Kitchen Manager

Au Bon Pain; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Quarterly bonuses

401(k) and workplace banking benefits

Job summary

Au Bon Pain in Boston is looking for a Kitchen Manager responsible for overseeing all food and beverage processes to ensure guest satisfaction. This role emphasizes the quality and freshness of ingredients while maintaining high standards of health and sanitation.

The ideal candidate will have 3–5 years of experience in the restaurant industry, with a culinary degree preferred. The position offers competitive salary and benefits including medical insurance, quarterly bonuses, and a structured training program.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years experience in restaurant/food service industry.
• Operational experience with full P & L responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Manage food and beverage processes and Guest satisfaction.
• Maintain cleanliness and safety in all food production areas.
• Oversee inventory management and food ordering.

Skills

Experience in food service

Leadership

Customer service

Education

Culinary degree preferred

Job description

Crafting distinctively delicious food starts early morning in Au Bon Pain cafe. While our bakers line the shelves with hot, freshly baked pastries, muffins, bagels and scones, other team members brew our rich coffee and espresso blends from the highest‑quality Arabica beans, set up the health smart oatmeal bar, and prepare dozens of fresh eggs for nourishing breakfast sandwiches.

Their passion for quality and freshness continues throughout the day with mouthwatering sandwiches and wraps served on freshly baked breads; hearty soups, stews and macaroni and cheese; enticing salads topped with our signature dressings; and assortments of cut and whole fresh fruit; cheese and crackers; energy bars; nuts; yogurt and indulgent cupcakes, cookies and brownies.

Au Bon Pain caters to today's sophisticated but time‑constrained customer in many ways. One day you may enjoy a made‑to‑order customized sandwich or salad, designed by you and prepared just the way you like it. The next day, you may only have time to grab a pre‑made salad, sandwich, wrap or snack. But no matter how you shop, we promise that our food will always be delicious and fresh and our service fast and friendly.

Job Description

Position Summary : Responsible for creating a culture of learning, execution and appreciation of food that is fresh, convenient, customizable and available. This person must provide management for Au Bon Pain food and beverage processes and the leadership to facilitate guest satisfaction and financial success in all of the café’s food and beverage outlets. Overall emphasis is placed on procurement, execution, distribution and adherence to ABP standards while operating at or above health and sanitation requirements. Kitchen Manager, in partnership with the General Manager, will manage, teach and give feedback while stressing a Guest Centric mentality and complete abidance to ABP policies and procedures 100% of the time.

Responsibilities

Hospitality

• Celebrate fresh food and a cultural appreciation of quality ingredients.
• Proudly work to spread our message of fresh food to every guest.
• Proactively seek out guest engagement and conversation while on the floor.
• Reiterate compliance to the station‑specific interaction script.
• Build ability to multitask while keeping first priority on a “Guest First!” mentality.
• Strive to turn every guest into a loyal guest by offering a consistent, friendly, and easy shopping experience.
• Instill these qualities in all of the crew members you train and come in contact with.

Receiving/Storage/Organization

• Maintain the organization standards listed in the ABP standards of storage and organization.
• Respect the food and take pride in receiving and storing quality product; maintain product integrity by performing thorough inspections of all incoming items.
• Adhere to the Produce Handling Guide at all times.
• Ensure all storage and receiving practices are up to ABP and health code standards.
• Maintain a “Clean as you go” mentality at all times.
• Schedule staff accordingly to meet and exceed budget goal while maintaining standards.

Prep/Premade

• Utilize all tools (Prep Sheet, Procedure Cards, Step by Step, Café Requisition Sheet and Café & Culinary Readiness Journal) to ensure product quality and availability throughout the day.
• Develop a cultural appreciation of prepping and preparing food that is fresh, convenient, and of the highest quality.
• Teach and maintain proper station setup to maximize efficiency.
• Maintain premade handling and wrapping procedures to ensure product meets temperature and is at ABP standard.
• Accurately merchandise products per merchandising guide and schematics.
• Check for quality and make sure that any and all product below our standards is brought to the attention of General Manager and never served to the guest.
• Taste menu items with team members to build overall product knowledge.

Food Ordering/Production Planning/Inventory

• Maintain and actively use ABP order guides for all food and paper orders.
• Develop pars for all food, paper and beverage products.
• Ensure weekly food inventory is complete every Thursday.
• Review product sales mix and waste report daily.
• Formulate weekly and daily production plans, taking into consideration P‑mix, waste, forecast and weather.
• Maintain inventory of labels for grab‑and‑go packaging.
• Perform weekly inventories with the General Manager.

Distribution

• Ensure use of requisition sheets for all deliveries from production kitchen to outlets.
• Manage the packaging of product for delivery using proper equipment to maintain product integrity.
• Develop delivery schedule to ensure outlets are properly stocked at the right time without disrupting business.
• Maintain food quality and temperature throughout the delivery process.
• Maintain the sanitation and condition of all delivery equipment and vehicle.

Profitability

• Ensure profitability through proper planning and execution of food processes and labor processes; keep food cost variance and labor costs within standard.

Sanitation and Safety

• Ensure all food production areas are maintained at the highest level of cleanliness and safety.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years proven and demonstrated experience in the restaurant/food service/hospitality industry in a similar or equivalent position.
• Culinary degree preferred.
• Operation experience with full P & L responsibility required.

Additional Information

• 5‑day work weeks
• 7‑week structured training program
• Competitive salary, weekly pay
• Quarterly bonuses
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Pet insurance and employee referral programs
• Vacation time
• 401(k) and workplace banking benefits

Job Location