How to Write a Cover Letter for a Restaurant Job (With Examples)

Getting hired at a top restaurant starts with a single email. But most chefs write the same generic cover letter — and most restaurants stop reading after two sentences.

Here's how to write one that stands out.

Why most chef cover letters fail

The typical cover letter reads something like this:

"Dear Chef, I am a passionate cook with 3 years of experience. I would love the opportunity to work in your kitchen. Please find my CV attached."

Every hiring chef has seen this email a hundred times. It tells them nothing about why you specifically want to work at their restaurant, or what you'd actually bring to their kitchen.

The 3-part structure that works

The best cover letters for kitchen jobs follow a simple structure:

1. The hook — Show you know their kitchen. Reference something specific: a dish, a technique, an interview the chef gave, a review you read. This proves you've done your homework.

2. Your fit — Connect your experience to what they do. If they're known for fermentation and you spent a year at a restaurant that does heavy fermentation work, say that. Be specific about skills, not vague about passion.

3. The ask — Be clear about what you want. A stage? A full-time position? A trail shift? Don't be ambiguous.

Example: a cover letter that landed a stage at a 2-star restaurant

Here's a real (anonymised) cover letter that resulted in a trail shift at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen:

Chef Jensen,

I read your interview in Fool Magazine about treating vegetables as the centrepiece rather than the garnish — it's exactly the philosophy that drew me to Nordic cooking. At [Previous Restaurant] in London, I spent 14 months on the vegetable section developing plant-forward preparations including lacto-ferments and koji-aged roots.

I'm a Le Cordon Bleu London graduate currently completing my time at [Current Restaurant], and I'd love to stage with your team for 2–4 weeks in September. I'm comfortable on any section and I adapt quickly to new kitchens.

My CV is attached. I'd be happy to share references from Chef [Name] at [Restaurant].

Thank you for your time.

Notice what this gets right:

• Specific reference to the chef's own words
• Concrete experience (14 months, vegetable section, specific techniques)
• Clear ask (stage, 2–4 weeks, September)
• Brief — under 150 words

Keep it under 180 words

Chefs are busy. They're reading your email between service, on their phone, standing up. A wall of text gets skimmed or skipped.

The ideal length is 150–180 words. That's enough to make your case without wasting anyone's time.

Research the restaurant first

The single biggest differentiator is showing that you actually know the restaurant. Before you write:

• Read recent press coverage and interviews
• Look at their social media for current dishes and team
• Check if they've won any recent awards
• Understand their cuisine style and philosophy

This research takes 15–20 minutes but transforms a generic email into a personalised one.

Don't attach your CV as a Word doc

PDF only. Word documents can look different on every device, and some email clients won't even open them. A clean, one-page PDF is the standard.

Follow up — but only once

If you don't hear back in 2–3 weeks, send a brief follow-up. One line: "Just following up on my email from [date] — I'd love to hear if there's an opportunity to stage with your team."

If you still hear nothing, move on. Don't send a third email.

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Kitchen Applications automates this entire process — it researches each restaurant, writes a personalised cover email, and sends it from your Gmail. Your first application is free.