Kitchen Staffing Agency: Temporary and Permanent BOH Staff

When a line cook walks out mid-week, you don’t need a hiring process — you need someone on the station. Alliance Recruitment Agency places back-of-house staff on a temporary, contract and permanent basis for restaurants, hotels and caterers.

We cover the roles most agencies treat as an afterthought: prep and line cooks, dishwashers, kitchen porters, stewards and kitchen assistants — the positions that stop service when they’re empty. With 16+ years in recruitment across 36+ countries and a 95% repeat client rate, we place kitchen staff who turn up and can hold a station.

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Kitchen Staffing Services We Offer

Most operators use more than one, contract cover for peaks, temp-to-hire for line cooks, direct placement for supervisory roles.

Kitchen Roles We Staff

Line and prep — Line cook · prep cook · grill cook · fry cook · pantry cook

Support and sanitation — Kitchen assistant · dishwasher · kitchen porter · steward · utility

Supervisory — Kitchen supervisor · kitchen manager · sanitation lead

Culinary — We place chefs at every brigade level. For chef-specific hiring, see our chef recruitment agency.

How Quickly You Get Candidates

Alliance provides vetted candidates within 24 to 48 hours of your briefing. You review profiles and screening results, interview the candidates you want, and confirm the placement.

We would rather tell you we can’t cover a requirement than send someone unsuitable. If we can’t fill a role to standard, you’ll hear that immediately, not the day before you need them.

How We Screen Kitchen Staff

Station verification — Experience matched to your covers, menu style and service volume. “Line cook” means something different in a 40-cover bistro and a 400-cover banqueting operation.

Reference checks — With previous kitchen leadership rather than HR departments. A head chef will tell you in two minutes whether someone held their section.

Right-to-work verification — Documentation confirmed before placement, to the requirements of the country you’re hiring into.

Food safety certification — Certification checked as current before placement, to the standard your jurisdiction requires.

Trade tests — For skilled and permanent roles, we arrange a practical trade test so you assess real output before committing. For international placements, this can be recorded, so you evaluate before travel or visa costs.

Every Placement Is Backed by a 90-Day Replacement Guarantee

If a placement leaves or doesn’t meet the agreed standard within 90 days, Alliance sources a replacement at no additional placement fee.

We also run post-placement check-ins through the first three months, and mediate where an issue can be resolved rather than replaced.

International Kitchen Recruitment

Some roles can’t be filled locally at any wage — tandoor, sushi, regional specialist and high-volume brigade positions among them.

Alliance recruits across 36+ countries and manages credential verification, documentation and visa coordination end to end. This is work most staffing agencies don’t do at all.

Related: Indian chefs for hire · Chef recruitment agency

Industries We Staff

Restaurants and restaurant groups · Hotels and resorts · Catering and events · Cloud and dark kitchens · QSR and fast casual · Senior living and healthcare dining · Corporate and campus dining · Stadiums and venues

Why Operators Choose Alliance

• 16+ years in recruitment
• 36+ countries served
• 500+ clients
• 4.8 client rating
• 95% repeat clients
• 90-day replacement guarantee
• ISO 9001 certified

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a kitchen staffing agency do?

A kitchen staffing agency sources, screens and places back-of-house workers — line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, porters and kitchen assistants, for restaurants, hotels and caterers on a temporary, contract or permanent basis. It handles sourcing, screening, reference checks, certification verification and placement documentation, so the operator reviews candidates instead of running a hiring process.

What kitchen roles can you staff?

Line and prep cooks, grill and fry cooks, dishwashers, kitchen porters, stewards, kitchen assistants, utility staff, kitchen supervisors and kitchen managers. We also place chefs at every brigade level.

Can you supply dishwashers and kitchen porters specifically?

Yes. Dish, porter and steward roles are among the most requested and hardest to fill. We place them on the same temporary, contract and permanent basis as skilled positions, with the same screening and reference checks.

How quickly can you provide candidates?

Vetted candidates are provided within 24 to 48 hours of your briefing. Time to placement then depends on your interview process and, for international hires, visa processing for the destination country.

What happens if a placement doesn’t work out?

Every placement carries a 90-day replacement guarantee. If the person leaves or doesn’t meet the agreed standard within 90 days, Alliance sources a replacement at no additional placement fee. We also run check-ins through the first three months.

Do you verify food safety certification?

Yes. Certification is checked as current before placement, to the standard required in the country you’re hiring into.

Can you recruit kitchen staff internationally?

Yes. Alliance recruits across 36+ countries and manages credential verification, documentation and visa coordination — commonly used for specialist roles where local supply is limited.

Can you staff an entire kitchen for a new opening?

Yes. Bulk recruitment for new site openings is a core service. Hiring is sequenced against your opening date so senior staff join early enough to interview and onboard their own brigade.

How much does kitchen staffing cost?

Fees depend on the role, seniority and engagement model. Pricing is confirmed during your initial briefing with no obligation.