What kind of hours do chefs work

This is a common shift in kitchens with a larger number of chefs. A lot of the kitchen staff will come in at this time to prepare the food all afternoon ready for the evening service. A chef will work the morning prepping and then dealing with lunch service. They will then have a few hours break before returning to prep some more and do the evening service. The start and finish times are very changeable.

It is up to each member of the kitchen to manage their own daily work load and decide how long a break they can take. AFD on the rota lets the chefs know that they are very busy and the Head Chef is not expecting them to be able to take their afternoon break.

Sometimes AFDs are self-imposed as a chef may have so much prep to do that to go for a break would leave them with real difficulties during the evening service. As a chef, I typically worked around 10 — 12 hours per day. This is due to the fact that the most common shift pattern I would work in a kitchen was a split shift as explained above!

I wrote a whole article dedicated to the subject of a typical working day for a chef , linked here. In my career as a chef a typical working week would be around 50 to 60 hours per week. However, the working rota for that week had a huge impact on the number of hours I had to work. A restaurant is usually open 7 days a week.

A rota is produced at the start of each week so that there is always enough staff working on each day. This swapping around of rest days can lead to a large number of working days in between days off. I have produced a very basic rota below in a small kitchen with only two chefs! As readers will be able to see, poor Shaun has to work 10 days in a row. When you consider the daily shift patterns discussed earlier it becomes clear this can be physically demanding , and maybe explains some of Chefs perceived grumpiness!

In reality, a small kitchen like that above example would tend to close for a couple of days a week. Usually by picking a quiet two days typically Monday and Tuesday both chefs have the same days off and only ever have to work 5 in a row. Independent pubs or restaurants are more likely to offer you on-the-job training on a more informal basis. The Hospitality Guild has a comprehensive list of training opportunities listed by provider and by qualification type.

As a trainee chef, you'll typically gain experience within different sections of the kitchen. You'll be assigned someone to help you.

In a restaurant, this will most likely be the chef de partie or equivalent. Key professional bodies provide industry news, articles and training opportunities.

They also have information on other available external courses and events. It is a good idea to keep up to date with industry news at:. The sector skills council for the hospitality, leisure, tourism and related industries is People 1st. The Institute of Hospitality has comprehensive resources on qualifications, training and career development. Due to the range of cuisines and settings in the profession, it's common for chefs to learn by working in various kitchens throughout their career.

You may choose to leave your current role for a new challenge in the same kitchen, or a similar position in another environment. Depending on the location of arising vacancies and what your aims are, you may need to travel or even relocate to access the opportunity you are looking for. With further study, such as an undergraduate degree or a Masters, you could become a nutritionist or dietitian. As an experienced chef with significant knowledge of food, leadership and budgeting skills, you could become a head chef or executive chef but this takes time and commitment.

With substantial experience and recognition, you could become a private chef working at weddings, functions or events. You'll need excellent organisational skills, drive and determination to succeed in these positions. Jobs and work experience Search graduate jobs Job profiles Work experience and internships Employer profiles What job would suit me? Job sectors Apprenticeships Working abroad Gap year Self-employment.

Search postgraduate courses Funding postgraduate study Universities and departments Study abroad Conversion courses Law qualifications. What can I do with my degree? Getting a job CVs and cover letters.

Applying for jobs Interview tips Open days and events. Choosing a course Getting into university Student loans and finance. University life Changing or leaving your course Alternatives to university. Log in Register. Getting a job CVs and cover letters Applying for jobs Interview tips Open days and events Applying for university Choosing a course Getting into university Student loans and finance University life Changing or leaving your course Alternatives to university Post a job.

View all hospitality and events management vacancies. Add to favourites. Chefs work in a variety of settings to prepare, cook and plate food As a chef, you can work in restaurants, pubs, hotel restaurants, cruise ships, the Armed Forces and in contract catering. You can work at the following levels: commis junior chef chef de partie sous chef head chef. All of these have gained me a lot more free time.

However: that being said, there are those times when it is essential that I put in extra time It's is an Art that takes alot love and attention. To this day I still put in the long hours, but mostly because I want to be there. Yes it is: an Art that takes alot love and attention. What if?.. Lets say all your cooks were a level one step above dishwasher at minimum wage.

It's easy to say that we would move on to a better establishment, but in this economy there are fewer choices even for the the most experienced head chef. I know that I am not alone. There are many other chefs out there working tons more hours because the establishment refuses to pay for good talent.

I would rather put in a 14 hour day doing what I do best, than working 6 hours babysitting losers. It's not the amount of hours that is the issue, it's the mentality of the industry saying it's ok for the chef to pick up the slack. Yes, absolutely Chefross said:. Click to expand I worked in Aspen Co. We closed down 6 weeks in the spring and 6 weeks in the fall.

I never thought, at the time, that the hours were too long, since I loved the art of the work. I did mostly small dinner parties in high end mansions. We specialized in selling a 5 course sit-down dinner party with tray-pass hors and cordials.

We occasionally did buffets also. At that catering job I designed the menus, ordered the food, received the food, prepped the food, loaded the equipment and food in the truck, drove the truck, unloaded at the site, executed the event,managed both FOH and BOH, loaded the equipment back in the truck, drove it back to the shop, unloaded the truck and then washed all the equipment.

Short of selling the gigs, I did all the work, this under the anticipation of owning that company because the owner was about 3 or 4 years to retirement and he was telling me that "I was the one" Well, I never got the oportunity to take over that business, the owner just kept on going.

I worked my ass off, and I am no hack. We did awsome food and events. I can walk into any home and cater any level to the highest of anyone's expectations. But what did I get out of working for that guy? But really, I've got arthritis in my lower back and hips and cervical spinal stenosis All related to the hard back breaking work of catering.

As for the guy I worked for, he finally retired very wealthy, and sold his company to a competitor. I graduated my ACF apprenticeship in , I was just like most culinary graduates back then that knew the hours wer going to be long. I had the "go get it" attitude, Nobody back then would ever complain about the hard work and long hours. It is an art, differant than any other profession.

It was undertood and accepted that the road would be tough. Only the strong could servive. Very few people outside of the kitchen really understand the real work involved in putting out a work of art and taste that people take or consume internally. An executive chef has more responsability than anyone else in the establishment, and we have to work those hours to pull it off, keep it safe and make a profit.

Sometimes I think it's easier to become a grammy award winning music star than it is to become a celebrity chef. I look back at the estabishments that I worked for all my career and ask myself "Why did I work so hard for that place?

I am very proud of the accompishments I made in my career. But in the end, most of the restaurants, caterers and hotels that I worked for to this day don't have the respect for the head chefs that got them where they are now. Up until just in the last 5 or so years, chefs in general were the most under-respected professionals in the world.