How to Use the Executive Chef Onboarding Template

Why structured executive chef onboarding matters

Hiring an executive chef is one of the highest-stakes decisions a hospitality business makes. The role spans culinary vision, financial management, team leadership, and brand stewardship — and the cost of getting the transition wrong is enormous. A poorly onboarded executive chef can destabilise an entire kitchen brigade, blow through food cost budgets, and damage the guest experience before they've even found their feet.

Yet many operators treat executive chef onboarding as little more than a handshake and a set of keys. They assume that someone at this level already knows what to do. That may be true of cooking, but every operation has its own financial framework, team dynamics, supplier relationships, and brand standards. A structured five-day programme gives your new executive chef the context they need to make the right decisions from the start rather than spending months working it out through trial and error.

This template breaks the first week into daily themes that build on each other — from understanding the business on Day 1 through to developing a 90-day strategic plan on Day 5. Each day includes assessment questions and success indicators, giving both you and your new executive chef a shared understanding of what progress looks like.

Day 1: Operational Overview and Team Introduction

The first day grounds your executive chef in the business. Before they touch a menu or reorganise a kitchen, they need to understand the financial picture, meet the people they'll be working with, and see how the culinary programme fits within the wider brand.

Operational Overview and Business Context

Why this matters: An executive chef who doesn't understand the P&L, customer demographics, and business goals will make decisions in a vacuum. Getting this context right on day one means every culinary decision that follows is grounded in commercial reality.

How to deliver this training:

• Walk through the full P&L together, explaining how kitchen operations affect each line item — not just food cost, but labour, utilities, and waste
• Share real covers data from the last 12 months so they can see seasonal patterns, peak periods, and quiet spells
• Be candid about current challenges — if food costs are running high or guest feedback has flagged quality issues, say so
• Tour every area they'll be responsible for, including storage, receiving, and any satellite kitchens

Customisation tips:

• Hotel operations should include room service, banqueting, and staff dining in the tour — each has different cost structures and expectations
• Multi-outlet operations need to clarify which kitchens the executive chef has direct oversight of versus advisory responsibility

Key Stakeholder Introductions

Why this matters: Executive chefs succeed or fail based on relationships as much as culinary skill. Early introductions with sous chefs, front-of-house management, suppliers, and the executive team set the tone for collaboration.

How to deliver this training:

• Schedule one-to-one time with each sous chef before any group meeting — this shows respect and gives the executive chef private insight into the team
• Arrange a formal sit-down with the GM and finance director to clarify reporting lines, budget authority, and decision-making boundaries
• Introduce key supplier account managers by phone or in person — these relationships directly affect product quality and pricing
• Give the front-of-house management team time to explain their service standards and pain points

Customisation tips:

• In a hotel, include the events team, revenue manager, and rooms division — the executive chef's decisions affect all of these departments
• Smaller independent restaurants might combine several stakeholder meetings into an informal lunch or walkthrough

Understanding Culinary Vision and Brand Alignment

Why this matters: Every executive chef brings their own culinary identity, but they need to understand where their creative freedom sits within the existing brand. Getting this alignment right early prevents expensive misfires on menus and marketing.

How to deliver this training:

• Share the brand guidelines document if you have one, or walk through the visual and tonal identity of the operation
• Discuss the target customer in detail — what they expect, what they'll pay, and what competitors are offering
• Be explicit about where the executive chef has full creative control and where they need sign-off
• Review past menu successes and failures to illustrate what works within this brand

Customisation tips:

• Fine dining operations may want to discuss the chef's public profile and media expectations at this stage
• Casual dining and high-volume operations should focus on how the brand promise translates to consistency at scale

Administrative Systems Introduction

Why this matters: Even the most talented chef needs to navigate the systems that underpin daily operations. Familiarity with ordering platforms, scheduling tools, recipe management software, and HACCP documentation prevents bottlenecks during the first few weeks.

