Dining Center Manager

The-Pepi-Companies; Thomasville (GA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental

Life insurance

Vacation

PTO

Holidays

Job summary

The Pepi Companies, a family-owned school dining leader, seeks a chef leader to craft scratch-made menus for Brookwood School in Thomasville, GA. You will guide a dining team, ensure safety standards, and build strong relationships with school leadership and students.

Applicants should have a culinary degree, food safety certification, and substantial high-volume kitchen experience. This role emphasizes teamwork, quality, and community service.

Qualifications

• Experience leading high-volume school dining operations.
• Ability to develop scratch-made menus that appeal to children.
• Strong focus on food safety, sanitation, and kitchen hygiene.
• Proven track record of managing costs, purchasing, and inventory.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and inspire the culinary and dining team with accountability and pride.
• Establish clear expectations for quality, sanitation, service, and performance.
• Recruit, train, and coach staff while fostering a valued, motivated team.
• Collaborate with school leadership to improve student dining experiences.
• Serve as a visible leader within the school community, building trust.

Skills

Menu development

Purchasing

Inventory management

Food cost control

Kitchen operations

Team leadership

Education

Culinary degree

Food safety certifications

Equivalent professional culinary experience

Job description

Job Details

Job Location: Brookwood - PS - Thomasville, GA 31792

Position Type: Full Time

The Pepi Family/Team.... For almost 40 years, the Pepi Companies is and has been a family-owned corporation dedicated to its employees and valued customers. Operating in 5 Southeast US states - Georgia, Florida, Alabama and now Mississippi and Louisiana, we are committed to providing a great place to work - part of our family - while offering custom solutions to the convenience market through great people, excellent service, and great tasting products.

Core values of SERVE OTHERS, DO IT RGHT, and BE THE BEST are more than just a banner on the wall - it is how we live.

Come join the Pepi family. Find your place and your future here.

Job Responsibilities

Leadership

• Lead, develop, and inspire the culinary and dining team, fostering a culture of accountability, hospitality, professionalism, cleanliness, and pride in the food being served.
• Establish clear expectations for food quality, preparation, presentation, sanitation, service, and employee performance, ensuring standards are consistently maintained.
• Recruit, train, coach, and develop team members while creating an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to perform at a high level.
• Work closely with school leadership to understand priorities, respond to feedback, and continuously improve the student dining experience.
• Serve as a highly visible and engaged leader within the school community, building trust and positive relationships with students, faculty, staff, and school leadership.

Stewardship

• Develop and execute a fresh, chef-driven dining program centered on scratch cooking, high-quality ingredients, and simple dishes executed exceptionally well.
• Create balanced, nutritious, and approachable menus that appeal to children while introducing students to a variety of wholesome foods, flavors, textures, and cooking styles.
• Prioritize fresh fruits and vegetables every day and maintain a strong commitment to preparing food from fresh ingredients rather than relying on processed or prepackaged products.
• Intentionally limit sugary drinks, candy, shelf-stable snack foods, and other products with little nutritional value while maintaining a dining environment that feels inviting, enjoyable, and never overly restrictive.
• Pay meticulous attention to seasoning, texture, temperature, portioning, freshness, and presentation, ensuring every meal meets Brookwood’s standards before it reaches the student.
• Develop menus that balance nutrition, familiarity, variety, seasonality, and student appeal.
• Establish and maintain consistent recipes, preparation methods, portion standards, and presentation expectations to ensure quality and consistency across every meal service.
• Monitor food costs, purchasing, inventory, waste, and labor while maintaining the quality and integrity of the dining program.
• Work with vendors and suppliers to source high-quality fresh ingredients and identify opportunities to improve product quality, value, and variety.
• Maintain a clean, organized, efficient, and professional kitchen and dining environment at all times.
• Lead by example in maintaining immaculate cleaning and sanitation standards, with an uncompromising commitment to food safety and proper kitchen practices.

Client Management

• Build and maintain an excellent working relationship with Brookwood School leadership, serving as a trusted culinary and dining partner.
• Proactively communicate with school leadership regarding menus, student feedback, staffing, operational needs, opportunities, and challenges.
• Listen carefully to feedback from students, faculty, staff, and school leadership and translate that feedback into thoughtful improvements to the dining program.
• Understand that the dining program is an important part of the overall Brookwood experience and consistently represent the school with professionalism, warmth, and a service-first mindset.

Compliance

• Ensure all food preparation, storage, service, and sanitation practices meet applicable health department regulations and food safety standards.
• Maintain impeccable standards for cleanliness, sanitation, personal hygiene, kitchen organization, and equipment maintenance.
• Ensure the kitchen operates safely and efficiently, with proper procedures for food handling, temperature control, allergen awareness, and cross-contamination prevention.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation as required for food safety, purchasing, inventory, and operational accountability.
• Stay current on food safety requirements, culinary best practices, and trends in healthy, child-focused dining

Qualifications

• Great Working Environment with emphasis on teamwork and great communication.
• Great hours - Day to Evening work schedule - occasional weekend work
• Pay Range of $1,153-$1,538/week-Incentive Package to include ASAP (Attendance, safety, attitude, and performance) bonus potential
• Benefits -Health, Dental, Life, Vacation, PTO, Holidays,
• Great company to learn and grow with.

Job Qualifications

Education

• Culinary degree, culinary arts education, or related formal training preferred.
• Food safety certifications and other relevant culinary certifications are preferred.
• Equivalent professional culinary experience may substitute for formal education.

Experience

• Significant professional culinary experience with demonstrated success leading a high-quality food service or culinary operation.
• Proven experience managing, training, and developing culinary and/or food service teams.
• Demonstrated ability to create and execute fresh, scratch-made menus with consistency and attention to detail.
• Experience preparing food for children, schools, camps, healthcare, hospitality, or other high-volume environments is highly desirable.
• Strong experience with menu development, purchasing, inventory management, food cost control, and kitchen operations.
• Demonstrated track record of maintaining exceptionally high standards for cleanliness, sanitation, food safety, and organization.
• Proven client-facing experience with the ability to build trust, communicate effectively, receive feedback, and maintain strong relationships with leadership and key stakeholders.
• Experience balancing culinary quality with budget, operational efficiency, and the practical realities of high-volume food service.
• A genuine passion for fresh, wholesome food and a belief that healthy food can also be delicious, appealing, and enjoyable for children.