Executive Chef Hiring Guide (2025)
A complete playbook to hire a culinary leader who delivers profit, safety, and culture
Updated: October 3, 2025
Who This Guide Is For
Owners, GMs, HR leaders, and multi-unit operators hiring (or replacing) an Executive Chef—and who need a repeatable process that ties culinary excellence to prime cost, safety, and team retention.
What You Will Get in This Guide
This guide gives hotel owners, asset managers and hiring managers:
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A proven 21-day sprint model that accelerates GM hiring without cutting diligence.
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A step-by-step hiring process (with a lawful, paid trial)
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A copy-ready job description and KPI scorecard
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A practical cooking assessment rubric
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A 90-day onboarding plan anchored to measurable results
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2025 compensation benchmarks by property type (select-service, full-service, luxury, resort).
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FAQs with no nonsense answers.
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Insight into how JDI partners with hiring manager to de-risk Executive Chef recruiting.
Fast Navigation
1) Start Here: Your Scenario & Hiring Tier
Most teams aren’t hiring from a blank slate. You’re likely in one of three scenarios—pick your lane and use the matching plan.
Scenario A — Backfill under pressure (replace a departing chef fast)
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Tier: Quick stabilization
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Focus: Safety compliance, line leadership, close-range coaching, cost control basics
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Artifacts you need: 3-hour paid trial, sanitation/temps drill, 30-day stopgap menu edits
Scenario B — Profits are lagging (costs, waste, or culture)
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Tier: Turnaround
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Focus: Prime-cost discipline, vendor resets, menu engineering to contribution margin, training cadence
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Artifacts: KPI dashboard, waste & yield SOPs, weekly “promote/re-plate/re-price/retire” ritual
Scenario C — You’re scaling (multi-unit, hotel, club, resort)
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Tier: Systems builder
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Focus: Replicable standards, CDC/sous bench, audits, quarterly rollouts, food safety systems
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Artifacts: SOP library (HACCP-aligned), multi-unit org design, quarterly innovation calendar
Operator note: The wrong chef can run a gorgeous pass and still leak 3–5 points of margin. Hire the leader who moves numbers without burning the team.
What Great Looks Like (scorecard)
A great Executive Chef is a profit-minded operator, culture shaper, and compliance hawk—not just a tastemaker.
Scorecard (what “great” looks like):
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Cost control: Food cost lands where your concept needs it (common industry target bands ~28–35%), and prime cost (COGS + labor) is monitored weekly, aiming near 55–60% depending on segment.
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Sanitation & compliance: Runs ServSafe Manager-level food safety and HACCP-style SOPs with logs, temperature monitoring, and corrective actions documented. (HACCP’s seven principles are the backbone.)
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Menu engineering: Uses popularity × contribution margin (Stars/Plowhorses/Puzzles/Dogs) and makes quarterly adjustments.
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Leadership: Builds a bench (CDC, sous), reduces churn, institutes a weekly training rhythm.
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Vendors & inventory: Shrinks variance, improves turns, renegotiates top SKUs, and documents specs.
JDI’s 21-Day Sprint Search Model
Time kills searches. That’s why JDI applies a structured sprint model for executive chef searches that keeps momentum high and compresses the typical 60–90 day executive search down to about three weeks. We take ownership of the process so clients get results without the drag of traditional hiring cycles.
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Day 1–3: We align the search with ownership, finalize the five-outcome scorecard, job summary, and pre-block interview availability. We have often been able to send qualified candidate resumes on Day 1 due to our industry expertise.
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Day 4–10: We perform targeted market mapping, outreach to competitor and alumni networks, and initial vetting.
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Day 11–16: We coordinate structured interviews and practical exercises, evaluate performance against scorecards, and refine the slate.
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Day 17–21: We guide final candidate selection, package offers, and lay the foundation for onboarding and a 90-day success playbook.
Most clients experience placement within this window. For roles requiring relocation or very niche skill sets, the model may flex, but we retain sprint rigor throughout.
Where to Find Candidates
(that actually respond)
The reality: most top Executive Chefs aren’t scrolling job boards—they’re leading busy kitchens. To reach them, you need a mix of targeted outreach and the right networks:
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ACF (American Culinary Federation) Career Center — draws credential-minded talent, especially those pursuing or holding CEC/CMC designations. Great for surfacing chefs who actively invest in their careers.
