Organisational chart of the kitchen, the functions of each position

Are you planning to open or reorganise your restaurant? For sure, you need to know an organisational chart of the kitchen to know how many people you need to run and maintain order in each of the areas of your business

How many positions are there in a professional kitchen? What are the functions of each of these people? There are many questions!

Within the kitchen there are several positions, each with different tasks and well-defined objectives. Together, they all make up the team you need to make possible a quality service, as demanded by your customers.

Read on to find out which are the kitchen positions and the functions they perform, to hire the best qualified people to fill them and offer an optimal service that distinguishes you from the competition.

A clarification before you start, the list of positions is organised in alphabetical order, to make it easier to consult.

Apprentice

Among the positions that form part of the kitchen organisation chart are apprentices, who do not have extensive experience working in restaurants.

Some restaurants offer the opportunity for student chefs to work in various areas of the restaurant such as cleaning utensils, food preparation areas and even cooking certain ingredients.

Although they do not have a great deal of experience, they are an essential part of the recurring tasks that are needed when the fires are lit.

Assistant to the general manager

Within the kitchen organisation chart, the assistant to the general manager is posed as the right hand of the general manager.

The person in this position must supervise that the kitchen staff complies with the guidelines or fulfils each of the manager’s responsibilities when he/she is not present in a restaurant.

Bartender

The bartender is one of the positions in a restaurant that is not located inside the kitchen, they are located at the bar of the restaurant.

The person in this position is responsible for preparing and serving drinks or cocktails to each of the customers.

They are also in charge of keeping their inventory up to date to avoid running out of any of the ingredients they need.

Boucher

The Boucher, also known as the butcher, is in charge of making the cuts of meat served in the restaurant.

Once the meat orders arrive from the suppliers, the boucher is in charge of dividing the cuts that are used in the dishes and storing them in the refrigerators.

It is up to their expertise to ensure that only high quality products arrive on your plates, just as anyone would expect to taste in a steakhouse.

Waiter

The waiter is one of the positions in the kitchen that has the most contact with the diners, so they have to be friendly and helpful.

They are in charge of providing the menu to the customers, taking their orders and bringing the dishes to the table when they are ready.

Waiters need to be quick, they need to know the different dishes on your menu, to the point where they can tell a diner what the ingredients are.

Chef de cuisine

The chef de cuisine is the position in the kitchen in charge of directing the individual members of the kitchen staff. With his leadership, he ensures that the kitchen is properly managed and organised during service

To be a chef de cuisine it is important to have previous experience, to manage teams, to know how to handle an environment under pressure and to have a broad vision of service.

Part of your duties include training kitchen staff, ensuring order in the kitchen, keeping track of cost control, designing plating and bringing innovation to the development of dishes that will form part of the menu.

Chef de partie

The chef de partie is one of the positions in the kitchen where one is responsible for a kitchen area or station and the staff working there.

It is also in charge of preparing dishes that have special recognition among critics and diners.

Depending on the restaurant, the chef de partie may be considered to have an assistant in addition to his or her team of cooks.

Executive chef

The executive chef is another position in a restaurant and is responsible for overseeing and innovating everything that happens in the kitchen.

For example, the executive chef assists in the creation of new recipes, oversees food cutting stations and is in charge of providing training to new staff members.

He is the ultimate authority in the kitchen and is responsible for maintaining freshness and innovation in the business’ offerings.

Pastry Chef

As you know, the pastry chef is responsible for the cooking station where the desserts that form part of the restaurant’s menu are prepared and baked.

He is also dedicated to testing new recipes to add to the menu.

Of course, the pastry chef has a team under his command and oversees the decoration of each dessert.

Commis

Another position in a restaurant is the Commis, which is occupied by a person who performs specific tasks within the kitchen stations, following the instructions of the chef de partie.

In case the chef de partie is absent during the service of the restaurant, the commis will be the assistant to the cuisinier.

