Kitchen Director

Chick-fil-A; Greenville (SC); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Hours

Closed Sundays

Work Directly With A Chick-fil-A Owner

Competitive Pay

It's a Great Place to Work

Free College- Chick-fil-A Laurens Rd./

Job summary

Chick-fil-A is seeking a Kitchen Director to lead the kitchen operations with a focus on safety, quality, speed, and guest satisfaction. You will own systems, standards, and team rhythms while coaching a diverse team and ensuring performance aligns with brand expectations.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, development of Team Leaders and Shift Managers, and collaboration with restaurant leadership to drive results across guest experience and operational metrics.

Qualifications

• Excellent interpersonal and customer service abilities.
• Strong leadership and coaching capabilities.
• Proven problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Ensure food safety, quality, production, inventory, and food-cost systems.
• Drive daily kitchen readiness, execution, cleanliness, organization and continuous improvement.
• Manage hiring support, onboarding, training, scheduling, coaching and performance management.
• Develop Team Leaders and Shift Managers to lead shifts independently.
• Oversee equipment use, cleaning, maintenance and repair.
• Collaborate with restaurant leadership to meet guest experience and growth goals.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Conflict management

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

We are looking for a Kitchen Director who combines operational excellence with a genuine passion for developing people. This leader will take ownership of the systems, standards, and team rhythms that help our kitchen consistently serve safe with speed, accuracy, and care.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who enjoys building strong teams, improving systems, solving problems, and creating an organized kitchen where people can thrive and guests can trust every meal. \

The Director is the driver of all operations and deliverables for their assigned area of responsibility. The kitchen director is responsible for ensuring food safety, quality, and food costs. The Director reports directly to the Senior Director and oversees team members, Certified Trainers, Shift Supervisors, and team leaders. The Director is also responsible for leading, coaching, and directing everyone in the building whenever possible, including but not limited to holding all of the non-Director-or-higher team accountable to brand standards

What You’ll Own

Food safety, food quality, production, inventory, and food-cost systems

Daily kitchen readiness, execution, cleanliness, organization, and continuous improvement

Hiring support, onboarding, training, scheduling, coaching, and performance management for the kitchen team

Development of Team Leaders and Shift Managers who can support and lead strong shifts independently

Proper use, cleaning, preventive maintenance, and repair follow-through for kitchen equipment

Partnership with restaurant leadership to achieve goals for guest experience, productivity, stewardship, and growth

What Success Looks Like

The kitchen consistently meets high standards for food safety, quality, speed, and accuracy.

Team Members know what is expected, receive effective training and coaching, and have clear opportunities to grow.

Production, ordering, inventory, and waste-management systems support excellent service and responsible food cost.

The kitchen and its equipment are clean, organized, maintained, and ready for business.

Leaders communicate well, solve problems at the root, and sustain improvements across every daypart.

Position Type:

• Full-time

Our Benefits Include:

• Flexible Hours - You probably have commitments to your family, friends, school or sports teams. We will try to arrange your work schedule around them.
• Closed Sundays - All Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays so you can have a day off to spend with family and friends.
• Work Directly With A Chick-fil-A Operator - The Operator is an independent business person, responsible for the operation of the restaurant, who invests time in his or her employees, teaching them important business skills for the future.
• Competitive Pay - Along with a competitive paycheck, you will work in a nurturing environment where you will learn valuable business and people skills.
• It's a Great Place to Work - At Chick-fil-A, our Operators consider their team members to be more than just employees, they are a highly valued part of each Chick-fil-A restaurant. Our high retention rate is proof that team members really enjoy working at Chick-fil-A.
• Free College- Chick-fil-A Laurens Rd. and Haywood Rd. is a proud partner of Point University. Team members are eligible for tuition-free college through Point's 100% online platform for Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees. Earn your degree while you build your resume with us!

Behavioral Characteristics:

• Be fully engaged with all company policies and procedures, including any new rollouts and communicating necessary information to the rest of the team
• Live the Core 4
• Combine critical thinking and practical leadership to create a culture of innovations
• Be a leader and driver of Chick-fil-A’s Business Vision and Strategy
• Ensure a top-of-mind mentality for Our Purpose “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us” and “To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
• Live our Core Values: We’re Here to Serve; We’re Better Together; We’re Purpose Driven; We Pursue What’s Next
• Contribute to the team environment within our leadership structure: problem solve, contribute to the group, and invest in the overall success of our business
• Always leave your area, and the restaurant as a whole, better than you found it

Specific Duties:

• Ensure company policies in relation to inventory and/or cash handling are consistently understood and applied
• Support training director in ensuring team members are on-boarded smoothly, feel comfortably integrated in our team, and assist in filling any gaps in the training process for any team member
• Ensure Layouts are done prior to beginning of shifts, also ensuring aces are in places and all needed coverage is present while also communicating with Directors and Leaders regarding any scheduling gaps needing to be filled
• Ensure there is good communication of relevant information (example: catering orders) to necessary parts of the business
• Work between 25 and 35 hours each week working in a position with 5-15 hours used for administration and planning
• Ensure best-in-the-industry safety and security standards, including but not limited to keeping locked doors closed, ensuring team members practice safety-in-numbers when applicable, always leaving the building with 2+ team members at the end of the night, and always practicing safety when money handling (never leaving money exposed but unattended, not leaving cash drawers open for extended periods of time, etc.)
• Work closely with the Director team to ensure peak guest experience
• Coach behaviors of all Leaders and team members who work in your area of responsibility
• Maintain a clean and organized workplace throughout your area of responsibility
• Coach, evaluate, and provide feedback (both by use of team member disciplinary policy and without it) to your team on a daily basis
• Consistent and deliberate development of team members

Director Requirements:

• Excellent interpersonal and custom er service skills
• Effective conflict management skills
• Ability tot lead and influence people effectively
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when necessary
• Ability to function well in a high-paced and at time stressful environment
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to take initiative
• 2+ years of food/customer service experience
• Management Experience (preferred)
• Morning and Evening Availability Required
• Bachelor's Degree (preferred)
• Previous Chick-fil-A experience (preferred)

We look forward to having you join our team!

Working at a Chick-fil-A® restaurant is more than a job – it’s an opportunity for teamwork and leadership development in a positive, people-focused environment. Most Chick-fil-A restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent, franchised Operators who invest in the future of their Team Members and give back to their communities.
At Chick-fil-A, our mission is to “WOW” our guests by inspiring people to take good care of each other. We are excited to serve our guests and impact our local community! Our employees have passion and people with heart that can provide our guests a clean, efficient, and quality experience. Our Hospitality Professionals serve on the frontline and kitchen in a fast-paced, team environment of learning, excellence.