Chefs are the most important ingredient for a successful restaurant business. Providing top notch ambience, using top quality ingredients, offering world class service, everything will go in vain if you don’t have the right chef in place. The process of hiring a qualified chef for your restaurant is not an easy job. You need to get this right to have a successful business. You need to hire someone who is not only skilled, but possesses the passion to serve your customers top quality culinary experience. Before proceeding further, let us take a look into the duties of a head chef. The head chef is incharge of the overall food production. He or she has to develop the menu, oversee the cooking process, train new staff and provide input for marketing decisions. All in all, the head chef contributes to the overall image and brand of your restaurant. Check this if you are looking for head chef in dubai.
Tips For Hiring Head Chef For Your Restaurant
It is necessary for you to hire a chef who can be a role model to your staff and take your business on the right path. So, here are some things that you need to keep in mind while hiring your next head chef.
Know What You Want
Before you start the hiring process, you need to be sure of the qualities you are looking for in the head chef. This will help you in targeting your search. You might be owning a restaurant that offers only one particular cuisine or multiple cuisines. So, you need to hire a chef who is well versed with one particular cuisine or multiple cuisines, based on your requirements. Creating a detailed job description for the role will guide you in choosing the best fit during the interview process. Once you decide on whom you are looking for, the next big question is where you want to look for. You should have it in mind about the place you will find potential candidates for your job post.
If you already have a chef working for you, and you are desperate to find a replacement for the existing one, without alarming them, it is best for you to approach a recruiting agency. They will help you in finding the right match for your business.
If the position is open and you want to fill it as soon as possible, don’t omit the option of making an internal hire. You might have sous chefs who have the spark and potential in them to head the kitchen staff and manage the role of head chef. Making an internal hire will boost the morale of your entire staff and make the transition a lot easier. Recognizing and appreciating the hard work of your employees might push them further to work even more harder to move up in your business.
Consistent Temperament
Not all days go well in a restaurant. There will be some stressful moments and some bad work days. The reaction of the head chef will play a major role on how the staff responds. The head chef you hire should be able to handle stressful situations with a calm mind and even temperament. He should be able to provide consistent leadership on all days and make sure that the kitchen is running smoothly even on high-stress days.
Ability to Teach The Staff
It is a prerequisite for a head chef to be an educator and support the staff in executing their job. The head chef you choose should be able to train all the kitchen staff. For this, he or she needs to be patient with the people who are assisting him at work. Additionally, he or she must know how to work with the restaurant’s equipment and should be able to teach the same for the kitchen staff.
Quality Matters
You need to hire someone who eyes perfection in everything they do. From cooking a dish to plating it and serving it to the customer, everything needs to be done perfectly. Any small error will bring a bad name for your restaurant. So, it is better to avoid candidates who have a bad record of quality. Your chef should be able to deliver you with nothing but the best. Along with this, he or she should be skilled in preparing the menu for your restaurant.
Must Have Knowledge of Social Media
Currently, it is the social media platforms that rule the world. Social media platforms have become lifelines for business. They play a major role in marketing and promoting your business. Hiring a head chef who has knowledge of using social media platforms will help you in building your marketing strategy. Additionally, hiring a candidate with more followers will bring more attention to your restaurant as they post regular restaurant updates.
Experience And Shared Values
Having a candidate who is experienced in the field comes with its own added benefits. They will be able to guide your business to prosperity with their experience in the field. Along with this, it will be great if you find a candidate who shares similar values like you in running your business. To know this, question the candidate’s approach to customer service and know their ideas of developing your business. Check if they share the same opinion as you on the image and brand of your restaurant. If you find them not carrying the same enthusiasm as you, then they are best avoided. Hiring a chef who believes and supports your passion will take you business a long way.
Should Match Your Budget
Having a five star chef working for you at your restaurant sounds really great and exciting. But it is not all good as it sounds. If the chef you hire is used to big spending to maintain their reputation, then you should be ready to face loss in your business. They might demand expensive equipment and costly ingredients, procuring which will put you in bankruptcy. Never risk bankruptcy by hiring a chef who cannot understand how to stay within your budget.
No matter what, do not rush the hiring process and use the above mentioned tips to find the best head chef for your business. Check this if you are looking for head chef in dubai.
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Author Bio:
Sunny Chawla is a Managing Director at Alliance Recruitment Agency. He specializes in helping client for international recruiting, staffing, HR services and Careers advice service for overseas and international businesses.
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