How to deliver this training:

• Provide login credentials and walk through each system with a hands-on demonstration
• Show how the current team uses these systems day-to-day, including any workarounds or known issues
• Explain which reports are expected and when — weekly food cost reports, monthly P&L commentary, labour variance tracking
• Introduce the HACCP documentation and explain the executive chef's responsibility for maintaining it

Customisation tips:

• If your operation uses a specific platform like Pilla for work management, schedule a dedicated training session
• Operations transitioning between systems should flag this to the new chef and involve them in the decision

Assessment Questions

Use these questions to check understanding at the end of Day 1. Have a conversation rather than a formal interrogation — you're looking for evidence that your new executive chef has absorbed the business context and started building relationships.

How to use these questions effectively:

• Ask over a coffee at the end of the day, not in a meeting room
• Look for the quality of their questions back to you — a strong executive chef will be probing deeper, not just confirming what they've been told
• Note any areas where they seem uncertain and plan to revisit them on Day 2

Success Indicators

By the end of Day 1, your new executive chef should be demonstrating these behaviours. If any are missing, revisit the relevant training section before moving to Day 2.

Day 1 Notes

Record observations about how Day 1 went — first impressions of their approach, how they interacted with the team, and any early concerns or positive signs.

Day 2: Menu Development and Food Cost Management

Day 2 shifts focus to the commercial engine of the kitchen. Menu engineering, food cost control, purchasing strategy, and waste management are where an executive chef's decisions have the biggest financial impact.

Menu Analysis and Development Strategy

Why this matters: The menu is simultaneously a creative document and a financial tool. An executive chef who can analyse a menu through both lenses — popularity, profitability, production complexity, and brand fit — will make better decisions about what stays, what goes, and what gets developed next.

How to deliver this training:

• Pull the last three months of sales mix data and sit down with it together — let the executive chef draw their own conclusions before you share yours
• Walk through the menu engineering matrix (stars, ploughhorses, puzzles, dogs) using your actual data
• Discuss the seasonal calendar and lead times for menu changes, including marketing coordination
• If there are sacred cows on the menu — dishes that stay regardless of data — be upfront about why

Customisation tips:

• Hotel operations with multiple outlets need separate analysis per outlet, as a bar menu and a fine dining menu have entirely different engineering dynamics
• Seasonal operations should weight analysis towards peak-season data rather than annual averages

Food Cost Management Systems

Why this matters: Food cost is the single biggest variable cost in most kitchen operations. An executive chef who masters cost control protects margins without sacrificing quality — and one who doesn't can erode profitability within weeks.

How to deliver this training:

• Share current and target food cost percentages broken down by menu category and meal period
• Demonstrate your recipe costing tools and walk through how standard recipes are formatted, costed, and maintained
• Explain yield testing protocols — how often they're done, who does them, and how results feed back into recipe costings
• Walk through a recent inventory report together, explaining the counting process, valuation method, and variance analysis

Customisation tips:

• Operations with central production kitchens need to explain transfer pricing and inter-kitchen cost allocation
• If food costs vary significantly between outlets or meal periods, highlight this and discuss the reasons

Purchasing and Supplier Management

Why this matters: The executive chef's purchasing decisions affect quality, cost, and supplier relationships. Understanding the approved supplier list, ordering protocols, and negotiation expectations from day one prevents maverick spending and maintains product consistency.

How to deliver this training:

• Walk through the approved supplier list and explain the rationale for each — quality, price, reliability, or exclusivity
• Explain ordering schedules and emergency procedures for when a delivery fails or a supplier can't fulfil an order
• Discuss product specifications in detail — what grade of beef, what size of prawn, what brand of butter — and why they matter
• If the executive chef has authority to negotiate pricing or switch suppliers, clarify the approval process

Customisation tips:

• Operations with a central purchasing function should explain the relationship between the executive chef and the procurement team
• Smaller independents may give the executive chef full purchasing autonomy — make the budget boundaries explicit

Waste Management and Sustainability Practices

Why this matters: Waste is money leaving the building. An executive chef who connects waste tracking to cost control — and embeds sustainability into daily operations — reduces costs while building a more responsible kitchen.

