How to record an aboyeur video job ad

Step 1: Open with the Opportunity

Start your video by answering the question every aboyeur candidate is asking: "Is this a genuine leadership role where I'm running service, or am I just a glorified plate carrier with a fancy title?" The aboyeur role — expeditor, pass chef, whatever you call it — sits at the critical junction of the kitchen. It's about coordination, communication, and control under pressure. Candidates for this role want to know whether they'll have genuine authority to run the pass, or whether the head chef is actually making all the calls while they relay orders.

This matters because the aboyeur role varies enormously between kitchens. In some, the aboyeur genuinely runs service — calling orders, coordinating timing, controlling the pace, being the authoritative voice that the kitchen responds to. In others, it's more administrative — organizing tickets and plating garnishes while someone else makes the actual decisions. Candidates need to know which yours is.

The fundamental question aboyeur candidates ask is: what authority and responsibility will I actually have? Running a pass during busy service is genuine leadership — you're making split-second decisions, coordinating multiple stations, managing the pressure, and being the person responsible for whether plates go out correctly and on time. That's a meaningful role. But it requires actual authority. If the head chef is standing next to you making all the calls, you're not really running the pass.

Your goal is to make them think: "This is real responsibility, not just a title."

Use this 3-part approach:

1. Lead with the scope of the role

Be specific about what the aboyeur actually does and controls in your kitchen.

Clarify the authority level. Does the aboyeur genuinely run service, calling the shots and coordinating the kitchen? Or does the head chef or sous chef retain primary authority while the aboyeur supports? Be honest — both setups exist, but they're different roles. If your aboyeur has genuine authority during service, lead with that.

Describe the service they'll run. How many covers? How many chefs coordinating? How complex is the timing — simple à la carte, tasting menus with synchronized courses, large functions with mass plating? The complexity of the service determines the skill required for the role.

Explain where the role fits in the kitchen hierarchy. Is this a dedicated position, or does a CDP or sous chef cover the pass as part of their role? Does the aboyeur have authority over section chefs during service, or is it purely coordination without authority? The structure shapes the experience.

Address whether this includes cooking or is purely coordination. Some aboyeur roles involve no cooking — the person is purely expediting and quality-checking. Others expect the aboyeur to cook as well, perhaps running a section or handling the finishing work at the pass. Be clear about which yours is.

2. Understand what matters to aboyeur candidates

People seeking aboyeur roles have specific motivations. Understanding these helps you speak to what they actually care about.

Genuine responsibility and authority matters most. Candidates for this role typically want to be in charge of something — to run service, to make decisions, to be the person responsible for the outcome. If your role offers that genuine authority, emphasize it. If the authority is limited, be honest about the scope.

Development toward senior roles is often a motivation. Many see the aboyeur role as a step toward sous chef or head chef — a chance to develop the coordination and communication skills that kitchen leadership requires. If your role offers that development path, highlight it. If previous aboyeurs have progressed to sous chef, that's evidence worth sharing.

The ability to handle pressure is something candidates want to prove. People drawn to the pass thrive on the intensity of service — the controlled chaos, the rapid decision-making, the challenge of keeping multiple stations coordinated. They want a role that tests this ability. If your service is demanding and the role is genuinely challenging, that's attractive to the right candidates.

Communication and coordination skills are what the role develops. Unlike cooking roles where technique is primary, the aboyeur role is about communication, timing, and leadership. Candidates interested in this career path want to develop these skills.

The relationship with both kitchen and FOH matters. The aboyeur is the bridge between back and front of house. How that relationship works — collaborative, tense, or something else — shapes the daily experience.

3. Differentiate your aboyeur role

Aboyeur roles are less common than CDP or line cook positions, so candidates may have fewer options. But they're still choosing between opportunities.

Differentiation is usually about the genuine authority and responsibility. If your aboyeur truly runs service with real authority, that's more attractive than a role where they're supervised closely. If the role involves coordinating complex service — large brigade, multi-course menus, high covers — that's more challenging and developmental than simple operations.

