INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Kitchen Manager positions are at a 15% growth rate, which is faster than average. With that said, there are currently 309,800 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 46,200 to 356,000 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Kitchen Manager jobs was $56,590 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $33,880, and the highest 10% more than $94,770.
Our conclusion? The Kitchen Manager job market is wide open for candidates.
Top kitchen manager sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to craft the perfect Kitchen Manager resume experience section
Perfecting the experience section: kitchen manager resume checklist.
- Be careful with bullet points: use no more than 4-6 per position;
- Mention only positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for;
- List your experience in chronological or reverse-chronological order;
- Highlight your results by using numbers – e.g. percentage increase/decrease in an important metric that’s followed by - your hard work;
- Use action words whenever possible… but more on that below.
Need examples? We looked through thousands of Kitchen Manager resumes and gathered some examples of what the ideal experience section looks like. Check them out below!
- Ran day-to-day operations of all menu items, daily specials, and ordering/receiving
- Managed all catering production
- Played key role in implementation of ordering/inventory system
- Reduced food costs 4% from last year by identifying and eliminating inventory issues such as excess ordering, poor storage, and inefficient waste management.
- Analyzed sales for profits and losses throughout the month.
- Oversaw events varying in size from 20 - 500 people.
- Supervised crew of 20+ while maintaining the highest standards in quality service and cleanliness with a constant focus on profitability, In August turned a profit of $54,000 compared to same time last year of $8,000.
- Responsible for hiring and on-boarding process that included staff of J1 Visa student workers, retaining the same good workers from one summer to next, requiring less training.
- Improved kitchen from high turnover and low production to a well qualified and trained staff, including current Kitchen Manager, that continues to this day, while keeping kitchen labor between 8 and 11%.
- Banquet package creation and design and layout cost and all aspects as well as day of event prep and execution.
- Working with Banquet/ Wedding Client to personalize menu and ensure customer satisfaction.
- All aspects of menu and recipe creation including a Football Menu that helped facilitate a more profitable Fall Period in sales than years prior and the 2018 menu that is currently still in use today. Costed menu out at 30%.
- Ordering, organizing, and rotating product.
- Training cooking staff.
- Preparation of all recipes.
- Working on line on daily basis.
- Assisted Kitchen Manager in all aspect of running a kitchen.
- Versatility in managing both back and front of the house.
- Worked and managed line.
- Preparation of all recipes.
- Training staff.
- Development and implementation of new recipes and menu items
- Placing weekly food orders
- Daily feedback, training, and direction to kitchen staff
- Preparation, transportation, setup, and overview of catering events
- Making sure all food is properly dated, rotated, and handled properly in accordance with health codes
- Maintaining good working relationships with customers, distributors, and employees
- Consistently hit high tier revenue marks of $200,000 per week
- Continuously evaluated business operations to effectively align workflows for optimal area coverage and customer satisfaction
- Trained staff on proper procedures as well as safety regulations and productivity strategies
- Applied knowledge of previous supply needs and forecasted business levels to precisely order supplies
- Cultivated strong vendor relationships
- Strong leadership role in holding the back of house team members to Keg specifications
- Accountable for pushing profitability in food
- Assisting the development of our assistant managers in Keg systems and practices
- Hospitality driven interactions with guests and Keggers that are energetic and memorable
- I over seen daily Rock out sessions,on the line. A team player, always never afraid to jump in and give a hand where needed.
- I opened the restaurant 6 days a week sometimes when need 7 days.
- Cook all meals to temp, spec's, and attention to presentation and details.
- Over Seen a grew of 15 cooks, and 4 dishwashers.
- Trained new employees.
- Scheduled All kitchen staff, as well has write ups, and verbal warnings.
- In control of all ordering for the Restaurant and Bar.
- In charge of all Inventory Restaurant and bar.
- Continuously worked on food cost.
- Put all orders away as the arrive.
- Customer Service complaints and Compliments.
- Managing and Training Crew
- Estimating, ordering and maintaining stock levels for the store
- Communicate with cashiers, and crew members
- Taking accurate food orders and working with POS system, cash and card handling
- Time management - organising and prioritising tasks for completion in a high pressured environment
- Partnering with other Crew and Managers to meet target goals during shift
- Ensuring items are well stocked and minimise / control food wastage
- Prepare meals during breakfast, lunch, and dinner rush hours
- Dealing with customer complaints and enquiries
- Apply food handling & safety principles
PRO TIP
The person reading your Kitchen Manager resume will be busy, make sure you never waste their time with fluff.
