HorecaHire
Quick answer: A Sous Chef is a kitchen leader who supports the Head Chef or Executive Chef with food production, station coordination, safe preparation, inventory discipline and coaching cooks. In large hotels the title may cover one outlet or kitchen; in smaller restaurants the Sous Chef may be second-in-command. The employer’s actual scope matters more than the title.
HorecaHire original employer resource | Updated October 2026 | Designed for restaurants, hotels, resorts, catering kitchens and cloud kitchens in India.
For employers: Customize the job title, city, cuisine, reporting line, compensation and shifts before using the vacancy. The template below is free to copy for your organization’s recruiting use.
Sous Chef Job Description Builder
Start with a complete vacancy. Customize the details, edit any section, and export your own version—not a generic file.
Your edits remain in this browser tab. Nothing is published or sent to HorecaHire until you choose to post a job.
A vacancy may require employer review before posting. Word export reflects your current edits. For PDF, select Save as PDF in the print dialog.
Sous Chef job description template (copy and customize)
Job title: Sous Chef
Location: [Hotel/restaurant, city and state]
Department: Culinary / Kitchen
Reports to: [Head Chef / Executive Chef]
Supervises: [Chef de Partie, Commis and other designated positions]
Employment type: [Full-time / other lawful arrangement]
Compensation: [Approved pay range, benefits and deductions]
Shift pattern: [Actual working hours and weekly rest]About the role: We are seeking a Sous Chef to help lead daily kitchen production, coordinate preparation and service, maintain recipe and food-safety standards, and develop our culinary team. You will manage assigned sections and shift readiness, communicate with food and beverage colleagues, resolve production issues and support cost-conscious operations.
Key responsibilities: Prepare and supervise food to approved specifications; coordinate mise en place and shift handovers; allocate duties and coach junior cooks; monitor hygiene, allergens, storage and temperatures according to the kitchen’s documented controls; check ingredient availability and portion consistency; manage rush-service priorities; record waste and escalate incidents; support menu trials, stock counts and training.
Essential requirements: Demonstrated professional kitchen experience; ability to supervise assigned service stations; safe food-handling knowledge; clear communication; dependable shift planning; ability to follow and teach standardized recipes.
Preferred qualifications: [Relevant culinary diploma or degree if justified]; [documented supervisory experience]; [cuisine-specific skills]; [suitable food-safety training]. Equivalent practical experience will be considered where appropriate.
Application: Send your relevant kitchen experience and availability to [approved application method]. Candidates may be invited to a structured interview and a job-relevant practical assessment.
What does a Sous Chef do? 12 duties and responsibilities
- Review expected covers, bookings and production requirements before each shift.
- Assign station duties and verify mise en place against forecast demand.
- Lead cooking and plating to agreed recipes, portions and quality standards.
- Coordinate ticket timing with service and other kitchen sections.
- Supervise hygiene, cross-contamination prevention, storage and allergen escalation.
- Check received ingredients, usable stock and shortages with authorized colleagues.
- Monitor yields, food waste and production records without compromising quality.
- Coach Commis and CDP staff; provide specific, fair feedback.
- Support menu development, recipe costing and consistent execution.
- Handle service disruptions and escalate equipment or safety concerns promptly.
- Maintain shift handover, cleaning verification and incident notes.
- Act within clearly delegated kitchen leadership authority when the senior chef is absent.
Sous Chef vs Executive Sous Chef vs Head Chef
| Position | Typical focus | Scope caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Sous Chef | Hands-on production and assigned team or shift leadership | May be second-in-command in smaller kitchens |
| Executive Sous Chef | Coordinates multiple kitchens or larger teams | Title may not exist in smaller properties |
| Head / Executive Chef | Overall culinary direction, budgets and team accountability | Titles and reporting vary by property |
Related reading: Executive Sous Chef job description, Chef de Partie responsibilities and Executive Chef role.
What qualifications and skills should employers require?