Consider what makes your pass role distinctive. The pace and complexity of service? The quality of the brigade they'll coordinate? The head chef's approach to delegation? A genuine path to sous chef? Whatever distinguishes your role, name it.

Tips if you're unsure what to say

Ask your current or previous aboyeur what the role is really like. What authority do they have? What decisions do they actually make? What's challenging about it?

Think about what you actually need from this role. Someone to genuinely run service? Someone to support the head chef's expediting? A coordination role or a leadership role? The honest answer shapes how you describe the opportunity.

Example: Fine Dining Restaurant

We're looking for an aboyeur to run the pass during service — genuinely run it, not just relay orders while someone else makes the decisions. You'll be the voice coordinating a brigade of eight across lunch and dinner services, responsible for timing, quality control, and keeping the kitchen in sync.

This is a 70-cover restaurant doing tasting menus — each table needs courses landing simultaneously, which means constant coordination across all stations. During service, you're in charge. You call the orders, control the pace, make the decisions on timing and remakes. The head chef steps back during service; you own the pass.

It's genuine pressure. Tables in different courses, each station with different cook times, front of house pushing for speed while you protect quality. If you thrive on that intensity — making rapid decisions, keeping a team coordinated, being the person responsible for the outcome — this is the role.

Step 2: Show Your Venue Personality

Now help candidates picture themselves at the pass in your kitchen. For aboyeur roles, this is about the service environment: how intense is the pace, how does the brigade respond, what's the relationship with FOH?

Video works well here because it communicates energy and intensity. How you describe service, the kitchen visible behind you — all signal what the role actually feels like.

Your goal is to help them picture what running service in your kitchen is like.

Use this 3-part approach:

1. Describe the service environment

Give candidates a clear picture of what they'd be managing.

Describe the scale and complexity of service. How many covers? How many courses in a typical meal? How many tables simultaneously at peak? The complexity determines the challenge of the role.

Explain the pace and intensity. Is service measured and controlled — clear systems, manageable pace? Or is it high-intensity, high-volume, constant pressure? The pace affects what kind of person thrives in the role.

Talk about the brigade they'll be coordinating. How many chefs? How experienced and responsive are they? A brigade that responds sharply to calls is different from one that needs constant follow-up. What's the reality?

Address the physical setup. Where is the pass? What's the sightline to sections? Is there a printer for tickets or verbal calls only? The physical setup affects how the aboyeur works.

2. Share the kitchen culture during service

Culture during service is what candidates need to understand — the dynamics when pressure is highest.

Describe how the kitchen responds to pressure. When service gets intense, does the team stay focused and coordinated? Do people support each other? Or does it become chaotic and tense? The aboyeur's experience depends heavily on how the brigade handles pressure.

Talk about the communication style. Is it traditional call-and-response? More relaxed communication? How loud does the pass need to be to be heard? What's the style of running service?

Address the relationship with FOH. How do servers interact with the pass? Is it collaborative and respectful, or is there tension between kitchen and floor? The aboyeur manages this interface constantly.

Be honest about the head chef's role during service. Does the head chef truly step back and let the aboyeur run things? Or are they present, watching, intervening? The reality of delegation affects how much authority the aboyeur actually has.

3. Introduce the relationships

The aboyeur role is heavily relational — working up to the head chef, across to FOH, and coordinating the brigade.

Describe the head chef's approach to delegation. This is crucial. Does the head chef trust the aboyeur to run service, or do they hover and intervene? A head chef who genuinely delegates creates a meaningful aboyeur role; one who can't let go creates a frustrating one.

Talk about the FOH leadership. Who manages the floor? What's their style? How do kitchen and floor communicate during service? A good aboyeur-FOH relationship makes service smoother; a poor one creates constant friction.

Address the brigade dynamic. How do section chefs respond to the pass? Is there respect for the aboyeur's authority? Or does the hierarchy mean they look past the aboyeur to the head chef? This dynamic affects whether the aboyeur can actually run service effectively.

