What experience requirements should I specify in an Aboyeur job ad?

Specify kitchen experience at CDP level or above as the baseline, because the aboyeur needs to understand how sections work, how timing operates across stations, and what busy service feels like from inside the kitchen. Previous aboyeur or pass experience is ideal but should not always be mandatory, as strong CDPs who have covered the pass and demonstrated coordination ability can develop into excellent expeditors. Be specific about the type of service experience that matches your operation: if you run complex tasting menus with synchronised courses, experience with multi-course service is important. If yours is a high-volume operation, candidates need to have worked at pace. Beyond kitchen experience, specify the communication requirement explicitly, because the ability to project clear, authoritative instructions that a brigade responds to is not something every experienced chef possesses. This is a skill that can be assessed during a phone conversation and confirmed during a trial service.

Common misunderstanding: Requiring previous aboyeur experience is essential because the role is too specialised to learn on the job.

Many excellent aboyeurs developed from CDP roles where they showed natural coordination ability and were given the opportunity to run the pass. Restricting recruitment to candidates with the exact aboyeur title significantly narrows the pool and may exclude strong candidates who have the skills but not the specific title. Focus on demonstrated capabilities rather than titles.

Common misunderstanding: Years of kitchen experience is the most reliable indicator of suitability for the aboyeur role.

Time served in kitchens does not necessarily develop the specific skills the aboyeur needs. Someone with fifteen years of cooking experience may have excellent technique but poor communication under pressure. Someone with five years who has naturally gravitated toward coordination and covered the pass effectively may be a better fit. Assess communication, composure, and coordination ability rather than relying on years of experience as a proxy.

How should I present essential qualifications in an Aboyeur job ad?

Present qualifications as capabilities rather than formal credentials. The aboyeur role does not require NVQs, degrees, or specific certifications. It requires the ability to coordinate a brigade, maintain quality standards, communicate clearly under pressure, and make rapid decisions. Frame your requirements around what the candidate needs to be able to do on a busy service night: call orders that the kitchen responds to immediately, track multiple tables at different stages without losing focus, check every plate against your standards before it leaves the pass, and manage the FOH interface calmly and effectively. If food safety certification is required by your operation, mention it, but position it as a practical requirement rather than the centrepiece of the qualifications section. The capabilities that define a strong aboyeur, coordination, communication, and pressure handling, cannot be certified. They can only be demonstrated during a conversation and confirmed during a trial.

Common misunderstanding: Listing formal qualifications and certifications makes the requirements section more credible and professional.

For the aboyeur role, formal qualifications are largely irrelevant to performance. What makes a strong expeditor is the ability to run a service under pressure, not a certificate on the wall. A requirements section heavy on qualifications suggests the employer does not understand what the role actually demands, which is a red flag for experienced candidates.

Common misunderstanding: Presenting requirements as a long checklist ensures comprehensive coverage of everything the role needs.

Long checklists create a false equivalence between critical and minor requirements. The ability to project clear communication under pressure is fundamental; a Level 2 Food Safety certificate can be obtained in a day. Presenting both in the same list format diminishes the importance of the skills that actually determine success in the role. Prioritise the capabilities that matter most and present them with appropriate weight.

What skills should I list as must-haves in an Aboyeur job ad?

List four non-negotiable skills and be explicit about why each is essential. First, clear and projecting verbal communication: the aboyeur must be heard and understood immediately over kitchen noise. If their voice gets lost or their instructions are ambiguous, service coordination collapses. Second, composure and effectiveness under sustained pressure: during peak service the aboyeur manages the entire restaurant's food coordination, and panic or chaos at the pass infects the whole kitchen. Third, strong understanding of kitchen timing and section operations: the aboyeur cannot coordinate effectively without understanding how long dishes take, how sections work, and what realistic timings look like. Fourth, rapid decision-making about quality, timing, and priorities: when three tables need attention simultaneously, the aboyeur decides which is addressed first. When a plate does not meet standards, they decide whether it goes back. These decisions happen constantly and cannot wait for consultation.

Common misunderstanding: Soft skills like communication and composure are nice-to-haves rather than essential requirements for the aboyeur role.

Communication and composure are not soft skills in the context of the pass. They are the primary tools of the role. An aboyeur with excellent cooking knowledge but poor communication cannot coordinate a brigade. An expeditor who knows the timing perfectly but panics under pressure will fail during the services that matter most. These capabilities are genuinely non-negotiable and should be presented as such.

Common misunderstanding: Technical kitchen skills are the most important must-haves for an aboyeur because they need to understand every dish on the menu.

While the aboyeur needs to understand dishes well enough to check quality and coordinate timing, the primary skills of the role are communication, coordination, and decision-making. A strong communicator who needs to learn specific dishes will succeed faster than a technically excellent chef who struggles to project authority from the pass. Prioritise the coordination and leadership skills over encyclopaedic menu knowledge.