Kitchen managers (KMs) are the backbone of the kitchen. When everything is going at full speed, they make sure teams stay motivated, on track and serving up a good time. The roles and responsibilities of a kitchen manager are, to some extent, suggested in the title… They ensure the kitchen is structured and led well, keeping everything running smoothly and making sure teams are happy and safe. At Mitchells and Butlers, our KMs do all this and more. 

We’ve previously busted the myths about working in a kitchen, but we recently spoke to Andy Foley, who is a Kitchen Training & Development Manager for the pubs division and he served up the juice on what being a Kitchen Manager at M&B is really like. 

Unrivalled chef training programmes 

‘After being in the industry for many years working across various large companies and independent restaurants, the amount of support and development that is available to you at M&B is unlike anything I’ve seen before. 

There is a wide range of tools and development programmes for all roles in the kitchen to help develop yourself in terms of knowledge, capability, and skills. The online training platform that supports our accelerated learning programme, the vast number of webinars for a whole range of things such as stock, people, mental health, apprenticeships, and our very own Culinary Apprenticeship that is run by our amazingly skilled Culinary Tutors. 

From the KM induction programme that I am yet to see bettered anywhere else, to the kitchen support within each Brand from the Kitchen Training Team and the Accredited Kitchen Manager network. The infrastructure of support is incredible.’

A culture of team comradery

‘Being a Kitchen Manager can be a challenging role. However, I do see a great amount of support for one another, amazing culture of team comradery, a good bonus scheme if you achieve your targets and as I’ve mentioned, a great platform to support you in developing your team.

People might question whether KM’s must work every weekend. When I was a KM, that’s when your peak trade is and so I wanted to be there. Did that mean I had to work every weekend? No. Holidays and days off are just as important as the times you work. You need to be fresh and have time to get away to be the best you can possibly be. 

Does that mean as a KM you need to develop your team to run those weekends effectively and at the same performance as when you are there, yes! But that has always been the case.’

A wide network of resources to tap into

‘There are some big differences here and depending on how you view it will be positive or negative. In some of our brands, you might not have the freedom to create your own specials, but on the flip side, you won’t have to worry about doing your own Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) or margin models. We have teams that do this work for you. 

We have our own recruitment support if you need help filling vacancies, there are vast resources available that are always looking to improve processes and systems to make life easier. 

Auto order for food is currently being rolled out that helps predict your food orders to save wastage and time. Prep and Par is also being trialled to help forecast your food prep quantities to again reduce wastage and save time, but both should result in better food quality and service to our Guests. 

There are structured inductions and development programmes for skills, capabilities, and management that may not be so readily available to you if you were in an independent.’

The best opportunities in a supportive environment

‘I have been with M&B for 16 years now. There is a reason for this and that is because I am happy, stretched, developed, and very much enjoy the environment I work within. I see a great pipeline of people being developed from the time they join the kitchens in M&B and a good proportion that make it from team members to KM. 

The career pathway is alive and working and allows you to build a career based on great training, support, and opportunities. The opportunities don’t stop there, if you want to move forward from a KM into the Accredited role, there are opportunities you can explore further, including Kitchen Skills Trainer, Safety, Kitchen Design, and operations.

Has Andy inspired you to be a kitchen manager at M&B?

If you’re looking for your next job in hospitality and can handle the heat as a kitchen manager, we’d love to hear from you. We have opportunities available in 1,600 locations in the UK, and you just might be the secret ingredient that we’re missing. 

Browse our available kitchen manager jobs or register for job alerts so you never miss a tasty opportunity.