best format to keep your information intact - PDF.
At the end of the day, your kitchen manager cover letter won't be assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) software, but by the recruiters. Your information should thus be legible, organized, and follow a structured logic.
The top sections on a kitchen manager cover letter
- Header: Includes your contact information, date, and the employer's details, establishing a professional tone and making it easy for the recruiter to see who you are and how to contact you.
- Greeting: Tailor this section to the restaurant or hiring manager by name if possible, showing you have done your research and are genuinely interested in becoming a part of their team.
- Introduction: Introduce yourself with a brief summary of your professional background in kitchen management, emphasizing your passion for culinary excellence and team leadership, to capture the recruiter's attention immediately.
- Body: Highlight your specific experiences and accomplishments in kitchen operations, staff management, inventory control, and food safety, detailing how these skills can benefit the potential employer’s establishment.
- Closing: Reaffirm your enthusiasm for the opportunity, invite them to review your attached resume, and propose a follow-up meeting or call, demonstrating your proactive approach and eagerness to discuss how you can contribute to their culinary success.
Key qualities recruiters search for in a candidate’s cover letter
- Strong leadership and team management skills: Essential for overseeing kitchen staff, managing shifts, and maintaining high staff morale and productivity.
- In-depth knowledge of food safety and sanitation regulations: Crucial for ensuring the kitchen operates within all health and safety guidelines to protect customers.
- Proven experience in menu development and food cost management: Key for creating innovative dishes while keeping a tight control on budget and food waste.
- Excellent organizational and time management abilities: Required for efficiently running a kitchen, managing inventory, and coordinating with suppliers and front-of-house teams.
- Ability to work under pressure and solve problems quickly: A must-have trait to maintain high-quality service during peak hours and resolve any kitchen-related issues that may arise.
- A track record of maintaining high customer satisfaction and quality standards: Demonstrates an understanding of the importance of customer experience and the role of the kitchen in achieving positive reviews and repeat business.
What greeting should you use in your kitchen manager cover letter salutation
A simple "Hello" or "Hey" just won't work.
With your kitchen manager cover letter salutation, you set the tone of the whole communication.
You should thus address the hiring managers by using their first (or last name) in your greeting.
But how do you find out who's recruiting for the role?
The easiest way is to look up the role on LinkedIn or the corporate website.
Alternatively, you could also contact the organization via social media or email, for more information.
Unable to still obtain the recruiter's name?
Don't go down the "To whom it may concern path". Instead, start your cover letter with a "Dear HR team".
List of salutations you can use
- Dear Hiring Manager,
- Dear [Company Name] Recruiter,
- Dear [Mr./Ms./Dr.] [Last Name],
- Dear Search Committee,
- Dear Talent Acquisition Team,
- Dear [Job Title] Selection Team,
What to include in those first two sentences, or your kitchen manager cover letter introduction
Have you ever wondered what the best way is to present your profile in the kitchen manager cover letter introduction?
There's no right or wrong answer if you're being concise and authentic to yourself.
Some professionals start their kitchen manager cover letter by:
- congratulating the company - focusing on something impressive, whether that's an award, an industry-leading project, or a key event;
- aligning their passion for the field or industry with the job - if you're enthusiastic about what you do, you'd thus grow your skill set and value as a professional.
How to write an achievement-focused kitchen manager cover letter body
We've got the intro and greeting covered. Now, comes the most definitive part of your kitchen manager cover letter - the body.
In the next three to six paragraphs, you'd have to answer why should recruiters hire you.
What better way to do this than by storytelling?
And, no, you don't need a "Once upon a time" or "I started from the bottom and made it to the top" career-climbing format to tell a compelling narrative.
Instead, select up to three most relevant skills for the job and look back on your resume.
Find an achievement, that you're proud of, which has taught you these three job-crucial skills.
Quantify your accomplishment, using metrics, and be succinct in the way you describe it.
The ultimate aim would be to show recruiters how this particular success has built up your experience to become an invaluable candidate.
Thinking about the closing paragraph of your kitchen manager cover letter
Before your signature, you have extra space to close off your kitchen manager cover letter.
Use it to either make a promise or look to the future.
Remind recruiters how invaluable of a candidate you are by showing what you plan to achieve in the role.
Also, note your availability for a potential next meeting (in person or over the telephone).
By showing recruiters that you're thinking about the future, you'd come off as both interested in the opportunity and responsible.
Is it beneficial to mention that you have no experience in your kitchen manager cover letter?
Lacking professional experience isn't the end of the world for your kitchen manager cover letter.
Just be honest that you may not have had roles in the industry, but bring about so much more.
Like, your transferable skills, attained thanks to your whole work and life experience (e.g. the skills your summer spent working abroad taught you).
Or, focus on what makes you, you, and that one past success that can help you stand out and impress recruiters (think of awards you've attained and how they've helped you become a better professional).
Alternatively, write about your passion and drive to land the job and the unique skill set you would bring to enhance the workplace culture.
Key takeaways
Within this Enhancv guide, we've provided you with plenty of advice and inspiration on writing your kitchen manager cover letter:
- Always make sure your kitchen manager cover letter is tailored to the role you're applying for to make a good impression on recruiters;
- In your kitchen manager cover letter include a header (with your name, the role you're applying for, date, and contact details) and an introduction of up to two sentences that highlight your key accomplishment or why you'd fit the role;
- Focus your kitchen manager cover letter body on one sole achievement through your career and all the valuable lessons, skills, and know-how you've learned (that are relevant to the role);
- Ensure your kitchen manager cover letter closing statement isn't generic and includes either a call to action or a promise;
- If you lack professional experience, shift recruiters' focus to a relevant achievement (thanks to your academic or versatile experience) or toward your dreams and goals for professional growth.