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Culinary Agents — broad reach in hospitality, with useful filters for cuisine type, property style, and experience level.
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Poached — responsive in certain urban markets, useful if you need quick volume of applicants.
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Local ACF Chapters — tap into hotel, resort, and private club chefs who may not advertise publicly.
These options can work—but they all come with the same challenge: screening, chasing down references, verifying HACCP/ServSafe competency, and assessing cost-control acumen.
That’s where JDI’s recruiting advantage becomes clear. Instead of wading through generic résumés, we maintain direct relationships with Executive Chefs across hotels, clubs, resorts, and high-volume independents. We already know who’s quietly open to the right move, and we vet them against the scorecard that matters: food cost %, prime cost discipline, sanitation record, leadership style, and cultural fit.
Put simply: you can spend weeks posting, filtering, and scheduling—or you can let us introduce you to three vetted candidates who already check the boxes.
Pro tip for DIY outreach:
If you’re contacting chefs directly, lead with what matters to them. Example:
“Benchmark-driven EC role (prime cost accountability, ServSafe/HACCP leadership, quarterly menu engineering). Includes paid practical and clear KPI scorecard.”
Compensation: Salary, Bonus & Structure
Salary signals, 2025 (United States):
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Bureau of Labor Statistcs: “chefs and head cooks” median: $60,990 (May 2024). EC roles generally sit above this depending on market/segment.
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Aggregators report EC averages typically in the low-to-mid-$80Ks, with wide variance by market and concept (e.g., $73k median per PayScale; $86–95k averages per ZipRecruiter/Glassdoor).
Practical structure:
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Base pegged to market, span of control, and concept.
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Quarterly bonus (10–25%) tied to food cost, BOH labor, inspection scores, turnover, and complaint ratio (guest-food issues).
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Innovation/CM lift spiff when a menu cycle lifts contribution margin.
Tip: Publish the KPI math in the offer. You’ll attract operators, not artists who resist numbers.
Job description & KPIs:
Executive Chef — Role Purpose
Own culinary operations to profit targets while elevating guest experience and safety: menu engineering, inventory & ordering, vendor strategy, BOH labor scheduling, training, sanitation logs, and cross-functional alignment with the GM.
Core KPIs (weekly cadence):
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Food cost % (COGS ÷ food sales) with target band set by concept (~28–35% common benchmark).
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BOH labor % (include benefits) and Prime cost % (aim for ≤60%, stretch goal ~55% where feasible).
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Waste/variance %, inventory turns, vendor fill rate, delivery defects.
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Health inspection/audit scores; HACCP log completion.
Must-have credentials/knowledge:
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ServSafe Food Protection Manager (ANAB-CFP accredited) or state-equivalent PIC.
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Working HACCP competency (7 principles, SOPs, logs).
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ACF certification: CEC® is a strong leadership/technical signal; CMC® is elite and role-specific.
The Hiring Process You Can Run This Week
Step 1 — Intake & scorecard
Define the real job: cuisine/volume, scratch vs. convenience mix, target prime cost, safety history, and people leadership needs. Create a 100-point scorecard (see tools).
Step 2 — Sourcing & first pass
Post to ACF/Culinary Agents; message chefs from adjacent concepts (similar average check & covers). Request: last 90-day menu-engineering snapshot, a costed recipe with yield test, and a brief sanitation SOP example.
Step 3 — Leadership screen (30 minutes)
Probe for coaching, scheduling, conflict resolution, training rhythm, and a prime cost win (expect math).
Step 4 — Technical interview
Have them walk through their menu matrix (Stars/Plowhorses/Puzzles/Dogs) and decisions made. Require a theoretical vs. actual food cost comparison.
Step 5 — Paid kitchen trial (3–4 hours)
Time-boxed, compensated, and documented.
Step 6 — References & background
Call former GMs/owners: confirm cost movement, health scores, and turnover.
Step 7 — Offer & close
Attach KPI targets, bonus formula, and the 90-day plan.