How to deliver this training:

• Share current waste data if you have it, or acknowledge that this is an area for development
• Walk through repurposing strategies already in place — trim utilisation, staff meals, daily specials from excess production
• Discuss any sustainability commitments the business has made and how the kitchen supports them
• Explain the cost-benefit analysis of sustainability practices — composting, local sourcing, packaging reduction — so the chef can make informed decisions

Customisation tips:

• Operations with strong sustainability branding need to connect kitchen waste practices to the customer-facing message
• High-volume operations should focus on production planning and batch management as the primary waste reduction strategy

Assessment Questions

Check these at the end of Day 2. By now your executive chef should be engaging with the financial side of the role with the same confidence they bring to the culinary side.

How to use these questions effectively:

• Ask them to walk you through a dish they'd consider changing based on the data they've seen — this reveals whether they're connecting menu engineering concepts to practical decisions
• Probe their thinking on cost control: what's the first thing they'd investigate if food costs spiked by two percentage points?
• Note whether they're asking about systems and data, or relying purely on instinct

Success Indicators

By the end of Day 2, your executive chef should be thinking commercially about menu decisions and engaging critically with cost data. If they're still in purely creative mode, revisit the financial framework.

Day 2 Notes

Record how your executive chef engaged with the commercial side of the role — their comfort level with data, their appetite for cost control, and any early ideas they've shared.

Day 3: Team Leadership and Kitchen Management

Day 3 focuses on people. An executive chef's ability to assess talent, manage labour costs, communicate clearly, and standardise operations determines whether the team performs consistently or lurches from crisis to crisis.

Team Assessment and Development

Why this matters: The executive chef inherits a team with existing skills, relationships, and expectations. A thorough assessment on Day 3 — after two days of observation — gives them a foundation for making informed decisions about training, development, and, where necessary, restructuring.

How to deliver this training:

• Share the current team structure, including each person's tenure, strengths, development needs, and any formal performance records
• Walk through the performance management system — review cycles, documentation requirements, and how development plans are tracked
• Discuss existing training programmes and certifications, highlighting any gaps or expiring qualifications
• Talk through succession planning for key positions — who's ready to step up, who needs more development, and where external recruitment might be needed

Customisation tips:

• Hotel operations with multiple kitchens should clarify how team development responsibilities are shared between the executive chef and individual kitchen leaders
• Smaller operations might combine this with a practical working session where the chef can observe the team during prep or service

Labour Management and Scheduling

Why this matters: Labour is typically the second-largest kitchen cost after food. An executive chef who manages scheduling effectively balances service quality, team wellbeing, and budget compliance — getting it wrong in any direction creates problems.

How to deliver this training:

• Share labour cost targets as a percentage of revenue and demonstrate how they're tracked week to week
• Walk through the scheduling system together, including how forecasting informs staffing levels
• Explain productivity metrics and how they're measured — covers per labour hour, or whatever your operation uses
• Discuss overtime management: approval processes, common causes, and strategies for reduction

Customisation tips:

• Operations with split shifts or seasonal fluctuations should walk through the specific scheduling challenges and how previous chefs have handled them
• If your operation uses agency staff, explain the triggers for using them and the cost implications

Kitchen Communication and Meeting Structure

Why this matters: Clear, consistent communication prevents misunderstandings, reduces errors during service, and builds trust within the team. The executive chef sets the standard for how information flows through the kitchen.

