Kitchens feed restaurant goers, students, hospital workers, visitors and patients; and inmates, among others. The establishments and institutions that prepare foods for these diners hire kitchen hands. These support workers are tasked with keeping the kitchen efficient and able to afford safe and tasty dishes. As the kitchen hand job description explains, many of these workers use the position as a springboard to higher-level work or careers in the restaurant industry.

Job Overview: What Does a Kitchen Hand Do?

Kitchen hands keep the kitchen and other areas of a restaurant or dining room clean, organized and safe. In some establishments, the kitchen hand may lend assistance to cooks or workers in the dining room. To fulfill the roles require organization and the ability to withstand a fast-paced and physically-demanding work environment.

Kitchen Hands Job Description for Resume – Duties

  • Wash utensils, plates, bowls, glasses, pans, pots and other dishes, using dishwasher or manually
  • Place cleaned dishes in appropriate shelves, cabinets or other storage areas
  • Clean counters, floors, stoves, kitchen equipment and other areas of kitchen
  • Remove utensils, plates, other dishes and trash from dining tables
  • Place table napkins, covers and linens in laundry for washing
  • Vacuum, sweep and mop floors as needed
  • Prepare cooking stations for chefs and cooks
  • Remove trash from receptacles and other places in kitchen or restaurant
  • Receive and store napkins, foods, ingredients, condiments, beverages and other supplies
  • Prepare foods for cooking or serving as needed or directed by chefs, cooks or kitchen supervisors

Kitchen Hand Job Essential Skills

Detail-oriented. Cleaning constitutes a major facet of the kitchen helper job description. These workers must carefully examine dishes, floors and surfaces to ensure all food, trash, dirt and other matter has been removed. Being detail-oriented means sanitizing all areas to prevent contamination of foods or the spread of food-borne illnesses.

Listening. Kitchen helpers need listening skills to receive, comprehend and execute directions of supervisors, chefs and cooks.

Organization. Cooks, chefs and other kitchen staff depend on the kitchen hand’s organization skills to readily locate ingredients, supplies and utensils. Organization includes the ability to group utensils by type and size and place items in designated and labeled places. Dishwasher machines must be loaded in an orderly fashion to avoid clogs or broken or misplaced dishes.

Physical. Kitchen hands spend several hours on their feet standing at washing or food stations and walking around the kitchen or other areas of the restaurant. Stamina also helps kitchen hands endure the hot and steamy environment of a kitchen. Physical skills may also include lifting boxes and other containers and pushing brooms, mops and vacuum cleaners.

Becoming a Kitchen Hand

Kitchen hand positions typically are entry-level and do not involve formal preparation.
In some jurisdictions, kitchen hands who help prepare food must obtain certification in safe food handling. Where certification is required, the holders must renew periodically.

Education & Training

According to O*NET, nearly 54 percent of dishwashers do not have a high school diploma, while 41 percent have completed high school. Among “Food Preparation Workers,” the percentage of high school graduates stands at 45 percent. Roughly 38 percent have not completed high school.

Normally, a high school education is not a prerequisite to become a kitchen hand or to perform the duties. However, a diploma can prove helpful. Taking community college classes in food safety, kitchen or restaurant operations may expose kitchen hands to some of the food preparation techniques and sanitary and safety regulations.
SafeServ affords online classes and testing for kitchen hands whose duties may require a food handler certificate. Even where the jurisdiction does not require the certificate, a kitchen hand that holds one may find an advantage in landing these and other restaurant or food jobs.

Work Experience

As these positions are considered entry-level, many employers will hire kitchen hands with no prior experience. However, those with previous employment in kitchen settings may have an advantage in becoming hired, especially where the kitchen hand may perform some food handling duties. These may include kitchens in restaurants, resorts, hotels, schools, corrections facilities and resorts.

Relevant work experience may also come from working as dishwashers, servers, or janitors.

Work Schedule

In restaurants and hotels, kitchen hands commonly work evenings and weekends. Morning and afternoon shifts also dominate the landscape of the restaurant industry as many restaurants and privately-run cafeterias offer breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Kitchen hands may report very early in the morning to help prepare foods for breakfast.

At schools, kitchen hands usually have weekdays and daytime hours. Except for those in year-round schools, kitchen hands usually report nine to ten months in the year, having the summer months off. Hotels and restaurants in resort areas may employ kitchen hands on a seasonal basis.

Many employers offer part-time positions for kitchen hands. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly half of “Food Preparation Workers” held part-time jobs in 2014.

Career Prospects

Prospects for kitchen hand jobs appear to prove generally in line with jobs throughout the economy overall. O*NET reports a projected growth of five to eight percent in the employment of dishwashers through 2024. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the “Food Preparation Workers” category should have a six percent increase in positions through 2024.

Population growth in various areas may drive establishment of new restaurants and jobs in those establishments. The National Restaurant Association projects that the United States restaurant industry will generate 1.6 million new jobs by 2027.

The hospitality industry also appears healthy and can support continued employment of kitchen hands. Travelers and tourists spent $293 billion in 2016 on hotels, motels and other lodging. The accommodations subsector of hospitality was responsible for 1.4 million jobs in the United States in 2016.

As entry-level workers, kitchen hands can build the experience to seek jobs as cooks, chefs, servers and restaurant managers. According to the National Restaurant Association, nine out of ten restaurant managers started in the restaurant businesses in an entry-level role.

Conclusion

Kitchen hands carry the important responsibility of keeping kitchens sanitary, organized and safe. The demand for these workers should rise along with the growth in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Opportunities for these jobs will also be available in hospitals, corrections facilities, schools and other places that operate kitchens. For the kitchen hand, this often entry-level experience can lead to careers in culinary arts or management of restaurants, accommodations and other eating establishments.