Action verbs for your kitchen manager resume
Recommended reads:
Impressing recruiters with a top kitchen manager resume skills section
Checklist for an impressive Kitchen Manager resume skills section:
- List both hard and technical skills that are important for the role;
- Check what the job description says and add some keywords based on that;
- Focus only on relevant skills;
- Try not to list things such as “communication”; rather, highlight your soft skills in other sections of your Kitchen Manager resume.
Top skills for your kitchen manager resume
Basic Finance
Physical Stregth and Coordination
Knowledge of Food Safety
Hygene
Speed and Agility
Basic Medical Care
Patience
Multitasking
Listening
Attention to details
Communication
Memorization
PRO TIP
When picking skills to feature in your resume, make sure they'll be relevant to the position you’re applying to. The point of listing skills is for you to stand out from the competition. Stay away from repetitive, meaningless skills that everyone uses in their resumes. Or else, they’ll backfire and make you look like an average candidate.
Recommended reads.":
Kitchen manager resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your kitchen manager resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Kitchen Manager resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
Crafting a strong summary for your kitchen manager resume
Checklist: The perfect kitchen manager resume summary section
- Add a couple of keywords from the job description;
- Mention some of your most valuable skills and characteristics;
- Highlight your top achievements (and add numbers!);
- Use no more than 3-5 sentences to guarantee readability and keep - the hiring manager interested.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Highlight specific past projects that you’re most proud of in your summary. It sets an excellent tone for the rest of your resume. You can talk about all of your former jobs in your work experience section later on.
Recommended reads:
An impressive education section: Kitchen manager resume
Kitchen manager resume: Education section checklist
- Highlight your highest education degree;
- Include the degree subject, year of graduation, and institution name;
- Mention some of the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- List your certifications (incl. the body that’s issued them);
- Entry-level positions: Give preference to courses that are relevant to the position.
Top certifications for your kitchen manager resume
New Manager: The Basics and More of Being a Great Leader
Go from a slightly uncertain, confused newbie to a confident, skilled manager who builds and leads effective teams.
Management Skills: New Manager Training Update 2022
Management Skills Certification in Developing People, Leading Teams & Process Improvement in the New Hybrid Work Culture
The Superboss Playbook for Managers
Discover how top managers develop high potential talent, lead by teaching, and foster creative, high-performance teams.
Communications for New Managers
Learn from an Emmy-Award Winner and a #1 LinkedIn Instructor on developing effective leadership communications skills.
The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager
The Complete Course for becoming a Successful Project Manager
Recommended Reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Kitchen Manager. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
The right format for your kitchen manager resume
When it comes to formatting your Kitchen Manager resume, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. These include your level of expertise, your total years of experience, and the position and company you’re applying for, to name a few.
You can choose between three basic resume formats:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
The reverse-chronological format is just that – all your experience listed in a reverse-chronological way. It’s great for experienced professionals who have been in the industry for many years and have no career gaps.
The functional skills-based resume, on the other hand, focuses on skills, education, and personality traits, rather than experience. This makes it great for graduates, people with less experience, or bigger career gaps. The idea is to show you’re the perfect match without putting too much emphasis on your lack of relevant experience.
If none of these sound suitable, go for a hybrid (or combination) resume. It’s a mix of experience, skills, and personality traits. It’s also considered modern and innovative because of its non-traditional structure and sections. Here, you can add details about what your typical day looks like or what your life philosophy is. In short, the hybrid resume format shows who you are, both as a professional and as an individual.
More tips on perfecting your resume style and layout:
- Choose a traditional 12p font;
- Make sure your resume margins are no bigger than an inch;
- Go for a one-page template. If you have broad experience and can’t fit your resume on one page, choose a two-page resume template
- Save your resume as PDF to avoid formatting issues and unauthorized editing.
Read this: Ways to make your Kitchen Manager resume stand out
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical Kitchen Manager resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
More sections worth adding to your kitchen manager resume
If the industry, company, and position you’re applying for allow for that, you could include other sections in your Kitchen Manager resume. By doing this, you’ll show the recruiter that you’re a real human and not a robot.
Here are some ideas:
The right kind of creativity for your kitchen manager resume
Several years ago, everyone preferred keeping a safe distance from creative resumes. Today, adding creativity to your CV is considered cool, innovative, and one of the best ways to stand out.
You can add a creative section that describes your typical day or even go for a colorful creative template. No matter what you choose, make sure to keep the position, company, and industry in mind. Otherwise, you risk looking silly.
What makes a great kitchen manager resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
