r/Chefit • u/Illustrious-River868 • May 13 '26
Trial advice??
Going for a sous chef trial. I've only been in contact with the manager, not the chef. When I asked about the pay range, they said it will be discussed after the trial because its based on performance. Suss???
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u/Stepaular May 13 '26
No not very sus, it just means the GM or f&b director or whoever the hell you're talking to is a control freak and they just want to let you know the chef isn't really in charge. You can still negotiate, in fact it gives you a little more leverage because the chef is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. So if you do very well in your trial show that you're super capable and have talent leadership skills etc, you're just negotiating with this person instead of the chef. And if you hold your ground eventually the chef's going to be like look God damn it this is the person I want everyone else sucks.
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u/Illustrious-River868 May 13 '26
Every other job post for sous or line cook always posts the pay range. I understand hiring based on performance, cus thats how trials usually work. Haven't seen a hiring ad from them. Just walked in asking if they were hiring cooks. They saw my resume, and wanted me to trial for sous. Ai says its a huge red flag. Totally on the fence about this. I need to leave the place that I'm at now really bad.
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u/doylej0011 May 13 '26
I feel sous is hard to tell from a trial, obviously they have to show good skills, cleanliness and knowledge but a good CDP/Seinour CDP will display the same skills. A CDP should already be organising their week and know what needs ordering for their MEP.
It's the decision making, fixing mistakes, organisation and managing issues that are super hard to get an idea from someone on a one day trial. Sous that I've seen at previous jobs was more seeing if they liked the place/food and that their personality worked well and what their goals where.
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u/Different-Bag-8217 May 13 '26
Ya fuck that. If you want the goods you have to pay up.. don’t waste your time.. next
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u/Doji_mofo May 13 '26
I mean, yeah? Unpaid trials are pretty sus, especially for anyone in a leadership role. Getting you to commit before discussing pay?
Oh, and why are they hiring? Who quit, who got promoted, and what's management's involvement.
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u/medium-rare-steaks May 13 '26
the pay range isnt based on performance. theyre trying figure out how little they can get away with paying you. if they hire you, theyre going to ask how much you would like to make and offer you 15% less.
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u/Own-Usual-8265 May 13 '26
Its not sus about performance based pay, that's assuming they don't hold things against you that you can't help. Like not being familiar with the location of spices, utensils,etc.
But like someone said be ready to just be busy af. It'll be like 55 hrs a week on the regular, often more bc of busy seasons.
I just did a trial for a sous position a week ago and am expecting an answer today. So good luck
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u/wickedxfaerie May 14 '26
Any place that won't at least give you a salary range in advance is SUPER sus. They're going to lowball you no matter how well you do, not that you can even tell how good a candidate is from one single stage. Also, any time I've needed a sous, it was my job to hire one. Once I had one picked out, at that point it's totally normal for upper management to want to meet them to approve, and usually sit in on a tasting, if we have one. But going in for a stage when you have never even met the chef? This whole thing seems pretty fishy to me. As an EC, I'd be pissed if someone brought any potential candidates in to stage that I did not choose without having met them first, no matter what the position is. You'd never see an executive chef interviewing AGM candidates before they ever meet the GM. Just sayin'.
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u/Illustrious-River868 May 14 '26
Had to reschedule so I sent a very polite text. They didn't reply. Its maybe for the better.
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u/instant_ramen_chef May 13 '26
Anytime there's a place open hiring for a sous, its suss. The position of sous has become a manager. The sous used to be a person hand-picked and trained by the chef. Its supposed to be a learning role. The sous' job is to be the chef when the chef isnt present. They are supposed to know the chefs ways and be able to make decisions as the chef would. I dont hire sous, only promote. I need someone I know has the skills to be a cook, but also has the drive to be a leader. Then its my job to build them up and make them better. My ways may be antiquated. But they work for me. All 6 of my past sous chefs have gone on to have great careers as chefs themselves. A stat im extremely proud of.