Leadership in the Kitchen

Abstract

Increased competition has made it an imperative for restaurants to have strong management in the kitchen to ensure competitive success. Being good at preparing food doesn't necessarily mean being a successful manager in the kitchen. A good kitchen manager needs to have a wide range of skills, like math and accounting for calculations associated with menu planning and cost management, managerial skills for organization, leading, and control in the kitchen, along with marketing skills for better understanding and responding to customer demands. There is continuous production in the kitchen management of the staff, and process integration requires the organizational atmosphere to be managed effectively. The performance of the kitchen staff and their workplace motivation is directly related to the leadership style of the kitchen manager. Although accepting that people who are successful at management have innate leadership skills, various research has shown education and training can develop these innate skills or form them if they are not innately possessed.