| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Restaurants and Food Service |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | F&B Director |
| Direct reports | Head Chef, Sous Chef, Kitchen Manager |
| Experience | 12+ years in kitchens with 4 years leading a brigade |
Executive Chef job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Executive Chef
Department: Restaurants and Food Service
Reports to: F&B Director
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Executive Chef leads the entire kitchen operation of a hotel, restaurant group or large outlet. They design menus, set food standards and recipes, control food cost, and run the kitchen brigade. The role owns food quality, kitchen hygiene and kitchen profitability. A strong Executive Chef keeps food consistent across every service, holds food cost to target, trains a strong brigade, and keeps the kitchen safe and audit ready.
Key responsibilities
- Design menus and standard recipes for all outlets and services.
- Set food quality, presentation and portion standards and enforce them.
- Control food cost through recipe costing, purchasing and waste control.
- Lead, roster and train the kitchen brigade across sections.
- Run kitchen hygiene and food safety to standard and pass audits.
- Plan and cost menus for banquets, events and special promotions.
- Manage supplier selection, ingredient quality and price negotiation for the kitchen.
- Control kitchen equipment, maintenance and the layout of each section.
- Review guest feedback on food and drive improvements across outlets.
Requirements
- Diploma or degree in hotel management or culinary arts
- Food safety certification such as FSSAI or HACCP
- Long culinary experience across cuisines
- 12+ years in kitchens with 4 years leading a brigade
KRAs and KPIs for a Executive Chef
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Food cost | Food cost held within the target percentage of food sales |
| Consistency | Dishes meet the recipe and presentation standard every service |
| Food safety | Kitchen passes hygiene and food safety audits with high scores |
| Guest satisfaction | Food related guest complaints kept below the target |
| Menu engineering | Menu refreshed on plan with margins improved |
| Brigade capability | Every section led by a trained, certified chef |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Recipe and costing software, POS and KOT system, Kitchen equipment, Inventory software, Food safety checklists.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: F&B Director, Culinary Director, Corporate Chef
Interview questions for a Executive Chef
- How do you control food cost without cutting quality?
- How do you keep a dish consistent across shifts and outlets?
- Walk me through planning a large banquet menu.
- How do you run food safety so the kitchen always passes audits?
- How do you build and retain a strong kitchen brigade?
- How do you use menu engineering to improve margins?
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What does an Executive Chef do?
An Executive Chef leads the whole kitchen operation. They design menus and recipes, set food and hygiene standards, control food cost, run the kitchen brigade and manage suppliers and equipment. They own food quality and kitchen profitability across every service. It is the most senior culinary role in most properties.
What is the difference between an Executive Chef and a Head Chef?
An Executive Chef sets menus, standards, cost and strategy across outlets, often managing several head chefs. A Head Chef runs one kitchen day to day, executing those standards on the line. The executive chef leads the culinary business; the head chef leads the daily cooking.
What qualifications does an Executive Chef need?
A diploma or degree in hotel management or culinary arts, a food safety certification such as HACCP or FSSAI, and long kitchen experience across cuisines and sections. Employers value proven food cost control, menu design, brigade leadership and a strong record of consistent quality.