How To Become A Kitchen Steward: What It Is and Career Path

What is a kitchen steward and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Kitchen stewards make sure that a kitchen is meeting cleanliness and safety standards. If a kitchen is not clean, it could make guests sick and get shut down by government inspectors, so the kitchen steward's job is vital in making sure that a restaurant runs smoothly.

The kitchen steward takes care of administrative duties involved with maintaining a kitchen, such as drawing up a cleaning schedule, helping with the receiving process, and making sure that everybody knows the safety standards they have to follow. The kitchen steward is not afraid to get their hands dirty and clean kitchen equipment, polish silverware, and remove waste themselves.

Although some kitchen stewards have bachelor's degrees, a diploma is not necessary at all for this position. Practical experience working as a cook or other restaurant position, where a steward had the opportunity to learn all about safety standards and running a kitchen, is more important than a formal diploma. The job of a kitchen steward is one of the more lucrative ones in food service, with an average annual salary of $56,258.

ScoreKitchen StewardUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,598

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

Growth Rate 14%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.49%

Asian 9.36%

Black or African American 10.84%

Hispanic or Latino 25.12%

Unknown 4.93%

White 49.26%

Gender

female 21.03%

male 78.97%

Age - 30

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 30

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Key steps to become a kitchen steward

Explore kitchen steward education requirements

Most common kitchen steward degrees

High School Diploma

44.6 %

Bachelor's

20.1 %

Associate

16.2 %

Start to develop specific kitchen steward skills

Skills	Percentages
Cleanliness	21.38%
Kitchen Equipment	10.78%
Safety Procedures	10.41%
Culinary	7.66%
Safety Regulations	5.17%

Research kitchen steward duties and responsibilities

Clean stoves, ovens, grills, refrigerators, and using cleaning solutions, brushes and wash cloths.
Inspect kitchen equipment for cleanliness and order improvement of efficiency.
Restock supplies for servers and cooks.
Replenish mini-bars and restock VIP guests' amenities.

Prepare your kitchen steward resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your kitchen steward resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a kitchen steward resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Kitchen Steward Resume templates

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Apply for kitchen steward jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a kitchen steward job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams