Director of Culinary Operations

Horizon Hospitality Associates, Inc; United States; Remote; USD 175,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401k

PTO

Job summary

Horizon Hospitality Associates, Inc. seeks a Director of Culinary Operations to translate established culinary standards into consistent execution across its growing multi-unit portfolio.

This remote plus heavy travel role is based in the United States and requires leadership in field operations, financial performance, and talent development. You will lead kitchen teams in restaurants, implement scalable systems, coach leaders, and partner with senior leadership to improve profitability while

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive culinary leadership across multi-unit operations.
• Proven ability to coach kitchen leaders and develop talent.
• Strong knowledge of food cost, labor productivity, and inventory controls.
• Experience creating SOPs, training programs, and operational audits.
• Ability to implement scalable systems while upholding culinary standards.
• Willingness to travel up to 50%+ and work remotely from Eastern/Central time zones.

Responsibilities

• Oversee culinary execution across multiple locations, ensuring quality and standards.
• Lead training programs and leadership development for kitchen teams.
• Analyze financial metrics and drive productivity, waste reduction.
• Partner with executives to support growth and new market openings.

Skills

Multi-unit leadership

Culinary operations

Team development

Financial performance

Food cost control

SOP implementation

Training & coaching

Operational improvement

Travel readiness

Menu execution

Job description

An established and growing restaurant group is seeking a Director of Culinary Operations to drive culinary execution, consistency, team development, and operational performance across its multi-unit portfolio.

Known for its commitment to exceptional food, genuine hospitality, and a welcoming guest experience, the organization has built a strong reputation around freshly prepared food, high standards, and a people-first culture. As the company continues to grow, it is investing in the leadership, training, and operational systems needed to maintain these standards across all locations.

This is an opportunity for an experienced multi-unit culinary leader to work directly with senior leadership, influence restaurant performance across multiple markets, and help shape the operational infrastructure supporting the company's continued expansion.

Note: This is a remote plus heavy travel position, but candidates must reside within Eastern or Central time zones.

Position Overview

The Director of Culinary Operations will be responsible for translating established culinary standards into consistent, measurable execution across all restaurant locations.

This is a highly visible, hands‑on leadership role that combines field operations, financial performance, leadership development, and process improvement. The Director will spend significant time in restaurants working alongside culinary teams, coaching kitchen leaders, identifying operational opportunities, and ensuring that established standards are consistently maintained.

Working closely with senior leadership and restaurant operations, this individual will strengthen kitchen execution, improve financial performance, develop culinary talent, and implement scalable systems that support consistency and growth.

This role is ideal for a culinary leader who enjoys being in the field, developing people, solving operational challenges, and turning high-level expectations into practical results.

Key Responsibilities

Multi-Unit Culinary Operations

• Oversee culinary execution across multiple restaurant locations, ensuring consistent food quality, preparation, presentation, and service standards.
• Conduct regular restaurant visits to evaluate kitchen operations, staffing, workflow, organization, and overall execution.
• Work directly with kitchen leaders to address performance gaps, implement solutions, and reinforce operational accountability.
• Identify opportunities to improve kitchen productivity, efficiency, and consistency without compromising food quality or the guest experience.

Financial Performance & Operational Improvement

• Drive improvements in food cost, kitchen labor productivity, inventory management, purchasing practices, and waste reduction.
• Analyze operating metrics to identify trends, address inefficiencies, and improve financial results.
• Establish measurable performance expectations and implement corrective action plans when needed.
• Partner with restaurant leadership to improve profitability while maintaining established culinary standards.

Leadership Development & Training

• Coach, mentor, and develop kitchen managers and culinary leadership teams across the organization.
• Build structured training programs, leadership development plans, and clear performance expectations.
• Identify high-potential team members and strengthen the pipeline of future culinary leaders.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, professionalism, and continuous improvement.

Systems, Standards & Food Safety

• Develop and implement standardized operating procedures, training materials, checklists, and accountability systems.
• Ensure consistent execution of recipes, preparation methods, portion specifications, plating standards, and kitchen procedures.
• Maintain high standards for food safety, sanitation, cleanliness, and regulatory compliance.
• Evaluate existing processes and introduce improvements that support consistency, efficiency, and scalability.
• Support culinary readiness for new restaurant openings, including staffing, training, equipment readiness, and operating systems.
• Partner with leadership to ensure culinary standards and procedures are effectively implemented before opening.
• Provide hands‑on support during pre‑opening preparation, training, and initial operations.
• Help build the operational foundation necessary to support continued expansion into new markets.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with senior culinary leadership to ensure new menus, recipes, and culinary initiatives are successfully implemented at the restaurant level.
• Collaborate with restaurant operations leadership and general managers to align culinary execution with broader business objectives.
• Communicate restaurant performance, operational challenges, and improvement opportunities to senior leadership.
• Serve as a trusted resource for culinary teams, providing direction and support while maintaining clear expectations and accountability.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including meaningful multi‑unit restaurant operations responsibility.
• Demonstrated success overseeing culinary operations across multiple locations, preferably within a growing, quality-driven restaurant group.
• Strong hands‑on knowledge of kitchen execution, restaurant‑level operations, and performance improvement.
• Proven ability to coach, develop, and hold kitchen managers and culinary leaders accountable.
• Strong understanding of food cost, labor productivity, inventory controls, purchasing, waste reduction, and restaurant profitability.
• Experience developing and implementing standard operating procedures, training programs, operational audits, and accountability systems.
• Experience supporting new restaurant openings and preparing culinary teams for successful launches.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and project management skills.
• Ability to translate company standards into practical systems that restaurant teams can consistently execute.
• A collaborative, hands‑on leadership style with the ability to influence teams across multiple locations.
• A genuine passion for exceptional food, hospitality, and consistent guest experiences.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 50% or more, including overnight travel across multiple states as business needs require.

Compensation: $175,000 - $250,000 base salary (commensurate with experience), Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance, 401k, PTO, and much more!

only qualified candidates will be contacted