Tips if you're unsure what to say

Watch a busy service from the pass perspective. What's it actually like? What does the aboyeur control versus not control? What's challenging?

Ask your FOH leadership about the relationship with the pass. What works well? What's frustrating? The honest answer helps candidates understand the role.

Example: Fine Dining Restaurant

Service here is controlled but intense. We do 35 covers at lunch, 70 at dinner — not high volume, but tasting menus mean every table needs coordinated timing across eight courses. At peak, you might have ten tables in different courses simultaneously, each needing plates to land together.

The brigade is experienced — most CDPs have been here over a year. They respond to calls, keep their sections tight, and communicate when they're running behind. You're not chasing people; you're coordinating professionals.

The head chef runs the development side — menu, training, suppliers — and steps back during service. When you're on the pass, you're genuinely in charge. She'll check quality early in service, but the coordination, timing, and decisions are yours. If something goes wrong, you fix it. If something needs to be remade, you call it.

FOH is led by a GM who's been here four years. The relationship is collaborative — servers communicate table pacing clearly, kitchen communicates timing honestly. There's no kitchen-floor warfare here; people respect what each side needs.

Step 3: Paint a Picture of the Role

Give candidates a realistic preview of what running the pass actually involves — the intensity, the decisions, the pressure.

Your goal is to help them understand what their service will actually feel like.

Use this 4-part approach:

1. Describe what a typical service looks like

Walk candidates through the rhythm of the aboyeur's service.

Explain the pre-service preparation. What does the aboyeur do before service? Reviewing bookings and table allocation? Checking with sections on mise en place? Any briefing with FOH? How long before service starts do they arrive?

Describe the early service period. How does service build? What's the aboyeur doing when the first tables are seated? How does the pace increase as more tables come in?

Talk about peak service. What's the busiest period like? How many tables in play simultaneously? What's the intensity of coordination required? This is the core of the role — be vivid about what peak service demands.

Address how service winds down. How does the late service period feel? What happens after last orders? When is the aboyeur finished?

2. Explain what they'll actually do

Be specific about the aboyeur's responsibilities during service.

Describe the coordination role. Calling orders to sections, controlling timing ("three minutes on table 7"), keeping track of where every table is in their meal, ensuring courses land together. This is the core of the job.

Talk about quality control. Checking every plate before it goes out — presentation, temperature, accuracy. Deciding whether something needs to be remade. The aboyeur is the last line of defense for quality.

Address the decision-making. When to fire courses, how to pace a table that's lingering, what to do when a section falls behind, how to handle a remake without derailing other tables. The role involves constant micro-decisions.

Explain the communication demands. Verbal communication with sections, with FOH about table pacing, potentially with the head chef on significant issues. The aboyeur talks constantly throughout service.

Address any cooking or plating responsibilities. Does the aboyeur plate anything — garnishes, finishing touches? Or is the role purely coordination and quality control? Be clear about whether it involves hands-on cooking.

3. Describe the pressure honestly

The aboyeur role is inherently high-pressure. Be honest about what that means.

Acknowledge the intensity. During peak service, the aboyeur is the person responsible for keeping everything coordinated. Multiple tables, multiple stations, everything moving simultaneously. It's mentally demanding.

Talk about the stress of accountability. When something goes wrong — a delayed table, a quality issue, a service problem — the aboyeur is often the one accountable. The role requires accepting that responsibility.

Address how pressure manifests. Is it fast-paced decisions under time pressure? Managing interpersonal tension when sections are struggling? Dealing with FOH pressure for speed? Different kitchens have different pressure points.

Be honest about what it takes to handle it. Staying calm when everything is moving fast. Not panicking when problems arise. Maintaining clear communication when it would be easy to shout. The role requires a specific temperament.

4. Discuss the development value

For many candidates, this role is about developing toward senior kitchen positions.

Explain what the role teaches. Coordination and timing skills. Communication and leadership under pressure. Overview of how a kitchen works as a system rather than just a section. These are the skills that sous chefs and head chefs need.

