What is the difference between an executive chef and a head chef?

Hello, I have been a chef for almost 20 years. I welcome colleagues and friends who like food to pay attention and exchange experiences on delicious dishes

I am now the executive chef. Let’s talk about the difference between an executive chef and a head chef. Let me talk about it personally

In a hotel kitchen, there is a boss. This boss is the head chef. The head chef manages all the affairs of the kitchen. , under the head chef there will be the boss of cold dishes, the boss of cutting and cooking, the boss of serving dishes, etc. The managers of each department in the kitchen are responsible for coordinating the work of the chef, which facilitates the management of the chef

Let’s talk about the executive chef. I worked as an executive chef in a hotel in Shanghai. Then the hotel opened a branch, and the branch had a head chef, so I was responsible for managing the head chef, such as developing new dishes and launching activities. What kind of raw materials to purchase, etc., and then I hired two kitchens in Jiaxing and Suzhou, and arranged for the head chef to manage them myself. In this case, I have four kitchens under my management, and the two I contracted myself I rarely go to the kitchen, but I don't ask about the management of the head chef there. As long as the boss pays me 12W per month, and there is nothing special, I won't go there. I basically go there once a month to pay the kitchen staff. Invite everyone to have a dinner and have fun. As for the changes in kitchen staff, I won’t care at all

To put it simply, the head chef manages one kitchen, and the executive chef manages the head chefs in several kitchens. This is very complicated. Got it

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The relationship between the executive chef and the head chef is a superior-subordinate relationship that protects the company. The business accounted for 70% of the restaurant business is crucial in the development of the catering company.

The head chef in a kitchen has multiple positions, and different catering formats will have different organizational structures.

The following are explained one by one. I hope all colleagues will interact and discuss and make greater contributions to catering services!

Chinese food: Head chef - Sous chef - Hot dishes supervisor - Cold dishes supervisor - Pastry supervisor,

Hotel: Executive chef - Western chef, Chinese chef long.

The organizational structure includes the head chef of the Chinese kitchen ~ the sous chef - the hot kitchen - the cold kitchen - the bakery.

Chinese chef, sous chef, hot dishes supervisor, cold dishes supervisor, pastry supervisor.

Buffet: Head Chef - Western Pastry Supervisor - Pastry Supervisor - Japanese Food Supervisor - Hot Pot Supervisor - Cold Dish Supervisor - Hot Dish Supervisor.

The executive chef controls the entire catering production idea and the overall direction of the product. In other words, the executive chef basically works off-duty and does not participate in actual physical labor. The head chef works under the leadership of the executive chef.

Chain catering companies have positions such as production directors.

Production director—executive chef—chef—sous chef—supervisor—deputy supervisor—large worker—medium worker—small worker, etc.

For a restaurant hotel, there are two positions that are crucial, one is the executive chef and the other is the head chef. So, do you know the difference between an executive chef and a head chef?

1. Executive chef mainly focuses on management. The level of management skills is the key to this position. It's like being the deputy manager of a unit, in charge of the kitchen, and also taking care of other administrative tasks. Since the kitchen is the production department of a hotel or restaurant, this determines the uniqueness of the executive chef relative to other management positions.

2. In many hotels, the executive chef's salary level is the same as that of the department manager. Since he not only focuses on production, innovation (launching new dishes), and management, but also ensures profitability, the executive chef must be the decision-maker, innovation leader, and market-savvy on all things in the kitchen based on his superb cooking skills. Those who demand, those who upload and issue...

3. Because of the special status of executive chefs, the salary of many executive chefs is even higher than that of their managers; and, in addition to the fixed salary, There will also be subsidies, allowances, bonuses and other benefits as well as certain privileges and so on.

4. The head chef mainly focuses on the training of chefs, just like the head technician, technician or workshop director in nature. Compared to the executive chef, the head chef's job is a bit more monotonous.

The head chef is mainly the "leader" of the kitchen. He mainly performs daily management of the kitchen and high-standard control of all dishes in the kitchen. He is required to have experience in cooking or supervisory work in a large catering industry, and he should also have kitchen management capabilities. and skills.

5. The head chef is a foreman among chefs, while the executive chef is a completely different position at the management level. In terms of salary, in an average city, a chef earns 4,000-7,500 yuan/month, a head chef earns 6,500-8,500 yuan/month, and an executive chef earns 8,000-12,000 yuan/month. Of course, there are also head chefs with monthly salaries of tens of thousands and hotel executive chefs with annual salaries of millions.

6. Comparing the executive chef and the head chef, the former is the person in charge of all areas, while the latter is only the person in charge of small areas. They are very different in terms of level. The status of the former is higher than that of the latter. Much higher.

When I first got involved in the kitchen world, I received a lot of business cards from chefs, and I discovered an intriguing detail. These cooking masters who seem to have extraordinary skills actually have different titles after their names. Some are head chefs, some are chefs, some are executive chefs, some are catering directors, some are catering consultants, etc. Of course, it's not just about having a nice name.

Later, I asked some professional catering people for advice. These different names actually mean that the work attributes and division of labor of chefs are completely different. In the past, the division of labor among Chinese chefs was relatively simple and single. The chef was the cook. This idea is still common today. But even if it is a single technical position, if it is carefully split, even the position of cooking master can be divided into specialized departments such as dim sum stalls, water tables, barbecue stalls, etc.

