Hiring a Chef Isn’t Just About Skills and Experience, It’s About So Much More…

Whatever level of chef you are looking at recruiting from Commis Chef to Executive Chef, it can be tough. With an ever increasing number of restaurants and other eateries opening across London, the fact we as a country have not been training enough new chefs is becoming more and more apparent, resulting in it being harder to hire a good chef than it ever has been before.

Hiring a chef is more than finding someone who has the skills, qualifications and experience that you are looking for. The success of any food based business comes down to the quality of the food on offer and the standards of service. With these and the ability to attract and retain customers at stake, it is critical that you have the right chef at the helm of your kitchen. It is why more and more of London’s leading restaurants are turning to ourselves to help them. So just what should you be looking for as well as skills, qualifications and experience?

Attitude to development and change

If you’re like most restaurant owners or managers, then you want your restaurant to be the best that it can be. This means constantly staying ahead of the competition in terms of food quality and service. Just as tastes in clothing change, so do tastes in food and dining experience so you should be looking at employing a chef that is excited by learning new methods of cooking dishes, developing exciting menus and pushing the restaurant to be different than the rest. From junior positions to executive chefs, a positive attitude to development and change is always a good sign

Passion and positive attitude

The kitchens of the most successful restaurants all have a real ‘buzz’ about them. If you’ve got a great team already, you don’t want to risk this by hiring someone who isn’t really a team player and brings the rest of the team down. Employing a chef with a positive mental attitude and a passion for what they do will help to inspire and energize the rest of the team whatever their level. Passion and energy are contagious and such positive attributes can really help bolster team spirit and can ultimately lead to higher retention rates of staff, crucial for a settled and successful kitchen team.

Culture fit

It’s important that any chef you employ fits into your business. You may have found one that has all the skills, experience and qualifications necessary and are passionate and enthusiastic about what they do. But is that enough? Do their aims, values and attitude closely align with yours and your restaurant’s? Unless you’re hiring for a temp position, chances are you are looking for this to be a long term relationship so it’s critical that you can visualise them working happily and completely engaged in their work at your restaurant.

By focussing on these key areas, you can ensure that your recruitment process is more effective in hiring good quality chefs that can help your restaurant be the best it can be. Engaged employees are more conscientious, more creative and tend to be happy in their jobs, ensuring you have a stable and positive workforce.

If you’d like help with your recruitment, don’t hesitate to give us a call at West One. We have access to a vast range of candidates and have tried and tested processes to ensure that your restaurant gets the hire you deserve.