There’s a saying: If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. This is especially true for a kitchen manager, who is charged with running the epicenter of a restaurant.

The Role of a Kitchen Manager

The person in charge of the back of the house knows their way around a kitchen but this role requires more than a mastery of culinary skills. A kitchen manager ensures that everything runs smoothly—from ordering supplies to setting the menu, hiring and training to making the schedule. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average kitchen manager has five or more years experience in a restaurant setting and many earn a bachelor’s degree focused in culinary arts management as well. The career is also growing at a faster pace than most over the next decade, with a projected upswing of 10 percent.

However, despite the exciting prospect of working with food in a leadership role in a growing industry, Johnson & Wales University Providence and online professor Brian Warrener says that it can be difficult to find ideal candidates that fill the bill. “Great managers exist,” he said. “You just need to know what you’re looking for to find one.”

Here is his list of seven qualities that every kitchen manager should possess:

1. Be an effective and willing administrator.
2. Be creative.
3. Keep calm under pressure.
4. Be a detail-oriented perfectionist.
5. Be experienced in your style of cuisine.
6. Be a good teacher.
7. Be a hard worker.

To read Warrener’s four additional tips, click here.

Find out more about JWU’s online undergraduate degrees focused in the culinary arts and start working towards your goals today! Contact us at 855-JWU-1881 or onlineadmissions@jwu.edu.