After the reform and opening up, Hong Kong’s catering talents came to the mainland. They brought not only the so-called modern Cantonese cuisine or Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine that incorporates modern tastes, but also advanced management methods. In the kitchen at this time, cooking is no longer a simple manual process. It is a working system with efficient operation, close service, self-development and emergency response capabilities. In this system, the supervisor responsible for design supervision is the executive chef. Adding administration before the title of chef means that this person can already handle product details such as dish research and development, taste development, etc., and also control at the same time. With the power to design the production line and allocate human resources, this position is of course the well-deserved "big brother" in the kitchen.

So, is there a higher-ranking kitchen manager than an executive chef? Stretching further up, he is probably the catering director. The position of the food and beverage director is further expanded than that of the executive chef. If the "executive chef" is in charge of people and things in the kitchen, then the food and beverage director is responsible for making everything before and after the kitchen transparent, including purchasing, marketing, Promotion etc.

Of course, in an information society and a society where talents are mobile, everyone’s respect for knowledge is obvious. Some particularly accomplished cooking masters or food experts will not come to work in your company, but based on some kind of friendly cooperative relationship, they can provide guidance on your catering development and dish design, and even do brand endorsements. . And such people are naturally the so-called "catering consultants".

Now every time I receive a card from a chef, I will carefully look at his professional title. From this, you can analyze the business scale and system construction of this restaurant. How deep is the water inside? !

Factories win the market with their products, and restaurants conquer diners with their dishes and services.

The hotel's executive chef is equivalent to the factory's vice president in charge of products. He is only responsible for the factory and must have good communication and cooperation with the sales department. Focus on front-line production and have a deep understanding of the factory's product features and future development priorities. The head chef is equal to the chief engineer, who designs and manufactures products according to the requirements of the vice president of product.

If the product has quality problems or design defects, it is the chief engineer's responsibility. If the product does not have any quality problems or design flaws, is approved by the unit, but still has no sales market, then it is the responsibility of the vice president.

To be an executive chef, first of all, the person in charge of the hotel or the board of directors must unanimously agree to hire a talent with many connections in the industry and a good reputation. Executive chefs generally receive an annual salary plus bonuses, and some may also have equity. He has absolute authority when it comes to the development and selection of dishes.

The head chef is recruited by the hotel or promoted and appointed by the executive chef. He completely obeys the requirements of the executive chef. No one else has the right to directly make requests for dishes to the head chef beyond the executive chef. At internal hotel meetings, the head chef is only responsible for reporting work and has no right to directly make suggestions or opinions on the future development of the hotel. If he has any different opinions, he must communicate with the executive chef in advance, and the executive chef will speak on his behalf. The executive chef belongs to the absolute senior management and has the right to put forward his own opinions on the development of the hotel.

There may not be much difference between the executive chef and the head chef in terms of cooking techniques, but there is a big gap in terms of connections, knowledge, and mentorship.

Executive chefs are generally only practiced in star-rated hotels! The gap between the head chefs of four-star and five-star hotels is huge and far away. Friends who have worked in high-end five-star hotels will know that the head chefs of five-star hotels are basically foreigners. There are still very few executive chefs in branded five-star hotels, but domestic brands such as Jinjiang Group will have domestics as executive chefs! The position of executive chef in a star-rated hotel is very important and very high! There is a big gap between the head chefs of four-star hotels and those of five-star hotels, and there is also a big gap in overall level. Being an executive chef in a five-star hotel requires not only exquisite skills, but also a deep proficiency in English. This is very important. Without English proficiency, you cannot be an executive chef. This is because five-star hotels are all international. The hotel management group and senior management leaders are all foreigners! Secondly, the executive chef has to manage many kitchens, including Chinese kitchen, Western kitchen, Japanese kitchen, Italian kitchen, Spanish kitchen, buffet kitchen, cold room, rough processing room, bakery, etc. Each kitchen has a head chef position. Below the head chef are the sous chefs, supervisors, foremen, etc.! Therefore, from the above content, there is a big gap between the executive chef and the head chef. Generally speaking, in high-end five-star hotels, it is difficult for the head chef of the kitchen to be the executive chef. In a four-star hotel There are still opportunities for hotels below the hotel level! In terms of remuneration, the salary of an executive chef is very high. In high-end five-star hotels in Shanghai, the minimum annual salary for general executive chefs starts at 500,000 yuan! The salary of head chefs in other kitchens is around 15,000-25,000! Many people say that people who contract hotel kitchens are basically Chinese kitchens. They cannot be executive chefs. Even if he repeatedly emphasizes that it is true, they are still doing it in small hotels. In high-end five-star hotels, the management group is Those who are expressly prohibited from contracting and have not worked in high-end five-star hotels for more than 15 years have no right to publish! To sum up: the executive chef is the leader in managing all kitchens in the hotel (except for the staff canteen, which is managed by the Human Resources Department), and the head chef manages a single regional kitchen. Their positions are also called differently in English. , such as: the Chinese kitchen (high-end five-star hotel) mainly focuses on Cantonese cuisine, with chefs, sous chefs, Zhanban chefs, stove chefs, 2 stoves, 3 stoves, etc., Shangshi chef, Dahe boss ( Terminology; Dutch King) Barbeque chef, dim sum chef, and other stalls are at the junior level. For example, kitchen worker 3, kitchen worker 2, kitchen worker 1, and kitchen worker 1 can be promoted to foreman or chef!

Damn it, the dirty industry must have such detailed scores