What It Really Takes to Rise in a Restaurant Career

Moving Up: How I Went from Dishwasher to Kitchen Manager

The real story of climbing the restaurant ladder (and what nobody tells you about getting promoted)

When I started washing dishes at a neighborhood bistro seven years ago, I wasn't thinking about career advancement. I needed a job that would work around my community college schedule, and dishwashing paid a decent amount for an hour with flexible shifts. I figured I'd do it for a semester, maybe two.

Seven years later, I'm the kitchen manager at the same restaurant, overseeing a team of fifteen people and earning more than I ever thought possible without a four-year degree. But getting here wasn't some fairy tale success story – it was a combination of hard work, good timing, smart decisions, and honestly, a few lucky breaks.

The Accidental Start of My Career

I didn't plan to stay in restaurants. But about three months into the dishwashing job, something unexpected happened. One of our prep cooks called in sick on a Saturday morning, and our sous chef, Marcus, was in a bind. He'd seen me show up early every shift, stay late when needed, and keep the dish pit running smoothly even during the dinner rush.

"You ever use a knife before?" he asked me during the pre-shift meeting.

"Uh, yeah, at home," I said, not sure where this was going.

"Good enough. Come in tomorrow at 8 AM. I'll teach you prep."

That's how I got my first kitchen promotion – not by asking for it, but by being reliable enough that someone noticed. Marcus spent that Sunday morning teaching me how to properly dice onions, break down chickens, and prep vegetables for the week. By the end of the shift, he offered me a permanent prep cook position at good hourly pay rate.

What Actually Gets You Promoted

Here's what I learned about moving up in restaurants: promotions rarely happen because you ask for them. They happen because you've already been doing the next job before anyone officially gave it to you.

As a prep cook, I started paying attention to what the line cooks were doing. During slow periods, I'd watch them work their stations. I asked questions. When someone called out sick, I volunteered to help on the line, even though I was terrified of messing up during service.

After about eight months, when one of our line cooks left for another job, Marcus didn't post the position. He just asked me if I wanted it. I'd already proven I could do it.

The Skills Nobody Talks About

Technical skills matter – you need to know how to cook, how to prep, how to manage inventory. But the skills that actually got me promoted had nothing to do with cooking.

I learned to anticipate problems before they happened. When I noticed we were running low on a key ingredient, I'd tell Marcus before we ran out. When I saw the walk-in cooler door wasn't sealing properly, I reported it immediately. This kind of awareness is what separates people who stay in entry-level positions from people who move up.

I made other people's jobs easier. As a line cook, I'd help the dishwasher when I had downtime. I'd prep extra mise in place for the next shift. I'd stay late to help close even when it wasn't required. Management notices when you're a team player.

I kept my mouth shut and my ears open. Restaurants are full of drama and gossip. I learned early that the people who get promoted are the ones who stay out of the drama. When coworkers complained about management, I listened but didn't participate. When there was conflict, I focused on solutions instead of taking sides.

The Big Break (And How I Almost Blew It)

After two years as a line cook, Marcus got promoted to head chef. The sous chef position opened up, and I thought for sure it would go to Jake, who'd been there longer than me. But Marcus pulled me aside one day after service.

"I'm recommending you for sous chef," he said. "But I need to know you're serious about this."

I was shocked. And honestly, I was scared. Sous chef meant more responsibility, longer hours, and managing people who used to be my peers. I almost said no.

"What made you pick me?" I asked him.

"Because you give a damn," he said simply. "Jake's a great cook, but you care about the whole operation, not just your station. That's what management is."

I took the job, and those first three months were brutal. I had to learn scheduling, inventory management, and food costing. I had to have difficult conversations with people I'd been joking around with the week before. I made mistakes – lots of them. But Marcus was patient, and I was determined to prove I deserved the opportunity.

The Reality of Restaurant Management

Here's what they don't tell you about moving into management: the higher you go, the less you actually cook. As sous chef, I spent more time on spreadsheets than I did on the line. I dealt with vendor orders, employee schedules, and health department regulations. Some days I missed just being a line cook with a clear station and straightforward tasks.

But I also got to train new cooks, develop menu items, and have real input into how the kitchen operated. When Marcus left to open his own place two years ago, I was ready to step into the kitchen manager role.

My Advice for Anyone Who Wants to Move Up

Start where you are. You don't need to have a plan to become a chef or manager on day one. Just focus on being excellent at your current job. Opportunities come to people who are reliable and competent.

Find a mentor. Marcus changed my career trajectory because he saw potential in me and invested time in teaching me. Look for someone in your restaurant who seems to have their act together and learn from them.

Learn the business side. If you want to move into management, you need to understand food costs, labor percentages, and profit margins. Ask your managers to teach you. Read books. Take online courses. The technical cooking skills will only get you so far.

Be patient but persistent. It took me five years to go from dishwasher to sous chef. That's actually pretty fast in this industry. Some people spend ten years or more working their way up. But if you're consistently improving and making yourself valuable, the opportunities will come.

Know when to move on. Sometimes the best way to move up is to move out. If your restaurant doesn't have room for advancement, look for opportunities elsewhere. But don't job-hop too frequently – restaurants want to see that you can commit to a place.

Was It Worth It?

I'm not going to lie – management is stressful. I work 50-60 hours a week. I deal with employee drama, vendor issues, and the constant pressure of food costs and labor budgets. There are days when I miss the simplicity of just cooking.

But I also make more than double what I earned as a dishwasher. I have real influence over how our kitchen operates. I get to mentor young cooks the way Marcus mentored me. And I've built a career in an industry I genuinely love, without taking on student loan debt or spending years in culinary school.

The restaurant industry gets a bad rap sometimes, but it's one of the few fields where you can genuinely start at the bottom and work your way up based on merit. Your

background doesn't matter. Your degree doesn't matter. What matters is whether you show up, work hard, and continuously improve.

I started as a dishwasher because I needed a flexible job during college. I stayed because I found something I was good at and people who believed in me. Seven years later, I'm running a kitchen and building a career I'm proud of.

If you're starting out in a restaurant right now, wondering if there's a future in this work – there is. But you have to want it, and you have to be willing to put in the time. The ladder is there. You just have to start climbing.