Field note: We once passed on a dazzling tasting because the candidate had no answer for shrink/waste variance. Gorgeous plates don’t fix a leaking P&L.
Paid Kitchen Trials (legal, fair & effective):
A “working interview” with productive work (prepping, cooking, expo) is compensable time under the Fair Labor Standards Act. DOL rules & the eCFR clarify that training is only non-compensable if all four criteria are met: outside regular hours, voluntary, not job-related, and no productive work. In practice, kitchen trials rarely qualify—so pay for them.
Design (3–4 hours):
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Station setup, one hot entrée, one cold item, one plated dessert.
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Mandatory safety behaviors: handwashing, glove changes, probe/record temps, prevent cross-contamination. (HACCP principles.)
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Short expo scenario to assess communication & timing.
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Log start/stop times; run through payroll.
One-liner to include in your trial email:
“This is a paid, time-boxed practical assessment (3–4 hrs at $XX/hr). All productive time is compensable under FLSA.”
90-Day Onboarding to Profit & Safety
Days 1–14 | Baseline
Inventory & vendor audit; knife kits & PPE check; temp-log review; menu-engineering snapshot; compare theoretical vs. actual food cost.
Days 15–30 | Standardize
Lock standardized recipes & portions, pars, waste logs; daily line-check ritual; weekly training cadence; close sanitation gaps (HACCP SOPs).
Days 31–60 | Optimize
Renegotiate top SKUs; move 1–2 plowhorses; add a star; retire a dog; training on yield & portioning; weekly prime-cost dashboard rhythm.
Days 61–90 | Innovate & lock-in
Seasonal specials, Q2 training plan, deep-clean SOP, mock inspection.
By Day 90, expect:
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Food cost trending to your concept’s band (~28–35% common) and prime cost approaching ≤60%.
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Clean audits and complete temperature logs.
Interview Scorecard & Menu-Engineering Worksheet
100-point scorecard (example):
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Sanitation/HACCP mastery — 15 pts (SOPs, logs, corrective actions)
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Food-cost literacy & examples — 15 pts (yield tests, theoretical vs. actual)
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Menu engineering evidence — 15 pts (matrix, actions, results)
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Leadership & coaching — 15 pts (training rhythm, bench)
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Inventory & vendor systems — 10 pts (turns, variance, specs)
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Tasting execution — 10 pts (flavor, consistency)
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Trial performance — 10 pts (timing, expo, sanitation)
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References metrics — 10 pts (prime cost movement, health scores)
Menu-engineering worksheet (columns):
Item | Price | Food Cost $ | Contribution Margin | Units (90d) | Popularity Index | Quadrant (Star/Plowhorse/Puzzle/Dog) | Action.
FAQ's
How JDI Partners With You
We run a disciplined Executive Chef search that ties every step to owner outcomes: profitability, safety, and team stability. Your time is spent on pivotal hiring decisions—we handle the heavy lift.
Contingent Search
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25%–30% of first-year salary, payable only on successful placement
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No retainers, no hidden fees
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Aligned incentives: we win when you win
21-Day Sprint
A time-boxed, outcome-driven process designed for speed without cutting diligence.
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Often 3 vetted candidates in 5 business days
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Often Accepted offer in ~3–4 weeks (plus notice period)
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Candidates benchmarked against food cost, prime cost, sanitation, and leadership metrics
Scorecards & Interviews
We design and run a process so every finalist is measured the same way.
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Role scorecard tied to prime cost, food cost %, HACCP compliance, retention, and guest satisfaction
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Structured interviews and menu-engineering case work
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Peer, sous, and GM/owner reference triangulation
Offer Orchestration
We manage alignment, acceptance, and start date without surprises.
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Compensation benchmarking and bonus-plan calibration (food cost, audit scores, turnover)
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Confidential logistics for transitions, relocations, and kitchen team communication
Nationwide Coverage
We recruit Executive Chefs across:
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Hotels, clubs, resorts, high-volume independents, and lifestyle concepts
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Urban, suburban, destination, and resort markets
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Union and non-union environments
Owner Alignment
Every step is anchored to owner objectives and brand realities.
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P&L impact, concept positioning, and cost-control goals built into the search
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Reporting cadence and 90-day onboarding plan prepared in advance