Address progression paths. Have previous aboyeurs moved to sous chef? Is that path available in your kitchen? What would someone need to demonstrate to progress?

Example: Fine Dining Restaurant

During service, you're at the pass from first cover to last — typically 12pm-2:30pm for lunch, 6pm-10pm for dinner.

Pre-service, you review the booking sheet with FOH, check in with each section on their mise en place, and brief the team on any special requests or VIP tables. You need to understand the evening's shape before first ticket.

As tables are seated, you call orders to sections, giving appropriate lead time for each course. Tables arrive throughout service, so you're constantly tracking multiple parties at different stages — table 4 on course three, table 7 just sat, table 12 needs mains in two minutes.

At peak — around 8pm on a busy night — you might have twelve tables in play, each at different courses. You're calling fires, checking plates, coordinating timing, handling any delays or issues. It's constant decision-making: which table to prioritize when two need attention, when to push a section versus when to let them catch up, what to do about the table that's been on their main course for 45 minutes.

Every plate crosses the pass for your check. Presentation, portion, temperature — you're the last look before it goes to the guest. If something's not right, you decide whether it goes back. That authority is real, and so is the responsibility.

The pressure is genuine. You're accountable for the coordination of service. When a table's food is late, that's on you. When timing is off, that's on you. But if you thrive on that responsibility — on being the person in charge of making service work — it's deeply satisfying.

Step 4: Be Honest About What You Need

This section tells candidates what you're looking for. For aboyeur roles, this is primarily about communication skills, pressure handling, and the ability to coordinate.

Your goal is to help candidates assess whether they have the right temperament and skills for this role.

Use this 4-part approach:

1. Define essential requirements

Be clear about what someone needs to run your pass effectively.

Address kitchen experience requirements. Do they need to have worked as an aboyeur before, or will you develop someone from a CDP role? What level of kitchen experience is required to understand timing and coordination?

Clarify communication requirements. The role requires clear, confident verbal communication — the ability to project authority, to be heard and understood, to maintain clarity under pressure. Be specific about this requirement.

Talk about pressure-handling capabilities. The role requires staying calm and effective when service is at its most intense. This isn't something everyone can do. Be honest that you need someone who handles pressure well.

Address any specific experience needed. Multi-course menu experience? High-volume experience? Fine dining standards? What background prepares someone for your specific service?

2. Describe what personality and approach succeeds

Beyond experience, the aboyeur role requires specific characteristics.

Talk about communication style. Do you need someone commanding and authoritative? Someone calm and measured? Someone who can be firm without being aggressive? The right communication style varies by kitchen.

Address how they handle pressure. Not just that they can handle pressure, but how. Do they stay calm? Speed up effectively? Maintain clarity? What approach works in your kitchen?

Discuss leadership without ego. The aboyeur leads service but isn't the head chef. They need to be authoritative without overstepping, confident without arrogance. This balance is important.

Talk about relationship skills. The role requires managing relationships with sections, with FOH, potentially with the head chef during service. Someone who creates conflict rather than coordination won't succeed.

3. Be clear about flexibility

State where you're open to candidates who don't have traditional backgrounds.

Address experience flexibility. Will you consider a strong CDP stepping up to the pass? Someone with expediting experience from a different type of kitchen? Be clear about paths into the role.

Talk about training and development. What will you teach someone new to the role? How much support will they have in developing?

4. State deal-breakers

If certain things genuinely won't work for this role, be direct.

Communication is non-negotiable. Someone who can't project clear communication under pressure can't run a pass. Be honest about this.

Pressure handling is non-negotiable. If someone crumbles or becomes chaotic under pressure, the role won't work. This has to be acknowledged.

Example: Fine Dining Restaurant

Here's what we need:

Experience: You've worked in a professional kitchen at CDP level or above — you understand how sections work, you know timing, you've experienced busy service from inside the kitchen. Aboyeur experience is ideal, but we'll consider a strong CDP ready to step up to the pass.