Cuisinier

The cuisinier, better known as a cook, is a kitchen rank that performs a variety of functions.

Among them you can find the preparation of the dishes, the supervision of the cooking of each of the foods, and the cooking of the dishes under the command of the chef de partie.

Entremetier

The entremetier is the gastronomic position held by the person in charge of preparing soups or creams.

It is also responsible for preparing and serving starters that do not contain meat, poultry or fish.

Expenditer

The expenditer is the kitchen position held by the person who checks the food before it is delivered to the consumer.

He/she ensures that the food is cooked in the right time, with impeccable presentation, ideal temperature and gives guidelines to the team to fulfil each of these aspects when delivering a dish from the menu.

Garde manger

The garde manger is the mastermind behind the preparation of each of the appetizers and cold dishes on the menu.

He is also responsible for the organisation and presentation of the restaurant’s buffets.

General manager

The general manager is one of the most important positions in the kitchen organisation chart, as he/she is in charge of the administrative side of the restaurant.

The general manager’s responsibilities include shift management, restaurant operations, customer service, staff holidays, supply of ingredients and maintenance of furniture.

This is the right hand of the owner of the business, in many cases, the owner himself holds this position.

Host or hostess

The host or hostess is the person who greets customers at the entrance of the restaurant.

He or she is also in charge of scheduling reservations and, on occasion, delivering the menu to customers and offering recommendations for the specials of the day.

Pantry, prep cook

Pantry, prep cook is another of the most important kitchen positions in the restaurant, as the person who occupies it has the main task of maintaining order in the kitchen.

That is why he/she is in charge of cleaning, cutting and preparing the food for further cooking.

Patissier

The patissier or baker, within the kitchen organisation chart, is the person in charge of preparing sweet desserts and pastries.

At the same time, he/she is in charge of the preparation of bakery and pastry products that complement the service.

Plongeur

The plongeur, more than any cook, is one of the vital positions among the gastronomic posts.

This person is in charge of washing the crockery, cutlery, cooking utensils, glassware and any other items used during service.

Poissonnier

The poissonnier cannot be missing in the organisation chart of a restaurant, as he is the specialist of seafood products such as fish, shellfish and crustaceans.

That is why he is in charge of their preparation and the elaboration of sauces based on these products.

Rôtisseur

Rôtisseur is a position in the kitchen whose main function is to manage the cooking of meat, fish and other grilled food.

The person in charge of this position manages several cooks to divide the burden of cooking the ingredients for each order.

Saucier

The Saucier, within the kitchen organisation chart, is a position that fulfils the function of preparing sauces.

The sauces prepared by the saucier are important because they are part of the cooking of some appetizers and main courses, as well as being an indispensable element in the plating of some dishes.

Sous Chef

When looking at the kitchen ranks, the sous chef is the second-in-command in your restaurant’s kitchen.

Sous chefs take orders from the chef de cuisine and are responsible for ensuring that the kitchen staff follow the instructions given by the chef.

The sous chef is also the deputy chef de cuisine, whenever the person in charge is absent from work during one of the restaurant’s shifts.

Tournant

The tournant is a member of the kitchen who replaces any member who is unable to work during one of the restaurant’s shifts.

This position is of utmost importance within the kitchen and the person hired to fill it must have a comprehensive knowledge of each of the functions of the staff in the different areas of the kitchen.

Uniforms for your entire kitchen organisation chart

Uniforms in your restaurant’s kitchen are a must-have item of equipment to maintain the hygiene and presentation of the restaurant at all times.

If you are looking for uniforms to equip the members of your kitchen staff, at Monouso– our online shop – we have a section dedicated to the uniform they will use in your kitchen.

In the catering clothing section you will find products such as aprons, bibs, chef’s hats, tea towels, kitchen towels, order books for waiters and aprons.

In addition, we offer each of these products in black and white colours if you are looking to maintain sobriety and elegance in your restaurant. If you are more modern, we also have a wide range of colours and designs.