Hilldale - Kitchen Lead

sweetgreen; Springfield (MO); On-site; USD 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

As a Kitchen Lead at sweetgreen, you'll play a critical role in ensuring the quality and presentation of our food, managing kitchen operations efficiently, and leading a team in a fast-paced environment dedicated to fresh, real food. We're committed to internal team growth and providing a rewarding workplace.

Benefits

Medical, dental, & vision plan options

Paid Vacation + Wellness time

401k

Free healthy shift meals

Tips eligibility

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years or older and authorized to work in the US.
• Previous kitchen or restaurant experience required.
• Reliable attendance and punctuality essential.

Responsibilities

• Ensure kitchen cleanliness and organization.
• Cook and prep hot food items as per quality standards.
• Maintain food safety protocols and conduct regular taste tests.

Skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Leadership

Food safety knowledge

Job description

As a Kitchen Lead you will be an ambassador for our mission : building healthier communities by connecting people to real food. The Kitchen Lead position serves as the backbone of our restaurant's hot food preparation, ensuring every guest receives high-quality, properly cooked, and well-presented food. This role requires exceptional culinary skills, leadership abilities, and operational awareness to manage the full cycle of kitchen operations throughout different service periods.

When you join Sweetgreen, you are joining our movement of rewriting the future of fast food. And you won't just grow the planet's future-you grow your own. We're passionate about growing our teams internally - our top-performing team members can reach General Manager in 36 months!

What You'll Do :

These responsibilities highlight some of the key functions a Kitchen Lead will perform. They include but are not limited to :

• Ensure kitchen is clean, organized, and well-stocked throughout service
• Cook and prep hot food items according to recipes and quality standards
• Maintain food safety protocols including proper FIFO rotation
• Conduct regular taste tests to validate food quality
• Manage oven capacity and maintenance for optimal food production
• Coordinate with MOD, Cold Prep, and Service teams throughout shifts
• Support seamless transitions between AM and PM operations
• Record waste due to quality or expiration issues- Run hot food during off-peak periods and support other stations as needed
• Lead food tastings and midday quality checks- Assist with new menu training and implementation
• Process receiving orders and report shortages or quality issues
• Physical Requirements : Lift up to 25 lbs, stand for extended periods.

You must be able to perform all of the above essential job duties satisfactorily, with or without a reasonable accommodation

Minimum Requirements :

• Must be available to work a minimum of 30 hours per week.
• You must be 18 years of age or older
• Must be authorized to work in the United States

What You'll Bring :

• Previous kitchen or restaurant experience
• Knowledge of proper food safety handling procedures
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment
• Strong time management and multitasking abilities
• Basic understanding of inventory management
• Reliable attendance and punctuality
• Attention to detail and commitment to quality

What Makes You Stand Out

• Prior hot line cooking experience
• Food Handler or ServSafe certification
• Experience with high-volume food production
• Training or leadership experience
• Ability to anticipate needs and solve problems proactively
• Strong organization and prioritization skills
• Passion for food quality and consistency
• Experience working with kitchen management tools

What Perks You'll Get :

• We reward Hospitality! Team Members are eligible for Tips depending on their role and location
• Competitive wages - Team Members earn raises for learning new skills
• Medical, dental, & vision plan options for part-time and full-time Team Members
• Paid Vacation + Wellness time
• Paid parental leave
• 401k
• Free healthy and delicious shift meals
• Access to our SG Swag Marketplace - earn and buy custom swag
• And much more...
• Depending on eligibility

Join our team and become the backbone of our hot food preparation, ensuring every guest receives high-quality, properly cooked, and consistently delicious food throughout the day.

Who We Are :

sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthier communities by connecting people to real food. We passionately believe that real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone. Every day in each sweetgreen, our 5,000 team members make food from scratch, using fresh ingredients and produce delivered that morning. And in our local communities, we're committed to leaving people better than we found them. We're in the business of feeding people, and we're out to change what that means. Our teams are our most valuable ingredient - the heart of our company, the face of our brand, and what truly makes the sweetgreen experience special and unique.

Sweetgreen provides equal opportunities for everyone that works for us and everyone that applies to join our team, without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, any service, past, present, or future, in the uniformed services of the United States (military or veteran status), or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law.

California residents : Review our applicant privacy notice HERE.

Sweetgreen participates in the federal government's E-Verify program to determine employment eligibility. To learn more about the E-Verify program, please CLICK HERE.