Restaurant manager to head chef
A restaurant manager already meets 48% of what the head chef role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.1/ 100
1 How much of what a head chef is expected to do is already part of a restaurant manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the head chef role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A head chef role treats 17 of its required skills as things a restaurant manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- control of expenses
- develop food waste reduction strategies
- ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment
- food waste monitoring systems
- handle customer complaints
What stands in the way is 15 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A head chef role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a restaurant manager background worth leading with.
- already held keep up with eating out trends information skills
- already held set prices of menu items information skills
- already held think creatively about food and beverages communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage stock rotation management skills
- already held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment handling and moving
- already held supervise food quality assisting and caring
All 22 carried skills, including the 17 the head chef role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assist customers required
- still to learn monitor the use of kitchen equipment required
- still to learn use cooking techniques required
- still to learn use culinary finishing techniques required
- still to learn use food preparation techniques required
- still to learn use reheating techniques required
- still to learn maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment required
- optional, not held cook pastry products optional
- optional, not held prepare flambeed dishes optional
- still to learn compile cooking recipes required
- still to learn perform procurement processes required
- optional, not held advise guests on menus for special events optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
- optional, not held upsell products optional
- still to learn manage hospitality revenue required
- still to learn plan shifts of employees required
- optional, not held check deliveries on receipt optional
- optional, not held manage medium term objectives optional
- optional, not held plan medium to long term objectives optional
- still to learn handover the food preparation area required
- optional, not held attend to detail regarding food and beverages optional
- optional, not held handle chemical cleaning agents optional
- still to learn estimate costs of required supplies required
- optional, not held forecast future levels of business optional
- optional, not held manage inspections of equipment optional
- still to learn food storage required
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a head chef role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist customers practise this
- 02 compile cooking recipes practise this
- 03 food storage study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held control of expenses skill
- already held develop food waste reduction strategies skill
- already held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment skill
- already held food waste monitoring systems knowledge
- already held handle customer complaints skill
- already held keep up with eating out trends skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage stock rotation skill
- already held plan menus skill
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held set prices of menu items skill
- already held supervise food quality skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held train staff to reduce food waste skill
- already held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality skill
- already held conduct research on food waste prevention skill
- already held create decorative food displays skill
- already held design indicators for food waste reduction skill
- already held identify suppliers skill
- already held think creatively about food and beverages skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn types of whisks required
- optional, not held execute chilling processes to food products optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise guests on menus for special events optional
- optional, not held attend to detail regarding food and beverages optional
- optional, not held cook pastry products optional
- optional, not held execute chilling processes to food products optional
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
- optional, not held prepare flambeed dishes optional
- optional, not held check deliveries on receipt optional
- optional, not held forecast future levels of business optional
- optional, not held handle chemical cleaning agents optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held manage inspections of equipment optional
- optional, not held manage medium term objectives optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
- optional, not held plan medium to long term objectives optional
- optional, not held upsell products optional
32 held skills the head chef role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply foreign languages in hospitality skill
- not needed by the target role arrange special events skill
- not needed by the target role compile wine lists skill
- not needed by the target role create event-specific menus skill
- not needed by the target role develop inclusive communication material skill
- not needed by the target role develop working procedures skill
- not needed by the target role devise special promotions skill
- not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role enforce alcohol drinking laws skill
- not needed by the target role ensure infrastructure accessibility skill
- not needed by the target role ensure portion control skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees skill
- not needed by the target role hazard analysis and critical control points knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role inspect table settings skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role manage restaurant service skill
- not needed by the target role manage the customer experience skill
- not needed by the target role maximise sales revenues skill
- not needed by the target role monitor customer service skill
- not needed by the target role monitor financial accounts skill
- not needed by the target role monitor sugar uniformity skill
- not needed by the target role monitor the process of wine production skill
- not needed by the target role monitor work for special events skill
- not needed by the target role mould chocolate skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role prepare tableware skill
- not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role seek innovation in current practices skill
- not needed by the target role supervise the work of staff on different shifts skill
- not needed by the target role waste management knowledge
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn food storage required
- still to learn types of whisks required
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
Common questions about this move
Can a restaurant manager become a head chef?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A restaurant manager already covers 48% of what a head chef is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 17 of which the head chef role treats as required.
What skills does a restaurant manager need to become a head chef?
15 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is assist customers.
How hard is the move from restaurant manager to head chef?
Its learning distance is 62.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.