Assess practical ability, safe habits and leadership evidence before applying blanket degree or years-of-experience rules. For a busy fine-dining kitchen, relevant cuisine expertise and cost control may be necessary; for a high-volume banquet operation, batch production, shift handover and coordination may matter more. Specify genuinely essential requirements and separate them from preferences.
- Technical: recipe execution, portioning, equipment use, food storage, allergen awareness and production planning.
- Leadership: delegation, coaching, calm prioritization and constructive feedback.
- Commercial: basic food-cost, yield and stock awareness.
- Communication: kitchen-to-service coordination and clear incident reporting.
Food safety requirements in India: what employers should know
India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) runs FoSTaC training. Its official guidance states that businesses holding Central or State food licences should have at least one trained and certified food safety supervisor for every 25 food handlers or part thereof at each premises. This is a requirement concerning premises-level coverage; it does not mean every Sous Chef automatically must hold a specific certificate. Verify the licence status, site requirements and candidate training.
Source: FSSAI — FoSTaC and FoSTaC food safety supervisor guidance.
Sous Chef salary in India: how to quote responsibly
Pay differs by city, cuisine, hotel classification, shift responsibility and benefits. Rather than inventing a national salary, benchmark current comparable vacancies in your location and state the approved salary range in the job listing. Explain whether accommodation, meals, incentives, overtime and deductions apply. The HorecaHire chef salary guide discusses available pay sources and comparison limitations.
Sous Chef template variations: hotel, restaurant and cloud kitchen
Hotel or resort Sous Chef
Add to the vacancy: Coordinate à la carte, room-service and banquet production as applicable; prepare forecast-driven station assignments; follow hotel handover and food-safety records; partner with service managers across outlets. State the number of outlets and actual reporting manager.
Independent restaurant Sous Chef
Add to the vacancy: Run assigned lunch and dinner service, coach a compact brigade, keep recipe portions consistent and manage supplier shortfalls. Specify whether the Sous Chef is second-in-command.
Cloud kitchen Sous Chef
Add to the vacancy: Supervise standardized delivery production, ticket sequencing, safe holding, packing handoffs and accurate multi-brand order fulfillment. State cuisine and expected order profile without promising unrealistic output.
What strong interview answers demonstrate
| Interview scenario | Strong evidence | Concerning evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Guest reports an allergen | Stops assumptions; checks verified ingredient information and cross-contact controls; escalates when safety cannot be assured | Promises an item is safe without verification |
| Two stations fall behind | Prioritizes tickets; redistributes authorized tasks; communicates realistic delays | Hides delays or blames individuals |
| Ingredient runs out mid-service | Stops affected orders as needed, coordinates approved substitutions and informs service | Substitutes an ingredient without safety and guest checks |
| Junior cook repeatedly underperforms | Observes the task, coaches to a documented standard and follows up fairly | Relies only on reprimands or vague labels |
Scoring anchor: 0 = no relevant evidence; 1 = unsafe or materially incomplete; 2 = partially correct with prompting; 3 = competent and independently explained; 4 = clear process plus prevention and follow-up. Use a separate safety gate: a dangerous food-safety response cannot be offset by high scores elsewhere.
Editable hiring checklist for managers
- Actual outlet, city and kitchen scope specified
- Reporting line and number of direct reports confirmed
- Cuisine, peak service and equipment requirements defined
- Approved salary range, benefits, hours and weekly rest written clearly
- Job-specific interview scenarios and trial ingredients prepared
- Food-safety and allergen controls explained to assessors
- Fair practical assessment and any payment terms agreed in advance
- Selection notes recorded against common criteria
- References obtained appropriately with candidate knowledge
- First-month coaching and success measures assigned
How this resource was prepared
This HorecaHire hiring template was created as an adaptable employer resource using hospitality kitchen role definitions, realistic shift-management scenarios and the linked FSSAI FoSTaC guidance. It has not been represented as independently certified or reviewed by a named Executive Chef. Employers should have their kitchen and HR leaders validate the responsibilities, workplace rules and local employment terms before using it.
Ten Sous Chef interview questions
- Walk us through how you prepare a kitchen team for a fully booked service.