Communication: You can project clear, authoritative communication that a brigade responds to. During busy service, you need to be heard over kitchen noise and understood immediately. You give instructions that are followed without repeated clarification.

Pressure handling: You stay calm and effective when service is at peak intensity — when there are twelve tables in play and three need attention now. You don't panic, you don't shout unnecessarily, you make decisions and keep things moving.

What we're looking for in a person: Someone who takes responsibility and ownership. When you're running the pass, it's your service — you're accountable for the coordination, the timing, the quality. Someone who can be authoritative without being aggressive. Someone who builds working relationships with sections and FOH, not conflicts.

What we're flexible on: Whether you've held the aboyeur title before. If you're a strong CDP who's covered the pass, shown you can coordinate service, and want to make this your primary role, we're interested.

What won't work: If you don't have clear, projecting communication — if your voice gets lost in a busy kitchen or your instructions are unclear — this role won't suit you. If pressure makes you chaotic rather than focused, you'll struggle. Be honest with yourself about whether you have these capabilities.

Step 5: Make the Offer Compelling

Position the aboyeur role as the genuine leadership opportunity it is, with appropriate compensation for the responsibility.

Your goal is to make them see this as a meaningful step in their career.

Use this 5-part approach:

1. Be transparent about compensation

State pay clearly. The role carries significant responsibility; compensation should reflect that.

Position the pay in context. Is it above CDP level, reflecting the coordination responsibility? Is there a path to higher pay as they develop in the role?

2. Detail the benefits

Standard benefits package. Staff meals, pension, holiday, any additional perks.

3. Address the development value

Position this role as genuine leadership development. The skills developed — coordination, communication, pressure management — are what senior kitchen roles require.

Explain progression paths. If this role leads to sous chef opportunities, say so. If previous aboyeurs have progressed, share that evidence.

4. Talk about the nature of the work

Acknowledge what makes the role satisfying. Running service successfully, being the person in charge of coordination, the satisfaction of a smoothly executed busy night.

Be honest about the intensity. The role is demanding. But for the right person, that demand is part of what makes it satisfying.

5. Differentiate where you can

What makes your pass role particularly good? Genuine authority? Excellent brigade? Clear progression path? Quality of service to coordinate?

Example: Fine Dining Restaurant

The package:

Pay: £35,000-£38,000 depending on experience — above CDP level, reflecting the leadership responsibility of the role.

Hours: 45 hours across five days. Split shifts on service days (10am-2:30pm, 5pm-10:30pm), with some straight-through days for prep or quieter services.

Benefits: Staff meal every shift. 28 days holiday plus bank holidays. 50% dining discount. Pension with 3% employer contribution.

Development: This is genuine leadership experience. You're running service, making decisions, coordinating a brigade — the exact skills that sous chef and head chef roles require. Our last aboyeur is now sous chef at a rosette restaurant in Manchester; the one before that is running their own kitchen.

Why this role: The satisfaction of running a tight service, of being the person responsible for making it all work. The pressure is real, and so is the reward of handling it well. If you want to develop genuine leadership skills in a kitchen that gives you real authority, this is the opportunity.

Step 6: Tell Them How to Apply

Clear, direct call to action.

Your goal is to make applying straightforward.

Keep it simple. CV and message about their experience and interest. A conversation first to assess communication skills is important for this role.

Explain the process. For aboyeur roles, a working trial is usually essential — you need to see how someone handles real service.

Provide a direct contact.

Example: Fine Dining Restaurant

If this sounds like the right role, get in touch.

Send your CV and a brief message about your kitchen experience to sarah@restaurant.com. I'm the head chef — I'll read it personally.

What happens next: A phone conversation first — I want to hear how you communicate and understand your background. If that goes well, we'll arrange a trial during a busy service so you can see the pass in action and I can see how you handle the coordination and pressure.

We're looking to have someone in place within the month. If you're ready for genuine pass responsibility, don't wait.