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What's it like to be a kitchen porter?

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a bloody awful job, been doing it too long, sadly I can't get anything else though so have to endure this repetitive crap work!

Reply 41

IanDangerously

Original post by Morbuss

3) KPs get little to no respect from seasoned cooks and chefs. You will have your station organised and exactly the way you want it, then a chef will lob three or four trays, a pot and other assorted crap onto your organised workspace without a care in the world.

I never had that problem as a KP. If your head chef is a cool guy and you become friends with them, it's not a bad job. A few times when I got really snowed under with stuff to do he dived in and helped me out, got everything organised again. Not to mention we had levels of banter and crude humour flying around in the kitchen that you'd never get away with in a customer facing role. It was kinda fun. :smile:

Reply 42

jwilsdon

I am a 50 year old female with experience of kitchen work. Only do this job if you're thick skinned, kitchen banter can be brutal and females get the worst of it

Reply 43

Oscar12332

I am in the same position I hate it but I'm still doing it

Reply 44

Oscar12332

Ive done it for about 1 month and its **** my manager is so horrible and u get 100s of plates in munits its not worth it. I just want another job !!!!!!!!!!!!
😈😈😈😈😈

Reply 45

Morbuss

Original post by Oscar12332

Ive done it for about 1 month and its **** my manager is so horrible and u get 100s of plates in munits its not worth it. I just want another job !!!!!!!!!!!!
😈😈😈😈😈

I have now been a KP for 13 months, and I can say with certainty that due to my reliability and work ethic, I am one of the most respected staff members by both the chefs and management. There are a few waitstaff that treat you like crap, but I can live with that.

My boss is more than willing to give me full-time (40+ hrs ) hours for washing dishes etc if his budget allows it, so I have a pretty secure job right now. A far cry from a few months ago but hey them's the breaks...

Reply 46

Ryanthelion

I'm finishing off a 6 week stint at a busy Italian restaurant and I can honestly say the work is painful at times. On a Tuesday or Wednesday you're stealing a wage and there's always a free meal in it for you. When it's busy however it's the worst breakless 8 hours you're ever going to do. I have nightmares about Saturday nights now. Hope it doesn't transfer over to my social life when I finish. Worked as a KP 10 years ago in a different place but there was more support and was better organised.

Reply 47

Morbuss

Original post by Ryanthelion

It was a Bank Holiday this prior Monday in the UK, which means it is usually busy as all hell. However, this time it wasn't, so we had a lot of staff in for not a lot of work. Majority of us ended up on hour long breaks or longer because it just wasn't busy. When it finally picked up, we had so many staff on service ran smooth as silk. Long story short, everyone was happy that we had lots of staff in to help, considering we have been understaffed all week.

With regards to weekends, Ryan, they are usually the toughest days out there. Constantly playing catch-up, and working your ass off from start to finish. Make sure above all else you are getting the help you need when it gets hectic, and you should be able to get time to take a dinner break.

Reply 48

Jonathan Jones

I work in 5star hotel i said to restaurant manager you bring dirty glasses into kitchen by law is this true

Reply 49

jamesthehustler

having done it is is pretty bad but i was lucky to in the fact that the pay wasn't the worst and i got on with the rest of the staff but some of the tasks i mean i cut my thumb down to the bone once, had to shift a couple of tonnes of logs sometimes and mopping was the bane of my life i got so annoyed sometimes i'd just use half a gallon of neat bleach on it

Reply 50

Sharpsword

If you are retard nobody shold be shout at you at all ! They must invite you find another job, nothing else !
KP it's a job for what do not must to do with your life, nobody respect you, seeing the comments should be enough !
And is very bad paid.
Don't be KP, look for a real job, let chefs to find solutions if they wanna help in the kitchen.

Reply 51

HegelianDilectic

Its good if the other staff are foreign, if they are local the kitchen staff can often be plebs. Im at pizza express and there are two british people here out of about 30 or so staff.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 52

arcenciel21

Oh I actually wish I could be a kitchen porter, I hate working on tills. :angry:

Reply 53

Kilby008

Hi Ive just got a job as a KP. Never worked a day in my life I'm 15... So my question is what should I wear??

