The term culinary arts is a little bit deceiving. Although there is certainly an element of creativity to the culinary field, it is still very much a business. Whether you work in a restaurant, run a catering company, or manufacture food quality equipment, it’s all about getting your product to the consumer –and getting paid to do it.
In fact, the most successful chefs aren’t necessarily the most creative or the most talented with a knife; they are the ones who know how to brand a business, market their food, and sell the whole dining experience to the customer. If you have a background in sales or marketing and a passion for food, you might be surprised at just how well the two can combine to create a viable and sustainable career.
According to most sales and marketing courses, the qualities that make for the best sales professionals include:
- Good communication
- Listening skills
- The ability to ascertain an individual’s needs
- Persuasiveness
- A way to personalize the business experience
- Problem-solving (and thinking on your feet)
- Good organization
- Self-motivation
- A positive self-image
- Manners and a nice appearance
- Honesty and integrity
If you work within a leadership capacity in a restaurant or commercial kitchen, you’ll soon discover that these exact same traits apply. Executive chefs and restaurant managers who communicate their needs well and incorporate the input of their staff are much more likely to succeed over the long term. Thinking on your feet and solving problems is a daily part of the job, whether it’s handling kitchen catastrophes or creating a last-minute dish to appease an angry customer. Organization in the kitchen is required to keep things safe and to meet sanitation standards. And of course, having the internal drive to succeed helps no matter what career you’re in.
There are additional opportunities in the direct sales field in the culinary industry, as well. Finding buyers for the gourmet food products you create, marketing your catering business to build up clientele, and even putting people at their ease as a front-of-the-house staff member are all important roles when you work with food. And if you’re a really good salesperson, you’ll be able to sell yourself: as a professional, as a chef, and as the person everyone else turns to for good food and an even better dining experience.
Related Topics:
The Psychology of Customer Satisfaction in the Food Industry
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