Culinary Lead: Elevate Food Quality in High-Volume Kitchen

Sweetgreen; City of Niagara Falls (NY); On-site; USD 21,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tips

Competitive wages

Medical, dental, and vision options

Paid vacation, wellness time, and Par.

Free meal every shift

401(k)

Team Member Merch Shop

Job summary

Sweetgreen is seeking a Culinary Lead (Kitchen Lead) in New York to own food quality, prep, and presentation. You will lead by example, coaching teammates and ensuring consistent, high-quality meals across shifts without grill or fry equipment.

This role emphasizes food safety, efficiency, and operational excellence, with clear progression to leadership roles within 2–3 years for top performers.

Qualifications

• Must be available to work a minimum of 30 hours per week.
• Must be 18 years of age or older and authorized to work in the United States.
• Experience in high-volume kitchens is welcome.
• Kitchen Lead role focuses on food quality; no grilling or frying equipment used.

Responsibilities

• Own food quality by ensuring every item meets Sweetgreen’s standards for flavor, food safety, and presentation.
• Prep and cook hot food to standard using knives, kitchen tools, and ovens (no flames, no fryer oil).
• Help teammates improve food execution through real-time feedback.
• Stay ahead of volume by managing prep timing and par levels to keep the kitchen running smoothly.
• Be the advocate for food quality on shift, spotting issues early and fixing them fast.
• Partner with Shift Leaders and Managers to uphold food safety, cleanliness, and operational excellence.

Skills

Food quality

Kitchen leadership

Coaching

Food safety

Quality control

Job description

Sweetgreen is seeking a Culinary Lead (Kitchen Lead) in New York to own food quality, prep, and presentation. You will lead by example, coaching teammates and ensuring consistent, high-quality meals across shifts without grill or fry equipment.

This role emphasizes food safety, efficiency, and operational excellence, with clear progression to leadership roles within 2–3 years for top performers.