Ascend: How to Earn a Promotion In a Restaurant Kitchen (or Anywhere)

The culinary profession needs strong leaders. With an ever-growing demand for restaurants and food service businesses, the next generation of chefs must be better than its predecessors, carrying the torch of professionalism and high standards forward for a more sustainable career and life.

Almost everyone wants a promotion—for a higher salary, better benefits, and more say in the decisions that shape the day. But it’s crucial to understand that each level comes with its own challenges and core responsibilities. As you rise through the ranks, your impact on the people around you grows exponentially.

What does this mean? It's the great paradox of leadership: the higher you rise, the more important your role becomes, and the less it is about you.

Whether you're a cook who wants to be a sous chef, a sous chef aiming for the top spot, or you want to run a restaurant group, earning a promotion isn't a lucky accident. It’s a deliberate process with tangible steps.

Restaurants and food service businesses critically need leaders who can perform at the highest level. That kind of trust is earned through practical knowledge, consistent dedication, and the work you do when nobody is watching.

Here are ten principles to shift your mindset from simply being a cook to becoming a leader who is ready for the next step.

The 10 Principles to ascend the ladder

1. Do the Work and Learn the Job Before You’re Paid For It. Don't wait to be asked. If you want to be a sous chef, start thinking like one now. Ask to see the inventory sheets. Offer to help place the daily produce order. Pay attention to how your chef handles scheduling and manages food costs. When you actively seek out the responsibilities of the next role, you are not just learning; you are auditioning for it every single day.

2. Don’t Complain. Find and Focus on Solutions. The kitchen is a high-pressure environment; complaints are easy, but solutions are valuable. Instead of saying, "We're always running out of this," try asking, "Chef, I've noticed we're getting low on this prep. Can I get an extra case added to the order to create a buffer?" A problem-solver is a leader. A complainer is just another voice in the noise.

3. Support Your Teammates, Your Bosses, and the Business. Be the person everyone can count on, especially when the chips are down. When service gets intense, be the reliable, clutch player who communicates clearly and helps pull others from the weeds. Support your chef's decisions, even if you don't fully understand them at the moment. A unified team that trusts its leadership is unstoppable.

4. When You Learn a Standard, Keep the Standard. Consistency is the foundation of trust in a kitchen. If the standard is a quarter-inch dice, every dice should be a quarter-inch. If a sauce is made a certain way, it must always be made that way. This is how excellence is built. As the great Maya Angelou said:

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Raising your personal standard is the first step to raising the entire kitchen's standard.

5. Leverage Humility: Learn the Difference Between Confidence and Arrogance. Confidence is earned practical knowledge over a period of time, through failure to success, and then understanding the cause and effect of actions to results. It’s knowing you can do the job well and trusting in your developed skills. Arrogance is believing you have nothing left to learn. Confidence inspires your team; arrogance alienates it. Be proud of your work, but remain open to feedback, new techniques, and the idea that even the newest dishwasher might have something to teach you.

6. Find Your Weak Spots and Actively Improve Them. You must continue to drive your own education forward as a self-starter. This is a superpower. Are you fast on the grill but slow with your knife work? Is your palate strong but your understanding of food cost weak? Don't hide from your weaknesses—attack them. Ask your chef for guidance, watch videos, read books, and practice on your own time. Turning a weakness into a strength is one of the most visible signs of growth.

7. Maximize Your Strengths and Lean Into Them. While you work on your weaknesses, don't forget to double down on what you're already great at. If you have a natural talent for organization, help organize the walk-in. If you have a great palate, ask to offer constructive thoughts on improving flavor profiles of dishes. Becoming the "go-to" person for a specific skill makes you an invaluable asset to the team.

8. Plan for Learning Curves and Challenges. When you make it to a new level, you probably won’t be very good at it when you start. That’s ok. Just make sure you don’t stay that way. The higher the level, the smaller your grace period. Every new role, task, or responsibility comes with a learning curve. Don't get discouraged when you make a mistake on your first inventory count or feel awkward leading your first pre-service meeting. Anticipate that it will be challenging, give yourself grace, and focus on improving each day. Personal resilience and awareness of macro-priorities are more important than immediate perfection.

9. Remove Your Emotion from Feedback. Receiving constructive feedback is not a personal attack; it is a gift. The chef who takes the time to correct you is invested in your growth. Learn to listen, say "Yes, Chef," and implement the feedback immediately. Similarly, when you have to give feedback to others, keep it professional, specific, and focused on the work, not the person.

10. Learn to Communicate Exceptionally Well. Clear, professional communication is a non-negotiable leadership skill. This applies to calling out orders on the line, listening during meetings, and especially in written form. Learn to write clear, concise, and professional emails. The way you communicate is a direct reflection of your ability to lead, and the way you write shows people how you think. So be committed to being the best you can be, all the time.

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, earning a promotion requires you to understand the true function of a leader. As a chef or sous chef, you are the critical link between the business's financial health and the team that drives it.

You directly impact the profit and loss statement (P&L). You manage the team and shape the culture that determines the daily outcomes. And most importantly, you own and manage the systems—from ordering and inventory to training and execution—that can change financial results by costly percentage points, separating a thriving restaurant from one that struggles.

Start embracing these principles today, and you won't need to ask for a promotion—you will have already earned it.