Bagel Chef

Pop Up Bagels: Lincoln Park; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

PopUp Bagels Lincoln Park is seeking a Bagel Chef to own the shop, lead operations, and build a strong team. You’ll drive profitability, maintain high hospitality standards, and shape a vibrant culture aligned with our rapid growth. This is the top in-shop leadership role with ownership responsibilities.

You’ll manage P&L, labor, inventory, and guest experience while developing bench strength and ensuring safety training. A dynamic, fast-paced environment awaits.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of restaurant management with full operational ownership.
• Experience hiring, scheduling, performance management, and employee relations.
• Inventory, food costing, and labor optimization experience.
• Active ServSafe/Health department certification or ability to obtain it.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day shop operations and culture.
• Manage P&L, labor, inventory, and sales performance.
• Set optimal schedules and develop leadership bench.
• Ensure food safety standards and team training.
• Lead weekly launches and promotions to drive guest excitement.

Skills

Leadership

Hiring

Operations

Inventory

Food cost

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Culinary training a plus

Job description

Great bagels don't happen by accident. Neither do great teams.

PopUp Bagels isn’t just a bagel company we’re a cultural movement. What started as a backyard pickup window, aiming to share a freshly crafted bagel recipe with friends has grown into a brand with a cult-like following. Small shops, loud vibes, contagious energy. From the signature neon and bullhorns to our “Not Famous but Known” mirror, we’ve reimagined how a bagel is made and how it’s enjoyed: Grip, Rip and Dip. We keep things simple and do them really, really well and our customers agree.

Our Lincoln Park shop is looking for a Bagel Chef to own it. This is our top in-shop leadership role, you run the operation, you build the crew, and you set the standard everyone else follows. If you want a seat where craft, hospitality, and real ownership come together and a company growing fast enough that today’s Bagel Chef is tomorrow’s multi-unit leader this is it.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

• The Energy of the Shop - you set the tone the second the doors open. The music, the pace, the “Grip, Rip and Dip” hype, the way every guest gets treated like a regular: that culture is yours to build and protect every single shift.
• Full Shop Operations - P&L accountability, food cost, labor, inventory, and sales performance, run with the same energy you bring to the floor.
• The Numbers - monitor daily and weekly KPIs and take action to drive profitability and efficiency.
• The Product - consistent execution of our recipes and quality on every rack, every day, because a Hot bagel is the promise.
• The Systems – Learn them, follow them, hold others accountable to them. Let’s not reinvent the wheel, let’s make it better Every shift Every Day
• The Launches - LTO schmears launch weekly get your team fired up about them, guests can’t resist them

THE TEAM YOU’LL BUILD

• Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, and retain great people.
• Build optimal schedules that hit labor targets and respect your team’s lives.
• Coach and develop your leadership bench so there’s always a next person ready, this is how we grow.
• Run performance the right way: clear goals, real feedback, and honest and caring coaching.
• Set the culture- positive, inclusive, high-energy, and held to a standard.

HOSPITALITY & THE COMMUNITY

• Be the face of the shop: guests, delivery partners, neighborhood.
• Turn feedback into fixes, fast.
• Model PopUp Bagels energy and service philosophy every single shift.

COMPLIANCE & SAFETY

• Keep the shop tight on Department of Health and food-safety standards - no shortcuts.
• Maintain your certifications and your team’s training and documentation.
• Uphold our anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, and workplace conduct policies, and stay compliant with federal, state, and local regulations.

WHO THRIVES HERE

• Bring the Energy. You're warm, expressive, and genuinely enjoy people - the room lifts when you're in it.
• Stay Steady Under Fire. When it’s a wall-to-wall rush, you speed up and keep the team calm instead of unraveling.
• Are Scrappy. Something’s missing or broken? You figure it out and keep moving.
• Keep the First Things First. You know what matters, the guest and the bagel. Don’t get lost in the noise.
• Believe How You Do One Thing is How You Do Everything. Your standards show up in the small stuff, and your team catches it.
• Run It Like You Own It. You spot what’s off and fix it without being asked.
• Live a Little Kaizen. You're wired for continuous improvement. The shop, the product, the team and you get a little better every day.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• High school diploma or equivalent (culinary training a plus, not required).
• 3-5 years of restaurant management with full operational ownership, front- and back-of-house.
• Proven experience with hiring, scheduling, performance management, and employee relations.
• Experience with inventory, food costing, and labor optimization.
• Active ServSafe / Department of Health certification, or the ability to obtain it within the required timeframe.
• Comfort across multiple tech platforms and digital systems.
• Fast-paced, high-volume, scratch-kitchen experience preferred.
• Legal authorization to work in the U.S. (we use E-Verify).

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Stand and walk for extended periods; frequently lift/carry up to 25 lbs and occasionally up to 50 lbs; bend, reach, twist, and perform repetitive motions; work in a kitchen with exposure to heat, cold, noise, and cleaning agents.

READY TO ROLL?

Bagel Bros, LLC, dba PopUp Bagels is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, age, ancestry, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related condition, unemployment status, gender identity or expression, transgender status or gender dysphoria, marital status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, national origin, citizenship, disability, covered veteran and/or military status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristic, familial status as that term is described under other protected statuses or any other characteristic as protected under applicable federal, state and local law.