Chefs and Cooks Start-Up Costs
What it costs to get started in a professional kitchen, and how long until it pays back.
Part of the 👨🍳 Chefs and Cooks toolkit, with more tools made for the job.
👨🍳 Chef or cook
What you buy once to get started
What it costs to run, per month
Try a cautious number first.
Rules on food hygiene certificates and working in a kitchen differ by country and place, so check yours before you start.
Type your start-up costs and running costs and the totals appear here. Add what you expect to bring in to see if it pays back.
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Fill in the lines that apply to you. This adds up what you buy once to start cooking for a living and what it costs to keep going each month, and shows when the start-up money comes back.
Starting in a professional kitchen costs more than most people expect, and the biggest part is usually your own knives. Many kitchens expect you to bring a set, a knife roll and often your own whites, and they expect non-slip shoes you can stand in for ten hours. Add a probe thermometer and the small tools you use every day, and in many places a food hygiene certificate before you can start. Some people also pay for a course first, which this tool does not include. These costs come before your first pay, so it helps to see the total, and to remember that good knives last for years if you look after them.
How it’s worked out
- Start-up total is the one-off things added together: knives, whites, shoes, small tools, the certificate and anything else.
- Running costs are what you spend each month to keep working: travel, washing the whites, sharpening and replacing tools, and your phone.
- Profit per month is what you expect to earn from the job minus those running costs.
- Payback time is the start-up total divided by the monthly profit. If your monthly profit is zero or below, it never pays back.
Knives at 150, whites at 70, shoes at 60, small tools at 30, a certificate at 40 and 20 of other things make 370 to start. With 115 a month of running costs and 1,800 a month earned, you make 1,685 a month, and the start-up money is back in about a week of pay.
Common mistakes
- Buying a big knife set first. Most cooks use two or three knives for nearly everything, so start with a good chef's knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife.
- Skimping on shoes. Ten hours on a hard floor in a hot kitchen punishes cheap shoes, and slips cause accidents.
- Forgetting the certificate. Food hygiene training is required in many places, and kitchens may ask for it before your first shift.
- Ignoring sharpening. Dull knives are slower and more dangerous, so budget for a stone or a sharpening service.
Questions
What knives do I need to start?
Many cooks start with a chef's knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread knife, and add more as they learn what they use. A good knife looked after lasts for years, so it is worth buying well, and asking the kitchen what it expects.
Does the kitchen supply whites?
Some do and some do not. Ask before you buy. Many expect you to bring your own jackets and aprons, and to keep them clean.
Do I need a culinary course?
Not always. Many cooks start as kitchen porters or commis and learn on the job. A course costs money and is not in this tool, so add it as another start-up cost if you take one.
Where do I go from here?
Work out what you really earn per hour once overtime and costs are counted. The links below the tool lead there.
Estimates only
These are estimates and general information, not financial, tax or employment advice. Pay, overtime, tips and rules for kitchen work differ by country, state and employer, so use your own figures and check the rules where you live.
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