A chef runs a kitchen or a section of one: planning what will be cooked, preparing it to a consistent standard, controlling food cost and safety, and getting every plate out at the right time. The title covers everything from a commis chef on one station to a head chef responsible for a menu and a brigade.
This guide sets out chef duties and responsibilities, the shape of a service, and how the role differs by venue. It sits in the Hospitality Cleaning duties and responsibilities cluster, part of the wider job duties guide.
What Does a Chef Do?
Most of a chef’s day happens before anyone eats. Mise en place, the preparation of everything a station will need, is what makes service possible; without it, a busy service collapses regardless of how well anyone cooks.
Beyond cooking, chefs carry real accountability for food safety and cost. Temperature control, stock rotation and portion discipline are duties, not preferences, and in most kitchens they are documented and audited.
Key Chef Duties and Responsibilities
- Preparing mise en place for the station or kitchen before service.
- Cooking and plating dishes to the recipe, portion and presentation standard.
- Managing timing during service so dishes for a table leave together.
- Maintaining food safety: temperature checks, storage, labelling and cross-contamination control.
- Applying stock rotation and minimising wastage.
- Checking deliveries for quality, quantity and temperature on arrival.
- Contributing to menu development, costing and specials.
- Handling allergen and dietary requirements accurately and communicating them.
- Keeping the kitchen, equipment and storage areas clean and compliant.
- Supervising, training and allocating work to junior kitchen staff.
- Ordering and requisitioning stock within an agreed food cost target.
- Completing food safety records, temperature logs and shift handover.
Daily Tasks of a Chef
- Start of shift: check fridges and temperatures, review bookings and the day’s specials, check deliveries.
- Prep: work through the mise en place list for the station and set up before service.
- Service: cook to order, manage timing with the pass, maintain standards under pressure.
- Between services: clean down, restock, prep for the next service and check stock levels.
- Close: store food correctly, complete temperature and cleaning records, hand over.
Chef Skills and Competencies
- Cooking technique: consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance.
- Organisation: mise en place that anticipates the busiest hour of the night.
- Timing: holding several dishes at different stages and landing them together.
- Food safety knowledge: temperatures, storage, allergens and cross-contamination.
- Cost awareness: portion control, yield and wastage as daily habits.
- Composure: staying functional and civil through a hard service.
Chef Duties by Workplace or Industry
Restaurants
À la carte cooking to order, with duties centred on station mise en place, consistency across a fixed menu, and speed during peak service. Specials and menu changes are frequent.
Hotels and Banqueting
Volume production to a function sheet, with duties around batch cooking, holding food safely at temperature, buffet presentation and coordinating plated service for large numbers at a fixed time.
Contract Catering and Institutions
Cooking for schools, hospitals or staff canteens adds nutritional standards, strict cost per head, allergen management at scale and documented food safety systems.
Lodges and Remote Venues
Duties widen considerably: menu planning around limited deliveries, stock management with long lead times, guest dietary requirements and often running a small kitchen with minimal support.
Chef Duties for a CV
Give covers per service, the section you ran and any cost or standard results. Use the duties for a CV guide for the method.
- Ran the grill section for a 120-seat restaurant, covering 150 to 180 covers per dinner service.
- Prepared daily mise en place and maintained portion control within a 32% food cost target.
- Maintained temperature and cleaning records, passing two health inspections with no findings.
- Trained and supervised three commis chefs across two shifts.
Related Job Roles and Responsibilities
These guides cover the roles and next steps most closely related to this one.
- Waiter duties and responsibilities
- Housekeeper duties and responsibilities
- Cleaner duties and responsibilities
- Hospitality, cleaning and facilities duties
- Job description duties and responsibilities
Frequently Asked Questions About Chef Duties
What are the duties of a chef?
Preparing mise en place, cooking and plating to standard, managing timing during service, maintaining food safety and temperature control, applying stock rotation, checking deliveries, contributing to menus and costing, handling allergens, keeping the kitchen clean, supervising junior staff and completing food safety records.
What is the kitchen brigade and where does a chef fit?
The brigade is the traditional kitchen structure. A commis chef works a station under supervision, a chef de partie runs a section, a sous chef runs the service, and the head chef owns the menu, the food cost and the team.
Do chefs need a formal qualification?
Many chefs come through culinary school, and many come through the kitchen. Employers usually weigh demonstrated section experience and a trial shift heavily, though formal training helps at senior levels and in hotel groups.
Who is responsible for food safety in a kitchen?
Everyone working in it, with the head chef accountable for the system: temperature records, storage, cleaning schedules and staff training. Health regulations apply to the premises, so follow the venue’s documented procedures rather than habit.
What is mise en place and why does it matter?
Mise en place is everything prepared and positioned before service starts: portioned proteins, cut vegetables, sauces, garnishes and equipment. It is the single strongest predictor of whether a service runs well, because no amount of skill compensates for a station that has to start prepping mid-rush.
Duties vary by venue and level. Where food safety regulation applies, the venue’s documented procedures and the applicable health requirements take precedence over this general guide.
Last reviewed: 2 September 2026