The Head Chef job description you SHOULD be using in 2025

A few years ago, I was overseeing 12 venues - and, honestly, our kitchens were a bit chaotic.

But not in the way you might think. The food going out to customers was on point. Service was sharp. Reviews were good.

It was our margins. They were a mess.

One month we’d be up. The next, one of our busiest venues would post a surprise loss. It made no sense, until it finally clicked. We’d never properly defined what success actually looked like for our Head Chefs.

There was no clear job description. No real expectations. So our chefs did what good chefs do - they focused on food.

But running a profitable kitchen takes a lot more than food.

So we rebuilt the role from the ground up.

It wasn’t easy - and we lost a couple of Head Chefs along the way - but we slowly built out a clearer, smarter, business-focused version of the job.

Fast-forward to today, and I wanted to pressure test that thinking. So I reached out to two operators I trust more than anyone when it comes to food margins and kitchen performance:

• Cam Davies, owner of The Fat Duck in Te Anau (recently voted NZ’s Best Pub)
  
  
• James Arnott, CEO of Cook Brothers Hospitality (12 venues, multiple formats)
  
  

These guys are running some of the tightest food operations in the country. Margins better than beverage. Systems that actually work. Teams that buy in.

Between their input and our own experience, we’ve put together the most up-to-date, no-nonsense Head Chef job description we’ve seen.

It’s practical. It’s proven. And it works.

(pick and choose what fits your venue - this is here to help you set clearer expectations)

👨‍🍳 Role Overview

As Head Chef / Kitchen Manager, your job isn’t just to make great food - it’s to lead a high-performing kitchen that delivers consistently excellent food, builds a strong team, and hits financial targets.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Attracting more and more delighted customers
  
  
• Strong food margins and wage control
  
  
• A safe, compliant, well-run kitchen
  
  
• A team that loves what they do
  
  
• A business that grows stronger every month
  
  

🔑 Key Responsibilities

1. Leadership & Team Culture

• Build strong relationships with GMs, FOH leads, and suppliers
  
  
• Lead with high energy, clear communication, and accountability
  
  
• Hire, train, and develop your kitchen team to grow and perform
  
  
• Foster a culture of professionalism, collaboration, and improvement
  
  
• Set the tone: punctuality, presentation, preparation
  
  

2. Systems & Compliance

• Own the food safety system, and keep it audit-ready
  
  
• Ensure cleaning, prep, and open/close checklists are done daily
  
  
• Review kitchen CAP forms weekly and use them to improve
  
  
• Fix system breakdowns fast, and don’t let issues linger
  
  

3. Labour Management

• Build rosters using Loaded, hitting wage % targets
  
  
• Get rosters approved and published by Tuesday 5pm, every week
  
  
• Track and manage actual wage performance against roster
  
  

4. Cost Control & Stock

• Hit food cost targets every quarter
  
  
• Oversee daily/weekly stocktakes and post summaries
  
  
• Order smart, receive stock accurately, and avoid order-based wastage
  
  
• Work with owners on supplier pricing and stock changes
  
  
• Store and label all stock correctly, and rotate properly
  
  

5. Quality Control

• Standardise portion sizes and plating with recipes + photos
  
  
• Ensure prep before service leads to wait times that stay under 20 mins
  
  
• Flag supplier or ingredient issues fast so we can action
  
  

6. Training & Development

• Keep training materials fresh and in use
  
  
• Attend weekly business huddles and lead kitchen updates
  
  
• Back your team, and build one worth sticking around for
  
  

🧭 Standards & Expectations

• Be solutions-focused. Lead the charge on improving systems.
  
  
• Be audit-ready, always.
  
  
• Present well. Show up with a good attitude.
  
  
• Help where needed. You’re part of a bigger team.
  
  
• Be flexible, and lead by example.
  
  

📈 How Performance is Measured

Every quarter, you’ll be assessed on:

• Financial targets (COGS, labour, wastage)
  
  
• Team feedback and retention
  
  
• System development, use and compliance
  
  
• Customer satisfaction
  
  
• Initiative and leadership
  
  

We use a 0–4 scale:

• 4 – Exceptional: lifting others around you
  
  
• 3 – Above requirements: strong, consistent performance
  
  
• 2 – Meets requirements: solid with some growth areas
  
  
• 1 – Below requirements: needs more support
  
  
• 0 – Unsatisfactory: not where it needs to be
  
  

None of this is about micro-managing, but about clarity.

The best operators in the country aren’t winging it.

They’ve made sure their Head Chefs know exactly what success looks like, and are given the tools and systems to achieve it. If you’re still relying on gut feel and good vibes in the kitchen, this is your sign to reset.

Clarity drives performance. Always has, always will.

‍