Head Chef Jobs in NYC, NY – October 2024 Salaries
Explore these top 10 Head Chef jobs in New York City, complete with salaries, requirements and other essential information.
10 High-Paying Head Chef Jobs in New York City
Here’s our list of the best Head Chef opportunities in NYC for which you can apply today.
Note: Some of these jobs have positions indicated as “Chef de Cuisine” or “Executive Sous Chef” — which are both typically alternative terms for Head Chef.
Head Chef — Asian/Thai established busy hot-spot Restaurant
Head Chef | Bakery/Cafe
Chef De Cuisine
Chef de Cuisine – The Smith
Chef de Cuisine
Chef de Cuisine – Upscale Restaurant
Chef de Cuisine – Trinity Café
Chef de Cuisine
Executive Sous Chef
Chef de Cuisine
What’s the Average Salary for Head Chef Jobs in NYC?
The average salary for Head Chefs working in NYC is $83,631 a year (or $6,969.25 per month). This number is about 13.58% higher than the national average salary for this role.
That said, NYC is quite the ideal location for current and aspiring Head Chefs who wish to both advance their careers and earn higher salaries.
What Factors Affect an NYC Head Chef’s Earnings?
Now that you know how much Head Chefs in NYC earn on average, you might be wondering how their individual salaries and overall income may vary. To give you the full picture, here are the main factors that determine how much one can earn from Head Chef jobs in NYC.
- Experience level: Employers are more likely to give higher salaries to a Head Chef with more extensive culinary experience and a proven track record of success. This is especially true for Head Chefs who have been working in the NYC restaurant and hospitality industry for years.
- Type of establishment: Head Chefs who work in upscale dining establishments tend to have more competitive salaries. Employers in such establishments are more likely to have a bigger budget for Head Chef salaries, given that a highly skilled Head Chef would help uphold their brand’s reputation among customers and even food critics.
- Local economic conditions: Cost of living, consumer spending and increased competition among restaurants within the area could lead to employers offering higher salaries for Head Chefs.
- Bonuses and other benefits: Beyond their base salary, Head Chefs can increase their overall earnings through other parts of their compensation package. This may include performance bonuses, healthcare coverage and employee discounts.
Head Chef’s Salary Compared to Similar Culinary Roles in NYC
In New York City, a Head Chef’s salary is often higher than that of a Sous Chef and a Personal Chef. However, Head Chefs here tend to earn less than a Private Chef and an Executive Chef.
Explore the graph below for easier side-by-side comparisons.
[Calculated using Indeed, Salary.com, Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter data]
This graph is interactive. Hover your mouse over different parts of the graph to see detailed data.
FAQs About Head Chef Jobs in NYC
Yes, they do. For context, Head Chefs in NYC earn an annual salary of $83,631 on average — which is 13.58% higher than the U.S. average.
Moreover, NYC offers the highest average Head Chef salary compared to other major cities like Miami ($71,677), LA ($81,149) and Chicago ($60,135).
Most of the NYC Head Chef jobs listed above require between three and five years of supervisory or managerial experience.
This means that applicants must have at least previously worked as a Sous Chef (or a similar position in the back-of-house staff) in order to be qualified.
Most of the time, yes. Heads Chefs are primarily responsible for overseeing the preparation of dishes.
That said, many dining establishments in NYC would require their Head Chefs to have a food handler card or certification.
How We Picked These Top 10 Head Chef Jobs in NYC
When selecting which jobs to include above, we narrowed down our list to those that offered salaries of at least $80,000 a year.
We’ve also selected NYC Head Chef jobs that provide generous benefits and perks. After all, these can significantly improve not only an employee’s savings and earnings but also their overall quality of life.
Lastly, we know that NYC is quite a large metropolis with more restaurants than one can count. That said, we’ve made sure to pick jobs that are mostly in high-traffic areas where Head Chefs can cater to a wider customer demographic — from office workers and local families to foreign tourists.