How to deliver this training:

• Share the existing meeting schedule — pre-shift briefings, weekly team meetings, management catch-ups — and explain what each one covers
• Discuss documentation standards: how menu changes are communicated, how allergen information is shared, how service issues are escalated
• Walk through feedback and conflict resolution protocols — how the kitchen handles performance conversations, complaints between team members, and cross-departmental friction
• Let the executive chef know where they have freedom to change these structures and where consistency with the wider business is expected

Customisation tips:

• Multi-site operations need to explain how kitchen communication connects to head office or regional management
• Kitchens with multilingual teams should discuss communication aids and translation approaches

Standard Operating Procedures and Recipe Management

Why this matters: SOPs are what keep a kitchen running consistently when the executive chef isn't on the pass. Strong documentation means the team can maintain standards independently, which is particularly important for an executive chef who manages strategically rather than cooking every service.

How to deliver this training:

• Show the current SOP library — its format, accessibility, and how often it's updated
• Discuss recipe standardisation: how new recipes are documented, tested, costed, and rolled out to the team
• Explain training documentation requirements and who's responsible for keeping records current
• Talk about quality assurance mechanisms — how you check that SOPs are being followed, not just written

Customisation tips:

• Operations using digital recipe management should schedule hands-on system training
• If SOPs are outdated or incomplete, be honest about it — the executive chef may see this as a priority project

Assessment Questions

Day 3 covers leadership and management skills that are harder to assess in a single conversation. Use these questions to understand how the executive chef thinks about people and systems.

How to use these questions effectively:

• Ask scenario-based questions: "Your best sous chef hands in their notice — what's your first move?"
• Look for a balance between empathy and accountability — strong executive chefs care about their people and hold them to high standards
• Note whether they're already forming views on team development priorities

Success Indicators

By the end of Day 3, your executive chef should be building rapport with the team while showing clear thinking about how to lead and develop them. If they're keeping their distance or avoiding management conversations, address it now.

Day 3 Notes

Record observations about leadership style, team interactions, and the executive chef's approach to management systems.

Day 4: Quality Control and Culinary Standards

Day 4 is about the standards that define the kitchen's output. Quality, food safety, consistency, and innovation — these are the areas where the executive chef's expertise should shine, and where the template gives them a framework to build on.

Quality Standards and Specification Development

Why this matters: Consistent quality is what brings guests back. An executive chef who can articulate clear standards, document them properly, and verify them systematically creates a kitchen that delivers the same experience whether they're on the pass or not.

How to deliver this training:

• Review existing product specifications together — ingredient quality benchmarks, plating guides, photo documentation, and garnish standards
• Demonstrate the tasting protocol: how, when, and by whom dishes are tasted before service
• Walk through the quality scoring system if you have one, or discuss how guest feedback is collected and acted upon
• Discuss what happens when quality drops: who notices, who escalates, and what corrective actions are expected

Customisation tips:

• Fine dining operations will spend more time on presentation standards and tasting protocols
• High-volume operations should focus on consistency systems that work at scale — visual references at stations, pass checks, and temperature monitoring

Food Safety and Compliance Management

Why this matters: The executive chef is ultimately accountable for food safety. A thorough understanding of your HACCP system, inspection history, allergen controls, and crisis management procedures protects both guests and the business.

How to deliver this training:

• Walk through the HACCP plan together, explaining each critical control point and the documentation that supports it
• Share recent inspection reports and any corrective actions that were required
• Review the allergen management system in detail — how allergens are identified, communicated, controlled during prep, and verified at the pass
• Discuss crisis management: what happens if there's a foodborne illness allegation, a product recall, or a serious contamination incident

Customisation tips:

• Operations with complex allergen requirements (schools, care homes, airlines) need more detailed allergen management training
• If your kitchen has recently changed its HACCP provider or food safety management system, explain the transition

Consistency Management Across Service Periods

Why this matters: A kitchen that delivers differently at lunch versus dinner, or on Tuesday versus Saturday, has a consistency problem. The executive chef needs systems that maintain standards regardless of which team is working or how busy the service gets.

