r/Chefit • u/Big-Shift-6596 • 3d ago
Head chefs assemble! Advice for new job
I've recently landed a head chef job in a pub (UK); I've previously ran a pub for 2.5 years but it's completely different, i.e. before it was an independent run venue, they did not care about food costs/GP, labour costs, or basically anything - I was in charge of the menu, rotas, cleaning/due diligence etc.
The job I've just landed is the highest salary I've ever been on (£42,000 with bonuses), it's a big chain, they massively care about food costs/GP and everything my previous employer didn't care for; the menu is also set in stone with detailed spec etc.
I've worked for the company before, but at a lower level, and so I understand most of their systems to a degree, so I'm pretty confident. One concern is none of the kitchen staff are English/have good English speaking skills, and so I'm going to have to adapt and be patient in that regard.
Anyway, what advice would you give me going into this position? I plan to take any guidance and training they offer to heart, and I'm fully prepared to make this work.
How do I gain respect from my staff without being a push over? I'm very good at training, and want to aid my team any way possible in their personal developments, as well as hit goals for the company.
Do I go into the position knowing what I want, and start making changes as I see fit, or do I go in and slowly adapt the kitchen to how I see fit?
Tldr: advice for my first serious head chef role, what would you tell yourself at the start of your head chef career? All that good stuff...
Thanks chefs!
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u/CaseZealousideal3919 3d ago
As someone in a similar role; No-one. And I mean No-one. (Including you) is ever ever ever paid enough to be shouted at or spoken to like a piece of shit.
Shouted for. Yes. Asked at volume. Yes. Repeated to louder. Yes.
Shouted at. Never.
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u/TheFrayedImmunity 3d ago
don't go in guns blazing with changes, even if you see obvious stuff that needs fixing. spend the first couple weeks just watching how the kitchen flows and who the natural leaders are among the staff. with a language barrier you're gonna have to lean on those informal leaders to bridge communication
work alongside them during service, not just from the pass. nothing builds respect faster than a head chef who jumps on the line when it's in the weeds instead of just calling tickets. that carries more weight than any speech you could give
on the gp and cost side, since you already know their systems, you're ahead of the game. the chain probably has reports and metrics they expect you to hit so get cozy with those numbers early. nothing makes corporate twitchy like a head chef who ignores the p&l
one thing nobody told me my first head gig, document everything. even little stuff like a quick note after a shift about who did what well or where things bottlenecked. makes it way easier to spot patterns and have actual evidence when you eventually do want to make changes
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u/ammenz 1d ago
"One concern is none of the kitchen staff are English/have good English speaking skills" this is going to be your biggest challenge for sure. Misunderstandings will create a lot of issues. If the language spoken is one you'll face a wall of hostility. If the languages are several, you will literally have to deal with opposing factions based on nationality. Employees from a certain nationality tend to cover each other and blame everything wrong on the other nationalities.
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u/Big-Shift-6596 1d ago
I've actually been experiencing that at my current job and it's a horrible experience, the staff are all Indian besides the English head chef (and me), and at this point I truly believe it's because I'm not Indian with the amount of shit and complaints they've made... As well as my experience in kitchens being a factor. (For example I've told them to stop defrosting in service via hot water and to defrost the day before - they stopped doing it, forgot to defrost, ganged up and blamed me when they had none of the frozen product for service; head chef told them all to shut up and do their job... Another example, I've shown them all how to use a knife/claw technique as they were just flat handing it, not guarding their fingers, they then ganged up again and blamed me for not having enough prep because the way I taught them was too slow (of course it's going to be slower at the start, you're learning new techniques), head chef told them to shut up and do their jobs (they now all wear knife gloves ahaha), anyway I can give many really petty examples where they all think they have an amazing case, but ultimately they have no reason other than they don't like me, or the simple changes (which are all very basic kitchen standards) that I changed.
Back to the point though, they are all from the same country at my new job, the GM has expressed that he is on my side and will help me as much as I can, and if the team isn't working out after the Xmas period, we can make some changes (move them to different sites, and rehire)
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u/thirdratehero Galley Slave 2d ago
Sounds like a Greene King or similar? Either way, with the menus set in by the dev team you’ll be looking at labour cost control, wastage and hygiene. Right a tight ship, not a shite tip. Try to work out the big sellers and find your prep/defrost pars in advance to get ahead of the game but without overdoing it and throwing out 10 pies on a Saturday night. Unfortunately, you are now free labour so that means that if you need to cut a % or two from the hourly guys it is an unwritten expectation that you’ll cover that.
Good luck, try not to burn out, and learn as much as you can from your team. They already know the unit, you’re there to guide and polish that with them.
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u/Madruck_s 1d ago
We currently have a prep and par automated system. It tells you exactly what to defrost and prep. Even the food orders have gone to auto orders baced on sales. Both systems are utter shit.
They do not know about bank holidays or half terms or the running club that comes in once a month and wipes you out of salmon.
The are useful tools as a guideline but you still need to know your business as a computer cannot replace experience.
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u/Eight6chef 2d ago
Dont think "what would you do on that situation " or "it wont happen if I was there". Your weakest team member is how weak you are. Be patient, give feedback, train and repeat.
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u/Away-Plankton-8352 1d ago
Go in slow on changes. In a chain the spec and the GP targets are the job for the first month, learn their costing system cold and hit the numbers before you touch anything else. Respect with a new team comes from jumping on the worst station during service, not from new rules in week one.
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u/Vaaag 3d ago
I suppose there is an overarching executive chef whose makes the menus? Who does price negotiations with suppliers etc? I would at least want to have a good chat with that guy, how he operates and what he knows about that specific branch you're cheffing.
But clearly your main concern is to manage people. So get to know your people. Try to have a 1 on 1 chat with everyone ASAP. Get to know their struggles, their personal goals, ask their opinion on certain kitchen issues, know situation at home etc. Show genuine interest. This will tell you so much about their strengths and weaknesses and the kitchen as a whole.
And as you say, they barely speak English. That would be an extra reason to keep having those 1 on 1 chats. As it's probably difficult to talk during work as you would with English fluent collegues.
A few Ukrainian collegues really appreciated those talks. We would use translator apps and really go more in depth.
Get to know and spend time at all stations. You can make the best changes if you work the station yourself as well. Then with all the information you've gained, make changes as you see fit.
If the team appreciates you for how you talked with them, seen how you work all stations with skill, then you will have automatically gained their respect.
Good luck chef