About This Role
Leading the culinary team and taking full ownership of back-of-house operations is the core of this Kitchen Manager role. You will champion kitchen culture, enforce sanitation standards, and ensure high food quality and tight ticket times in a high-volume scratch diner. This position suits a seasoned, hands-on manager dedicated to quality craftsmanship and hospitality.
Responsibilities
- Lead from the front, stepping onto the line (grill, sauté, or expo) during peak rushes to ensure line flow, recipe consistency, and plate presentation
- Direct daily scratch kitchen prep, ensuring consistent, high-standard execution across all stations, including daily scratch-made soups and stocks
- Oversee opening and closing procedures, line checks, station pars, and smooth shift changeovers between day and evening crews
- Work in lockstep with front-of-house management to maintain smooth service, rapid guest recovery, and great dining room communication
- Recruit, onboard, schedule, and train line cooks, prep cooks, and dishwashing staff
- Cultivate a respectful, positive, and inclusive kitchen culture focused on accountability, professional development, and low turnover
- Conduct regular team check-ins, performance evaluations, and constructive, real-time coaching
- Manage daily and weekly ordering, receiving, and storage of all food, produce, and BOH supplies with local and broadline purveyors
- Maintain tight control of food and labor costs against target margins through active waste management, yield tracking, and smart scheduling
- Conduct weekly physical inventory audits and monitor product rotation (FIFO)
- Enforce strict compliance with local municipal health department standards and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) sanitation codes
- Establish and inspect daily, weekly, and monthly deep-cleaning checklists for all prep lines, walk-ins, hoods, and storage areas
- Monitor equipment health (refrigeration temperatures, cooking equipment, dish machines) and coordinate preventive maintenance
- Maintain kitchen safety standards
Requirements
- 3–5+ years of kitchen management experience (Kitchen Manager, Sous Chef, or Head Cook) in a high-volume, full-service restaurant
- Proven background in high-volume short-order cooking and scratch prep (demonstrated experience making daily scratch soups and stocks required)
- Demonstrated track record with food costing, physical inventory controls, vendor management, and labor scheduling
- Active ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification (or Illinois FSSMC equivalent) required upon hire
- Strong interpersonal, bilingual, and leadership skills
- Conversational or fluent Spanish proficiency is a a strong plus