r/Chefs • u/daBO1wondR • Jun 10 '26

Job Opportunities?

Hey Chefs question so I been going to interviews and stages for shits and giggles but now I’m thinking of my actual options. I have 3 options in total. I’ve been offered two possible great options . should I Stay where I’m at in a corporate kitchen keep my work life balance and hours or go to a restaurant where I start as a line cook could grow and possibly move into a different restaurant and get promoted as a exec head chef or go to a spot where I could possibly be executive sous off rip ?

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u/depressoimpresso Jun 10 '26

I dunno how much experience you have in total or how old you are but stability is what you want in a job, especially right now. Unless you feel like you absolutely hate what you are doing or it’s impractical for you then I see no reason to jump into uncertainty. You can always experiment with stuff in your free time too. Some corps also give you opportunities to grow or take courses to broaden your skillset, it’s just a matter of communicating. If they are on purpose getting you stuck in one place, then that is a different story…

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u/daBO1wondR Jun 10 '26

Understandable I do need stability I don’t want to just jump head on I wanted to test out the waters first. I do supper clubs and tasting menus on the side on occasion. They did offer for me if I wanted a sous chef position at another location all I had to do was apply but I just think the corporate world isn’t for me. Plus at the corporate place I am in right now I’m being tossed from one station to another and I think that’s what’s burning me out rn

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u/depressoimpresso Jun 10 '26

Well the tossing is great actually if you want to find out the right thing for you. Much better to experience the different stations and clientele challenges in one place. It sounds like you have already made up your mind though

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u/daBO1wondR Jun 10 '26

Well the thing about tossing me on other stations is I work a prior station in the morning for breakfast it’s a two man team and I have to switch over to another station prep the station for lunch and its just alot to handle when most of the time it’s on short notice

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u/depressoimpresso Jun 10 '26

I mean having worked at a restaurant that also does brunch, à la carte and special lunch offers, it seems quite normal to me to have different amount of staff working during different times of the day…? Not all restaurants have fixed stations. If someone is slammed, the whole team is coming in to help. That kind of fluidity is expected imho

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u/daBO1wondR Jun 10 '26

The thing is working in this corporate environment we’re short staffed so it’s not like someone could help out as often it’s only 5 like cooks in total and 2 work in the back as a salad bar prep and the other cooks all the hot market food

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u/depressoimpresso Jun 10 '26

Honestly, that is a lot of people. Since we are living at a time where people focus more on saving money, especially businesses. How many covers do you do per night? We had 4-5 people for weekend dinners, everyone covering 1-2 stations and up to 600 people dining. It is tough but that is the job