How to deliver this training:

• Walk through existing handover protocols between shifts and explain what information passes between teams
• Discuss documentation requirements for shift-to-shift communication — prep completion, quality issues, stock levels, and guest requirements
• Explain how quality is verified across different meal periods — who checks, what gets checked, and how issues are escalated
• Talk about the specific challenges your operation faces with consistency — it might be weekend agency staff, or a breakfast team that rarely interacts with the dinner brigade

Customisation tips:

• 24-hour hotel operations need detailed protocols for overnight kitchen handover
• Operations with different menus at different meal periods should discuss how quality standards adapt for each service

Innovation and Menu Development Processes

Why this matters: Executive chefs are expected to innovate, but innovation needs structure. A clear process for developing, testing, costing, and rolling out new dishes prevents wasted ingredients, confused teams, and menu items that don't work commercially.

How to deliver this training:

• Explain how R&D time is allocated — is there a dedicated slot, or does it happen around service?
• Walk through the testing and approval process: who tastes new dishes, who signs off on costings, and who decides when a dish goes live?
• Discuss the operational feasibility assessment — a brilliant dish that takes 45 minutes to plate during a 200-cover service isn't going to work
• Explain training requirements for menu changes: how new dishes are taught, how long the team gets to practise, and who verifies they can execute

Customisation tips:

• Operations with a strong innovation culture might give the executive chef a monthly R&D budget and dedicated development kitchen time
• More conservative operations should clarify the pace and scale of menu change they expect

Assessment Questions

Day 4 covers the executive chef's core technical territory. Use these questions to check that they're engaging with quality and compliance as systems, not just as personal standards.

How to use these questions effectively:

• Ask them to walk you through how they'd investigate a quality complaint from a guest
• Probe their thinking on food safety: what's the difference between a kitchen that's compliant and one that's genuinely safe?
• Look for evidence of systematic thinking, not just culinary instinct

Success Indicators

By the end of Day 4, your executive chef should be showing a strong grasp of quality systems, compliance requirements, and how to maintain standards at scale. If they're dismissive of documentation or relying entirely on their own palate, that's a conversation to have now.

Day 4 Notes

Record how the executive chef engaged with quality and compliance topics. Note whether they're thinking systemically or individually, and any early ideas they've shared for improvements.

Day 5: Business Integration and Strategic Planning

The final day brings everything together. Your executive chef has spent four days absorbing context — now it's time to translate that understanding into a strategic plan that connects kitchen operations to business objectives.

Financial Performance and Budgeting

Why this matters: Executive chefs carry significant financial responsibility. Understanding budgets, forecasting, capital expenditure processes, and reporting requirements means they can plan and invest wisely rather than reacting to problems after the fact.

How to deliver this training:

• Walk through the current budget in detail, including variance reports and forecasting methods
• Discuss the key profit levers the executive chef can influence — food cost, labour efficiency, waste reduction, and menu engineering
• Explain the capital expenditure process: how to make a case for new equipment, what ROI calculations are expected, and who approves spend
• Clarify reporting requirements and deadlines — what the executive team needs to see, how often, and in what format

Customisation tips:

• Hotel operations should explain how kitchen budgets interact with other department budgets and the overall hotel P&L
• Owner-operated restaurants may have a more informal financial process — clarify expectations clearly

Marketing and Guest Experience Integration

Why this matters: The executive chef's work is a marketing asset. Understanding how to coordinate with the marketing team, contribute to social media, respond to guest feedback, and plan for special events makes the kitchen a driver of business growth rather than just a production unit.

How to deliver this training:

• Share the marketing calendar and explain how culinary operations support promotions, seasonal campaigns, and events
• Discuss social media expectations: is the executive chef expected to feature in content, create dishes for photography, or engage directly on platforms?
• Walk through the guest feedback system — how reviews are monitored, who responds, and how feedback triggers kitchen changes
• Review the approach to special events, including custom menus, staffing implications, and profitability targets

Customisation tips:

• Operations with a strong public chef brand should discuss media training and PR expectations
• Quieter, consistency-focused operations should emphasise guest experience management over external marketing

Strategic Planning and Goal Setting

Why this matters: An executive chef without a strategic plan is managing day by day. Setting annual goals, defining KPIs, and building accountability systems means the kitchen contributes to the business's long-term direction rather than just keeping the lights on.

How to deliver this training:

• Explain the annual planning process and the executive chef's role within it
• Walk through the key performance indicators they'll be measured against — financial targets, quality scores, team retention, guest satisfaction
• Discuss action planning frameworks: how priorities are identified, resourced, implemented, and reviewed
• Clarify accountability systems and how progress is reported to the executive team

Customisation tips:

• Corporate operations with structured planning cycles should provide the calendar and templates
• Independent operations may need the executive chef to build these systems from scratch — frame this as an opportunity, not a gap

Performance Expectations and Ongoing Development

Why this matters: Even at executive level, clear performance expectations and development support matter. The executive chef needs to know how they'll be evaluated, what professional development looks like, and how the business supports their continued growth.

How to deliver this training:

• Share the performance evaluation criteria and schedule — what's measured, when reviews happen, and who's involved
• Discuss professional development resources: industry events, training budgets, study visits, and professional memberships
• Explain expectations around networking and industry engagement — conferences, supplier events, and professional associations
• Clarify mentoring and coaching availability, whether internal or external

Customisation tips:

• Groups with structured leadership development programmes should introduce these on Day 5
• Smaller operations can discuss informal development opportunities: supplier visits, collaboration with other chefs, and industry events

90-Day Action Planning

Why this matters: This is where the onboarding week translates into a working plan. The 90-day action plan gives the executive chef clear priorities and the business clear expectations for what the first three months will deliver.

How to deliver this training:

• Work through the plan collaboratively — the executive chef has had four days of context and should be driving the conversation by now
• Push for specificity: not "improve food costs" but "reduce food cost to 28% by end of month two through yield testing and portion audit"
• Agree on 30-day quick wins, 60-day system improvements, and 90-day strategic projects
• Identify resource requirements and support needs, and confirm what the business will provide

Customisation tips:

• New openings or turnaround situations will have more aggressive 30-day targets
• Stable operations may focus the 90-day plan more on innovation and team development than immediate fixes

Assessment Questions

These final assessment questions check whether your executive chef is ready to operate independently as a senior leader, not just as a skilled cook.

How to use these questions effectively:

• Ask them to present their 90-day plan and defend their priorities — this reveals strategic thinking
• Probe the connection between financial targets and culinary decisions
• Be honest about any gaps you've observed during the week and agree a plan for continued support

Success Indicators

These are the markers of an executive chef who's ready to lead independently. If all are present, your onboarding has set a strong foundation. If any are missing, extend the supported transition period.

Day 5 Notes

Record your final assessment of the onboarding period. Note strengths, development areas, and any agreed next steps for continued support.

Making the most of this template

Five days is a concentrated programme, and some executive chefs will need longer to absorb the full scope of the role — particularly if they're stepping into a complex multi-outlet operation or a turnaround situation. Adjust the pace to match the complexity, even if that means spreading the content across two weeks.

Use the notes sections at the end of each day to build a record of your executive chef's onboarding. These notes are valuable for the 30-day review, for identifying patterns in how senior hires settle in, and for demonstrating due diligence if performance issues arise later.

The assessment questions and success indicators create a shared language for progress. They're not a pass-fail test — they're a framework for honest conversation about what's going well and what needs more attention. The strongest onboarding programmes use these as the starting point for an ongoing dialogue, not the end of it.

Consider pairing your new executive chef with a peer mentor — another senior leader in the business, or an executive chef at a sister property — who can offer perspective during the first 90 days. The best transitions happen when the incoming chef has someone to pressure-test their ideas with before committing to action.