- How do you identify and correct an unsafe food-handling practice?
- A cook reports an allergy request. What do you do before approving the order?
- How do you assess whether a Commis Chef can manage a task independently?
- Explain how you handle an ingredient shortage mid-service.
- How do you maintain recipe consistency across two shifts?
- What indicators tell you that a station is underprepared?
- Describe a time you resolved conflict between cooks and servers.
- How would you reduce waste without lowering portion quality?
- What would you include in a handover to the next shift leader?
45-minute Sous Chef practical assessment
Before starting: choose a task representative of your cuisine and equipment, disclose permitted ingredients, agree to fair treatment of trial work and use the same briefing for all candidates. A mock service is preferable to using unpaid candidates for ordinary production.
| Time | Task | What to observe |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 minutes | Explain brief, safety rules and recipe | Listening and hazard awareness |
| 5–20 minutes | Prepare two consistent portions | Technique, yield and safe handling |
| 20–30 minutes | Simulate multiple ticket priorities | Timing, communication and decisions |
| 30–40 minutes | Explain how to train a junior cook | Coaching and leadership |
| 40–45 minutes | Clean down and complete handover | Sanitation and documentation |
Printable interview and trade test scorecard (100 points)
| Area | Maximum | Observed score |
|---|---|---|
| Food safety and allergen response | 25 | ___ |
| Cooking skill and recipe consistency | 20 | ___ |
| Production planning and service timing | 15 | ___ |
| Team leadership and coaching | 15 | ___ |
| Yield and waste control | 10 | ___ |
| Communication and handover | 10 | ___ |
| Workstation close-down | 5 | ___ |
| Total | 100 | ___ |
Assessment rule: note observable examples for each score; decide pass thresholds before interviews. A serious hygiene or allergen handling failure must receive separate review regardless of total points.
First 30 days: Sous Chef onboarding checkpoints
| Period | Expected evidence |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Understands stations, menu specifications, safety controls and escalation contacts |
| Week 2 | Runs a supervised service handover with documented prep and stock notes |
| Week 3 | Coaches junior team members and identifies at least one evidence-based workflow improvement |
| Week 4 | Leads delegated shifts with feedback on quality, safety, people and cost awareness |
Hiring mistakes to avoid
- Using “Sous Chef” and “Head Chef” interchangeably without stating the reporting line.
- Hiring solely on years of experience or prestigious employer names.
- Leaving salary and shift expectations out of the vacancy.
- Using vague “must know all cuisines” requirements instead of actual menu tasks.
- Failing to test food-safety decisions and team leadership.
- Judging personal style rather than job-relevant evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Sous Chef second-in-command?
Often, particularly in a smaller kitchen. Larger hotels may have an Executive Sous Chef or multiple Sous Chefs with different reporting arrangements.
Does a Sous Chef cook or only manage?
Usually both. Hands-on cooking, supervision and coordination are commonly part of the job, with the balance depending on the kitchen.
What comes after Sous Chef?
Possible progression includes Executive Sous Chef, Head Chef or Executive Chef, depending on the employer’s hierarchy.
Is a culinary degree mandatory?
Not universally. Some employers prefer formal study, while others accept equivalent practical experience. Specify requirements justified by the role.
Can a Sous Chef work in a cloud kitchen?
Yes. Delivery-oriented kitchens may need a Sous Chef to coordinate production, food quality, recipe consistency and dispatch handovers.
Where can restaurants recruit a Sous Chef?
Employers may use relevant hospitality job platforms, referrals, culinary schools and specialist recruiters. Explore HorecaHire as a dedicated hospitality careers and hiring channel, checking current features and fees before selecting a method.
Editorial references
- FSSAI — Food Safety Training & Certification.
- FSSAI FoSTaC — Food Safety Supervisor responsibilities.
- HorecaHire — Executive Sous Chef duties and distinctions.
Original HorecaHire template and scorecard for employer adaptation. This is an informational hiring resource, not a live job vacancy or individualized legal advice. Verify location-specific employment conditions and current compliance requirements before publishing a vacancy.
