Executive Kitchen Manager (South LA & Orange County, CA)

Tender Greens; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 66,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading restaurant group is seeking an Executive Chef to manage daily operations across multiple locations. The ideal candidate will have a passion for food, strong leadership skills, and a commitment to high standards in restaurant cleanliness and guest satisfaction. This role involves overseeing team performance, financial management, and ensuring compliance with safety protocols in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in a restaurant management role.
• Strong culinary technique with commitment to culinary development.
• Ongoing current Food Safety Manager certification.

Responsibilities

• Managing daily operations and leading team members.
• Ensuring financial expectations are met and guest experiences exceed expectations.
• Overseeing food safety compliance and operational initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Culinary Technique

Customer Service

Communication

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelors/Associates Degree in Hospitality, Restaurant Management, or Culinary

Tools

MS Office

Google Doc

Job description

This listing is for our stores located in El Segundo, Torrance, Irvine Spectrum, and UC Irvine.

Our Executive Chefs are responsible for managing the daily operations of our restaurants, leading team members and delivering on financial expectations by providing hands-on leadership and direction to team members, managers, and ensuring an excellent guest experience that exceeds expectations. Executive Chefs at Tender Greens must have a passion for food, strong knowledge of restaurant operations and finances, high standards of sanitation and safety, and the drive to grow and develop personally while developing those around you.

As an Executive Chef, you are responsible for encompassing our goal of providing each guest with a truly outstanding experience as well as:
A. Leading Team Members by

• Managing team member relations issues by coaching, mentoring, and partnering with People Services as deemed necessary
• Ensuring team members and managers adhere to established policies and procedures.
• Managing team members’ performance including providing regular performance feedback and final termination recommendations when necessary.
• Ensuring day to day practices related to Team Members are adhered to including initial new hire and payroll documents are completed in a timely manner, new hire training requirements within expectations, offboarding procedures completed for terminated team members, approved pay changes and promotion processes adhered to and all other related requirements.
• Ensuring all payroll policies and procedures are adhered to including completion of bi-weekly payroll template, time edits and review of payroll register for compliance.
• Overseeing the selection of new team members including managing applications within the Applicant Tracking system, scheduling interviews and making final hiring decisions.
• Ensuring regular weekly management meetings and daily line-ups to communicate company updates including operations, financial results and reporting, employee related topics, training and education related to changes or new processes, product or equipment introduced to restaurant operations.
• Ensuring all team member injuries are reported at the time of injury following Tender Greens protocols.
• Ensuring all team member safety training is completed in a timely basis and safety standards are adhered to.
• Ensuring Covd-19 safety protocol by taking employee temperature daily, abiding to Covid-19 prevention plan, and filling out the confirmed/possible Covid-19 case questionnaire.

B. Financial Management by:

• Managing day-to-day operations budget and financial expectations including reviewing financial reports and taking appropriate actions to improve profitability
• Managing payroll budget expenditures by creating team member schedules that meet labor expectations through the scheduling template, as well as approving shift changes using the scheduling platform.
• Managing store Food, Beverage and Controllable expenses through Ordering of Packaging (IFS), Meat, Produce, Drinks, Wine & Beer, Uniforms, Gift Cards, Smallware, China and Equipment orders

C. Executing Operational Initiatives by:

• Ensuring any guest complaints are resolved in a favorable manner
• Enforcing safety procedures to maintain a clean and safe environment for both guests and team members
• Ensuring product quality, freshness and presentation meet Tender Greens standards and expectations
• Planning and directing the Limited Time Offer (LTO) item preparation and managing food production schedules
• Supervising the opening and closing procedures of the restaurant
• Ensuring timely follow up and training following third-party food safety audits
• Verifying, approving, and uploading food and beverage inventory into the Inventory system.
• Ensuring food safety compliance through the completion of daily line checks and monthly walkthroughs.
• Managing Purchase Tracker daily and ensuring operating costs are in line with budget, as well as ensuring transfers are completed in the Inventory System and captured in the Purchase Tracker.
• Ensuring expense reports are submitted per policy on a weekly basis
• Following up on open work orders in system (Corrigo) and approve invoices.
• Overseeing the management of catering orders and reviewing upcoming orders daily.
• Ensuring that Point of Sale System (Aloha & Olo) functions are being conducted according to policy such as comps & void, re-opening/ reprinting checks, conducting same day refunds, and doing a system refresh.
• Manage the established injury reporting protocol according to company guidelines by ensuring guest injuries are reported in a timely and accurate manner.
• Ensuring the submission and approval of all invoices in Plate IQ, and general ledger
• Performing other related duties as needed

Qualification Requirements for this position are:

• Bachelors/ Associates Degree in Hospitality, Restaurant Management, or Culinary or equivalent education and work experience; preferably in a high-volume restaurant
• Must have a minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in a restaurant management role; preferably in a full-service restaurant concept
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including coaching, directing, and motivating a team
• Strong culinary technique with commitment to continued culinary development
• Record of maintaining high standards in restaurant cleanliness, sanitation, food quality and guest satisfaction
• Proficient in MS Office, Google Doc
• Excellent written and verbal communication with a positive and outgoing personality
• Customer service focused and solution oriented
• Capable of delegating multiple tasks
• Must enjoy and be able to succeed in a fast-paced and high stress work environment
• Ability to work a flexible schedule based on restaurant needs
• Ongoing current Food Safety Manager certification

Physical, cognitive, social, and environmental requirements include:

• Must be able to lift items through full range weighing up to 50 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis
• Repetitive forward bend of head/neck
• Some bending/kneeling/stooping/twisting/reaching required
• Some repetitive motion and force required
• Must be able to stand/walk for long periods of time (not all at one time)
• Must be able to work in a stationary, seated position as needed (not all at one time)
• Must be able to work in a hot kitchen environment
• Sight, speech and hearing necessary to communicate with Team Members, Vendors and Guest
• Sight and good sensation are necessary to prevent burning oneself while in the kitchen areas
• Hours: Will vary, must be available to occasionally work nights & weekends
• All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Salary Range: $66.6k-$80k + bonus