Kitchen Porter: How to Become a Kitchen Porter

A kitchen porter, also known as a kitchen hand, is responsible for numerous tasks supporting the cleanliness and efficiency of a professional kitchen, including washing dishes, cleaning prep stations, managing inventory, prepping food, and keeping the kitchen area clean. Kitchen porter is an entry-level position, and is a great way to grow your culinary career. The kitchen porter reports to all the chefs in their workplace as part of the kitchen brigade system, a hierarchical system of organizing kitchen staff by specific station and responsibility.

A kitchen porter is essential to keep a professional kitchen running smoothly. Here are a few of the things a kitchen porter does on a daily basis.

• Keep the kitchen area clean. A kitchen porter’s primary responsibility is to keep all the work areas in a kitchen clean throughout their shift. This includes sanitizing work stations throughout the day, cleaning cookware like dishes, pots, and cutlery, and mopping or sweeping the kitchen floors to keep the area clean.
• Maintain kitchen equipment. Kitchen porters monitor the condition of kitchen equipment, including cooking equipment like ovens and stovetops, and storage equipment like refrigerators. It is the kitchen porter’s responsibility to alert management if any equipment is broken or defective.
• Help with food preparation. Kitchen porters may occasionally assist with basic food preparation like washing, peeling, or cutting food items. Preparing a simple food item gives you the opportunity to practice your cooking skills if you’re working as a kitchen porter.
• Manage storeroom inventory. Kitchen porters manage inventory and make sure that food items are well-stocked. Kitchen porters track, receive, and unpack deliveries of supplies, keeping the kitchen stocked and organized. A good kitchen porter anticipates when the kitchen may run out of an item, and knows when to order new food shipments so that the kitchen is always fully equipped.

Here is a step-by-step guide for becoming a kitchen porter.

1. 1. Update your resume. Update your resume to emphasize any past experience you have working with cleaning, organization, or food preparation. Restaurants look for kitchen porters who are detail-oriented and willing to help with anything.
2. 2. Familiarize yourself with health and safety regulations. Read up on food safety regulations and codes in your state or country before interviewing with a restaurant. A general understanding of these regulations may give you an advantage over other candidates when you’re in talks with a potential employer.
3. 3. Apply for a kitchen porter job. Search online job boards and research local restaurants that excite you to find openings for kitchen porter positions. Write a cover letter for each application you submit.
4. 4. Work a trial shift. You may be asked to work a trial shift as part of the interview process. Stay attentive and listen carefully during your trial shift. Use it as an opportunity to demonstrate that you can learn quickly and communicate well. Your communication skills are essential for landing and keeping a kitchen porter job, because you’ll be part of a team.
5. 5. Be patient and manage your expectations. A kitchen porter job is an entry-level position in the restaurant industry, and working up the ladder may take time. It’s a great place to start if you want to learn how kitchens operate, though it is often physically demanding and has long shifts (sometimes 8–12 hours). If you listen well and work hard, you may receive a promotion to kitchen assistant, where you would be working closer with chefs on food preparation.

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