Executive Chef — Portfolio Culinary Innovator

550; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Executive Chef for 550 Madison ("EC") oversees all culinary operations, execution, and quality control across 550 properties, ensuring guest experiences meet Gracious Hospitality Management (GHM) standards. The role leads BOH facilities, staff development, safety, sanitation, and brand-aligned menu programming.

The EC collaborates with senior leaders and R&D to drive menu innovation, SOPs, and high service standards, while maintaining financial health and growth across the portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Support world-class teams, including hiring and retaining top talent to enable great customer experiences.
• Create systems and standards to improve culinary operations and business performance across the portfolio.
• Improve the customer dining experience across the portfolio.
• Provide strong, visible leadership with mentorship and by example.
• Collaborate with top chefs to shape 550's culinary program, promote the brand, and maximize profitability.
• Develop and implement new menu items with local and seasonal ingredients; test recipes with R&D Chef and implement SOPs.
• Develop menu specials with internal and external chefs for events.
• Inspect and audit operations, implementing sustainable improvements across all 550 properties.
• Establish structured updates reporting to the VP of Operations weekly, monthly, quarterly.
• Ensure culinary team is educated on products and services.
• Maintain adherence to recipes and procedures to ensure top quality.
• Directly manage each property's Chef de Cuisine with clear direction.
• Facilitate cross-department communication at GHM and restaurant level.
• Promote safe work habits through training and oversight; document and resolve safety incidents.
• Uphold DoH standards with GMs and CDCs to correct violations and ensure long-term compliance.
• Ensure all licenses and permits are obtained and displayed per regulations.
• Plan and execute new location openings with timelines and budgets alongside VP of Operations.
• Enforce grooming and uniform standards for professional appearance.
• Support Marketing/PR in launches and activations.
• Plan and execute culinary activations for partnerships/events.
• Act as ambassador and face of the 550 brand.
• Collaborate with Director of Operations for kitchen-to-dining room execution.
• Participate in community events and CSR goals.
• Oversee profitability of the culinary program across all properties.
• Develop and manage budgets and financial reports.
• Train the culinary team to understand financial goals and tools.

Job description

Executive Chef for 550 Madison ("EC") oversees all culinary operations, execution, and quality control across 550 properties, ensuring guest experiences meet Gracious Hospitality Management (GHM) standards. The role leads BOH facilities, staff development, safety, sanitation, and brand-aligned menu programming.

The EC collaborates with senior leaders and R&D to drive menu innovation, SOPs, and high service standards, while maintaining financial health and growth across the portfolio.