What is the kitchen brigade system?
The kitchen brigade system, also known as the brigade de cuisine, is a hierarchical staffing system used in professional kitchens. It’s used to structure restaurant teams and delegate responsibilities to staff who specialize in certain tasks or stations in the restaurant.
In large or traditional restaurants, the kitchen brigade system may include around 20 employees, such as the chef executif, chefs de parties or sauciers. Each of these positions is assigned a specific role to help maximize the restaurant’s efficiency.
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Background of the kitchen brigade system
The kitchen brigade system dates back to the late 19th century. George August Escoffier, a French chef and restaurateur, sometimes called the “emperor of chefs,” organized previously rowdy kitchens using techniques gleaned from his military experience. He implemented discipline, cleanliness and efficiency in his kitchens by developing the brigade de cuisine system and delegating specific roles to his kitchen staff.
Iterations of kitchen brigade systems
While the kitchen brigade system is traditionally used in prestigious French restaurants, adaptations of the system can be found in many food establishments, ranging from fast food to fine dining restaurants. For example, fast food restaurants often assign staff to frying, assembly or dishwashing stations.
Smaller casual and fine dining restaurants may employ a pared-down version of the kitchen brigade system using only a handful of positions. Since they often outsource tasks to professionals such as butchers or bakers, these restaurants can usually run efficiently with reduced staffing compared to traditional establishments.
Benefits of using the kitchen brigade system
There are many advantages to implementing the kitchen brigade system. The system creates structure and organization in a kitchen environment that can otherwise easily become chaotic. With clear job titles and assigned responsibilities, staff members are accountable for their stations and tasks. This helps streamline the tasks that need to be completed.
When kitchen staff are assigned to specific roles, they become more experienced and specialized in their responsibilities and associated techniques. For example, over time, a saucier may become an expert in making sauces and soups, while a pastry chef can become a specialist in creating desserts and baked goods.
The roles are also associated with a hierarchy structure, which helps define leadership and management. The structure lets staff know who they’re responsible for and who they report to. This hierarchy also helps create a clear path for advancement, so members of the kitchen brigade can understand the framework for future promotions.
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Brigade positions in a restaurant kitchen
A classic kitchen brigade system includes many roles, but only a handful are typically seen in modern kitchens. A variety of traditional and modernized roles are included below.
Chef executif
Also called the executive chef, this role is often less involved in the daily kitchen operations in large establishments. They typically collaborate with other restaurant executives to manage the operations, and are usually tasked with designing menus and restaurant concepts.
Chef de cuisine
The chef de cuisine translates to chief or manager of the kitchen. This is a leadership role involved in the daily management of the kitchen. They typically perform administrative tasks, like inventory management, hiring and training. In small establishments, this position may be combined with the responsibilities of the executive chef.
Sous chef de cuisine
The sous chef is an assistant leadership position that typically reports to the chef de cuisine. They’re directly involved in kitchen operations, often acting as a manager when the chef de cuisine is unavailable.
Chef de partie
Also sometimes called a station chef or line cook, this is a broad term often used to describe an individual responsible for leading a particular area in the kitchen. These roles are necessary in the kitchen brigade system, as its function depends on assigning cooks to specific areas.
Demi-chef
In larger establishments, demi-chefs are assistants to the chef de partie in their delegated kitchen station. They perform related tasks and may act as a leader when the chef de partie is absent.
Commis chef
A commis chef is an entry-level or junior line cook. They’re assigned to a specific station and report to the respective chef de partie. They assist in all tasks handled by that station, providing much of the cooking labor in the restaurant.
Saucier
Also called a saute chef, the saucier is a type of chef de partie responsible for all sauteed items and sauces. In larger establishments, they’re assisted by a potager who’s responsible for stocks and soups. Smaller establishments usually combine these roles, making the saucier responsible for all these items.
Apprentice
An apprentice is one of the lowest-level cooking roles in the kitchen. They often start at the least prestigious stations or responsibilities, but can gradually move through the hierarchy as they gain experience and skills. The next role up from apprentice is the commis chef.
Plongeur
A plongeur is responsible for dishwashing and porter tasks. In addition to cleaning and organizing cookware and serveware, they may also provide support with kitchen prep tasks.