Reply 54

christopher54

i have done it for 3 months now, its not a good job, i do 60 hours a week as a kp in a pub, 5 days a week, starting at 10am busy prep days, and 3pm other days and never finish untill 11pm is early, 3am ive still been there before on a busy saturday, i am physically fit and was a labourer before, but this is just tiring work, lots of washing up it feels like it never ends, then you put it through the dishwasher, then dry it all, and put things away dodging the chefs as you do through service, then usually 2 3 buckets of cutlery to put through dishwasher and sort, as well as cups and saucers from front of house to wash and give back to them, then theres the big pots to scrub, more tiring work, lucky with most of the trays as we have a decarb machine, but using that is another story, the chefs are are all okaay, but during service, at least 10 times i have to stop my washing up, and run and do things for them, get this, can you do this, as the plates stack up, i then also have to empty the 4 bins on the kitchen regurlarly and at the end of the night, as well as sweep and mop the floor at the end of the night, clean my sinks, and the dishwasher emptied, and cleaned, its all alot of hard work, then theres my cleaning day each week, i hate this day,cleaning the fans above cookers, cleaning the cookers, hobs, friers, and everything in the kitchen, walls floor, behind stuff, and also to rumble and chop potatoes for chips and roast potatoes, the chefs are all nice but i think they are because they always ask for my help, the waiters are kind and nice, but they dont care, they will clean plates but always some on a busy day wont do it enough, management just always ask how its going, thats about it, every day i get soaking wet, covered in rubbish, and end up with dry hands, i am lucky as i have been offered a salary so pay is good and so is share of the tips but will only be doing it a year, haa, all in all its a very physical job, and frustrating and difficult, tiring, and at times feel you are treated the lowest in the company, even though you work the hardest, and most needed in the whole place, my advice, avoid if you can, haa, if you need a job and okaay with physical non stop busy work give it a try, but there are other jobs out there better than a kitchen porter,

Reply 55

Tebeane

I have worked as a kitchen porter in a restaurant just twice and the whole experience was horrendous. I only took the job as I was told I would be doing other roles like making coffees and deserts and doing some waitressing yet in actual fact I was washing dishes for hours. The chefs were pleasant enough but expected a lot and I couldn't help feeling like the lowest of the low. All in all unless you really want to become a chef or work in the restaurant industry or you have no other means of work, I would prefer to do anything but this. It is relentless stress for hours without a break and you're just treated as a general dogsbody. You could earn more money doing a much more enjoyable laid back job so unless you plan a life as a chef, give this job a wide birth.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 56

Findl3y

I am a KP of around 1 month, I'm just going to be giving my two cents.

I work in a busy pub (we won Pub of the year a couple times), and a very small kitchen, though work is split between two kitchens.

You essentially have two sinks which you have full control of. Around will be a dishwasher, and use it to your advantage!

The staff at my place are great; lots of banter, great music blaring 24/7 to keep us hyped and the waitresses are helpful. We're one huge 'family'.

The head chef helps all the time, they will go piss off and take a smoke because they know I can work 3x as fast alone. This gives them a break, and lets me catch up on a busy evening.

You will not just be washing up, but can be preparing veg, and doing some sorting out. You will mop at the end of shift; though the chefs will help clear down before hand.

Just some tips:

1. Arrive early on a Sunday shift! The amount of prep needed before hand is lots. If you're arriving when orders start; you have a lot of washing!

2: Utilise the space under the sink. A huge load of washing could just because of the large pans, put then underthere until you have time!

3. Be honest. Hungry? The chefs will be happy to make you food, a burger, sandwich, fish and chips... even a Sunday roast on a Sunday!

pros: you get tips, socialising, free food and drink

cons: part time = working busiest hours, hands are like giving a handjob to sandpaper

Reply 57

Becky_winter

It is honestly the worst job you could have. Not only is it tiring, but doing evening shifts means leaving anytime after midnight. You need to be working 150^ at maximum speed at all times. It's hot and sweaty in the kitchen and it's not a nice place to work☹️

Reply 58

Rosie0S

Ive been a kitchen porter for around 1/2 months now, as im under 16 the pay is 5.10 an hour, i work from 9=5:30pm and finally worked out a system, the faster and quicker i work the less i have to do at the end of the day, the chef at my place leaves at 4:30 while i finish at 5:30, at around 4, she gives me trays, pots, cutting boards and other kitchen equipment used during the day.Id say it is rewarding for my age, i usually get a break at around 12 or 3, depending on the busyness of the place. At my work i get anything i want to eat/drink for free, i can have 5/10 cans of coke a day, make my own smoothies, or ask the chef to make me some food, when she isnt busy of course. Yet that always comes back to bite you in the ass, as you have to wash what they used to make your meal, and you then have to wash what you used to eat it with, E.I, a plater, cutlery and maybe a cup.On a good day i will get £50 including a £4.60 tip, which is what ive recently been getting. I usually work once a fortnite, once a week at a push.Very rewarding for me, personally, just depending where you go, so if you weigh out the pros against the cons;-Free food

Reply 59

Rosie273

Original post by ArtisticFlair

Sorry to bump this thread, but what kind of hour does this job require? I'm taking a gap year and have other commitments from about 8.30am - 12.30pm, and I was wondering if this is an evening job? What time, on average, do you finish each night?

For me, on a sunday 10-5:30, around 11-3pm its exremely busy. Then on a saturday 9:5:30pm. £5.60 per hour plus around £5 tips, thats around £50 on a good day