Kitchen Manager

Role Purpose

Manage the daily operations of the central kitchen, ensuring that food for catering orders and takeaway counters is prepared consistently, packed correctly, and dispatched on time. Coordinate kitchen staff, delivery teams, and outlet supervisors to maintain food quality, hygiene, stock availability, and cost control.

Key Responsibilities

1. Production Planning & Kitchen Operations

• Prepare daily production plans based on outlet requirements, catering bookings, advance orders, and expected sales.
• Allocate work to chefs, cooks, helpers, cleaning staff, and packing teams.
• Ensure food is prepared according to approved recipes, portion sizes, quality standards, and production schedules.
• Coordinate bulk catering preparation alongside regular outlet supplies.
• Monitor production quantities to prevent shortages, excess preparation, and wastage.

2. Packing, Dispatch & Distribution

• Supervise food weighing, portioning, packing, sealing, and labelling.
• Verify item names, quantities, outlet allocation, and dispatch documents before loading.
• Coordinate delivery schedules so each takeaway counter receives food before service begins.
• Ensure suitable transport containers and required food holding conditions are maintained during dispatch and delivery.
• Obtain outlet acknowledgement of deliveries and resolve shortages, damage, or incorrect supplies promptly.

3. Takeaway Counter Coordination

• Collect daily stock requirements, sales updates, closing stock, and customer feedback from each counter.
• Coordinate replenishment according to sales and available kitchen capacity.
• Guide outlet teams on food handling, holding, display, portioning, and product rotation.
• Track unsold food and returns, ensuring these are handled under approved food safety procedures.
• Conduct outlet visits to check product quality and operating standards.

4. Food Quality, Hygiene & Safety

• Check raw material quality and monitor food quality during preparation, packing, and dispatch.
• Maintain cleaning schedules, personal hygiene, pest control coordination, and safe waste disposal.
• Ensure separation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian ingredients, utensils, storage, and preparation activities.
• Monitor and record relevant cooking, storage, holding, and dispatch temperatures.
• Follow company food safety procedures and applicable FSSAI requirements.
• Stop the use or dispatch of food suspected to be unsafe and immediately inform management.

5. Inventory & Cost Control

• Monitor raw materials, packaging materials, finished food, and kitchen consumables.
• Raise purchase requirements based on production needs, stock levels, and supplier lead times.
• Verify incoming materials against purchase orders or delivery records for quantity and quality.
• Maintain stock rotation using FIFO/FEFO, as applicable.
• Track consumption, production yield, spoilage, staff meals, returns, and wastage.
• Investigate differences between expected and actual consumption and recommend corrective action.

6. Staff Supervision

• Prepare duty rosters and manage attendance, shift allocation, and leave coverage.
• Train staff in recipes, portion control, hygiene, equipment handling, and workplace safety.
• Monitor productivity, discipline, grooming, and teamwork.
• Report staffing shortages and performance concerns to management.
• Ensure proper handover between shifts.

7. Equipment & Facility Maintenance

• Check the working condition of cooking ranges, freezers, refrigerators, exhaust systems, weighing scales, and packing equipment.
• Arrange preventive maintenance and report breakdowns promptly.
• Monitor gas, water, electricity, and cleaning material usage.
• Keep work areas, storage spaces, and dispatch routes clean and accessible.

8. Records & Reporting

Maintain and submit:

• Daily production and outlet dispatch reports.
• Raw material consumption and stock reports.
• Wastage, return, shortage, and rejection records.
• Hygiene, cleaning, and temperature checklists.
• Staff attendance and duty allocation.
• Catering order readiness and dispatch status.
• Customer complaints, corrective actions, and maintenance issues.

Performance Measures

• On-time production and dispatch.
• Accuracy of outlet supplies and catering orders.
• Consistency in taste, quality, and portion sizes.
• Food cost and wastage against approved targets.
• Stock accuracy and availability.
• Hygiene compliance and completion of records.
• Staff productivity and timely complaint resolution.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

• Experience supervising a central kitchen, catering operation, restaurant kitchen, or multi-outlet food business.
• Knowledge of bulk cooking, food safety, inventory control, and dispatch coordination.
• Ability to lead kitchen teams and work under service deadlines.
• Basic computer, Excel, or ERP knowledge for stock and production reporting.
• Hotel Management, Catering, or Food Production qualification preferred.

Role Level

A Kitchen Manager owns production planning, staffing, cost control, and coordination across outlets. A Kitchen Supervisor focuses on shift execution, staff allocation, quality checks, packing, dispatch, and reporting under the Manager or Operations Head.