Entremetier
The entremetier is a chef de partie who may broadly oversee stations relating to entrees. They may have line cooks working below them who help compose fish, meat, egg and vegetable dishes.
Aboyeur
An aboyeur supports both the kitchen and dining room by acting as the link between the two areas. They relay orders with efficiency and organization. In modern structures, the leading chef de partie takes on this role for their station.
Boucher
Translated directly as butcher, this brigade member oversees all meat and fish butchery tasks. This role is often outsourced to vendors.
Boulanger
A boulanger is a baker. They’re responsible for preparing breads and other baked goods in-house. Some establishments may eliminate this position and order fresh or frozen baked goods from outside vendors.
Friturier
The friturier is a fry cook responsible for all deep-fried foods. Restaurants that specialize in deep-fried foods may have a designated fry cook, but this role is often combined with the tasks of the grill or saute cook.
Garde manger
Also called a pantry chef, the garde manger is an ambiguous role that generally relates to cold foods. This may include salads, appetizers, pates, charcuterie and desserts.
Grillardin
Often combined with the fry cook role, a grillardin or grill chef is responsible for the restaurant’s grilled food, including vegetables, meats and more. This role is common in steak restaurants where a large volume of the orders are prepared on the grill.
Patissier
Otherwise known as the pastry chef, this role is responsible for producing items on the dessert menu. In large establishments, a variety of positions may be involved in the dessert station. They may include a glacier for ice cream, confiseur for confections and decorateur for the decorative work on fancy cakes or other desserts. Some kitchens combine the pastry chef and baker responsibilities.
Tournant
A tournant is a versatile member of the kitchen brigade system. Cross-trained and experienced in most or all stations of the kitchen, they’re able to float between areas to provide additional support when needed, such as during peak service hours or if the kitchen is short-staffed.
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Implementing the kitchen brigade system
The kitchen brigade system is used differently today than it was in the 19th century. Since the restaurant industry trends toward smaller establishments and higher wages, most restaurants now use an abbreviated version of the kitchen brigade system. When implementing the system, it’s important to consider which positions are best adapted to your restaurant and how to maintain the overall hierarchical structure.
What’s the hierarchy of the kitchen brigade?
In typical kitchen brigade structures, the executive chef is the head of the restaurant, while the chef de cuisine is the second in command. All positions may report to the executive chef, but there can be many levels of management and leadership below the executive chef. In terms of top-down pyramid management structures, the executive chef is at the top, while positions like apprentices or dishwashers are at the bottom. This doesn’t denote the value of each position, but instead creates a leadership structure organized by specialities and teams.
For example, the chef de partie or line cook is typically assigned to a specific area or responsibility in the kitchen and usually reports to the executive chef, chef de cuisine or sous chef de cuisine. In larger restaurants, the chef de partie may oversee a team of line cooks or junior chefs. Although the line cooks and junior chefs may ultimately report to the executive chef, they report immediately to their leading chef de partie.
Modernizing the kitchen brigade system
Unless your restaurant resembles the prestigious French establishments of Escoffer’s time, you’ll likely need to adapt the kitchen brigade system to meet the needs of a modern restaurant. This generally involves reducing the size of your team while maintaining the overall structure.
At the least, you should assign a leadership title like executive chef to one staff member in your kitchen. You might also assign an assistant executive or second-in-command for occasions when the executive chef is unavailable or the kitchen needs extra leadership support.
Other roles, such as the saucier and potager, may be combined to accommodate the restaurant’s volume needs. There are also many types of patissiers, but you can combine their tasks and responsibilities to make their role more productive and efficient. If your restaurant specializes in a specific cuisine, you can create specialized roles within the brigade system. For example, a casual pizza restaurant might delegate employees to the prep, pizza-building and oven roles, with each reporting the main kitchen leader.
Except in certain specialty restaurants, some kitchen staff roles are mostly obsolete. For instance, most restaurants source their butchery needs to outside vendors and don’t require an in-house boucher or charcutier. In other instances, kitchen equipment has advanced to eliminate much of the labor required from some traditional roles.
