The assistant chief steward reports directly to the chief steward. As the second in command of the stewarding department, he shares the same responsibilities with the chief steward.
Here are his common duties and responsibilities:
- Control of stocks and cost. This means controlling the flow as well as supply of kitchen items such as dinnerware, silverware, and glassware. In conjunction with this, he should also help the chief steward when it comes to planning as well as organizing the inventories. This will include breakage, loss, and theft of kitchen items. This will also include assisting the department head when it comes to budgeting and labor costs.
- Promote good communication. To assure excellent service all the time, there should be good communication between all the members of the Stewarding Department. As an assistant chief steward, it is his duty to keep the staff informed of meetings, activities, trainings, etc. In conjunction with this, he should be ready to answer any questions. Also, he should have good rapport with the staff and always treat each member in a very professional and courteous manner.
- Supervise operations. This means that he should oversee the use and maintenance of equipments and kitchen items. He should also see to it that the members are properly washing, cleaning, and sanitizing the kitchen and everything in it, including taking out the garbage.
- Be a good leader. Because he is second in command, he should be a good leader. This means that he is able to communicate very well with the staff and be able to motivate them to do more. This includes providing positive feedback and being able to listen well to the staff. As a leader, he should also know how to discipline the employees.
- Active participation in hiring and training new employees. The assistant chief steward should have active participation when it comes to reviewing applications as well as conducting interviews. Upon hiring of a new employee, he should also help in training the new staff. This should also include new staff orientation as well as performance appraisal.
- Administrative duties. These duties include professional relationship with suppliers and providers as well as submission of department reports. He should also assist the chief steward in maintaining the department’s records including staff attendance, maintenance requests, log book, etc. Together with the chief steward, they should be able to create an efficient filing system so as to have a smooth flow when it comes to the department records.
- Implementation of health, safety, and hygiene procedures. Because the restaurant places utmost importance on health, safety, and hygiene procedures, the assistant chief steward should not only follow but also implement the procedures. He should also make it a point to assist the department head in monitoring and inspecting the cleanliness of the establishment.
These are just some of the important duties and responsibilities of the assistant chief steward.
