Kitchen Porter CV Example
Tailored for kitchen porters who keep commercial kitchens running smoothly through cleaning, waste management, and equipment maintenance. Showcases your work ethic and essential support role in the kitchen team.
Recommended template: CreativePro
Key Skills to Include
Quick Tips
- Emphasise your reliability and strong work ethic, as these are the most valued qualities for kitchen porter roles.
- Mention any food hygiene or COSHH training certificates you hold.
- Describe your experience with commercial dishwashing equipment and kitchen deep-cleaning procedures.
- Highlight any additional kitchen skills you have developed, such as basic food preparation or stock rotation.
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Upgrade to ProHow to Write Your Kitchen Porter CV
A kitchen porter CV should highlight your reliability, physical capability, and commitment to maintaining a clean and efficient kitchen. Kitchen porters are the backbone of any professional kitchen — without clean equipment and hygienic workspaces, service cannot run smoothly. Employers value punctuality, a strong work ethic, and the willingness to work hard in a physically demanding environment. Your CV should demonstrate these qualities alongside any food safety training.
CV Structure
Keep the layout simple and reverse-chronological. Start with a brief profile, followed by work experience, skills, and education. For each role, describe the kitchen type and your core duties. Include one to two achievements per role that demonstrate your reliability or positive impact. One page is sufficient for most kitchen porter CVs.
CV Format
Use the simplest template available. Kitchen porter CVs do not need elaborate designs — clarity and honesty are what matter. Ensure your food hygiene certificate and COSHH training are easy to spot. Use bullet points and keep all descriptions concise.
CV Profile Examples
Experienced Kitchen Porter
Dependable and hard-working kitchen porter with four years of experience in hotel and restaurant kitchens across Newcastle. Experienced in operating commercial dishwashers, maintaining kitchen hygiene to 5-star standards, and supporting chefs with basic preparation tasks during busy services. Holds a Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate and COSHH awareness training with an exemplary attendance record.
Hotel Kitchen Porter
Physically fit and conscientious kitchen porter with three years of experience in a 200-room hotel kitchen, supporting services across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and banqueting operations. Skilled in managing the pot wash during peak service, conducting deep cleans of kitchen areas, and handling waste disposal and recycling in line with hotel policies.
Entry-Level Kitchen Porter
Motivated and reliable individual seeking a kitchen porter role to gain experience in a commercial kitchen environment. Brings a strong work ethic developed through warehouse and manual labour roles, along with a recently completed Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate. Ready to contribute to a kitchen team through hard work, punctuality, and a positive attitude.
Write a two-sentence profile stating your experience, the type of kitchens you have worked in, and your most valued quality — typically reliability or work ethic. Mention your food hygiene certification.
Key Skills for Your Kitchen Porter CV
Dishwashing & Sanitisation
Operating commercial dishwashers and hand-washing large kitchen equipment to ensure hygiene compliance.
Waste Management
Disposing of food waste, recycling, and hazardous materials safely and in line with environmental regulations.
Deep Cleaning
Conducting thorough cleaning of kitchen surfaces, equipment, extraction systems, and storage areas.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing basic maintenance checks on dishwashers, cleaning equipment, and reporting faults promptly.
Delivery Handling
Receiving kitchen deliveries, checking against orders, and storing items correctly in fridges, freezers, and dry stores.
COSHH Awareness
Using cleaning chemicals safely according to COSHH regulations, including correct dilution and storage.
Punctuality
Arriving on time for every shift and being ready to work at the scheduled start, demonstrating reliability.
Physical Endurance
Sustaining physical effort throughout long shifts that involve standing, lifting, and repetitive manual tasks.
Work Experience Examples
For each role, describe the kitchen setting and the volume of service supported. List your cleaning, waste management, and delivery handling duties. Include any additional tasks you took on, such as basic food preparation, as this shows initiative. Mention attendance records or chef commendations as achievements.
Kitchen Porter
The Vermont Hotel, Newcastle
Maintained cleanliness and hygiene across a busy hotel kitchen serving restaurant, room service, and banqueting operations for up to 300 covers per day.
Responsibilities
- Operated the commercial dishwasher and pot wash station, processing all crockery, glassware, and cooking equipment during and after service.
- Conducted deep cleaning of kitchen floors, walls, extraction hoods, and storage areas on a scheduled rota.
- Managed waste disposal including food waste, recycling, and cooking oil collection in line with environmental guidelines.
- Received and stored kitchen deliveries, checking items against orders and rotating stock according to FIFO procedures.
- Assisted chefs with basic preparation tasks such as peeling, washing, and portioning vegetables during busy periods.
Achievements
- Contributed to the hotel kitchen maintaining a 5-star food hygiene rating across four consecutive inspections.
- Recognised by the head chef as the most reliable kitchen porter in a team of four, with zero unplanned absences over a two-year period.
- Took on additional responsibility for extraction hood deep cleaning, completing the task to a standard that passed the annual insurance inspection first time.
Kitchen Porter
Gusto Restaurant, Durham
Supported a busy Italian restaurant kitchen team during evening services of up to 130 covers, ensuring clean equipment was always available.
Responsibilities
- Ran the pot wash station throughout service, ensuring chefs had clean pans, utensils, and boards at all times.
- Mopped and sanitised kitchen floors at regular intervals during and after service.
- Emptied bins, broke down cardboard, and managed the recycling area at the end of each shift.
- Assisted with end-of-night deep cleaning including grill trays, fryers, and work surfaces.
Achievements
- Maintained equipment turnaround times that the head chef credited with improving service speed during peak sittings.
- Trained two new kitchen porters on dishwasher operation and cleaning procedures during their first week.
Education & Qualifications
List your food hygiene certificate and COSHH training first. Follow with any manual handling or health and safety certificates. Include GCSEs or equivalent qualifications. If you have no formal kitchen qualifications, your work experience becomes even more important.
Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate
Basic food safety certification demonstrating understanding of hygiene principles in a kitchen environment.
COSHH Awareness Training
Training in the safe handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous cleaning substances used in kitchens.
Manual Handling Certificate
Safe lifting and carrying training relevant to handling heavy deliveries, waste bins, and kitchen equipment.
Health & Safety Induction
General workplace safety training covering fire procedures, slip prevention, and emergency protocols.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I put on a kitchen porter CV?
Do I need qualifications to be a kitchen porter?
Can I progress from kitchen porter to chef?
How important is reliability for a kitchen porter?
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