Kitchen Manager / Chef

LONGBOARDS WILLIAMSBURG; Williamsburg (VA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Employee discounts

Health insurance

Paid time off

Bonus based on performance

Competitive salary

Flexible schedule

Profit sharing

Job summary

LONGBOARDS WILLIAMSBURG is seeking a talented Kitchen Manager / Chef to lead the back-of-house and execute our established menu with consistency. You will build and coach a strong BOH team, manage staffing and inventory, and ensure prime ticket times, quality, and cost controls across all shifts.

As a working leader, you’ll have opportunities for creative input once fundamentals are solid. The role offers a performance-based bonus program and potential equity opportunities for standout

Qualifications

• Has kitchen leadership or management experience.
• Can run an organized, efficient line during busy service.
• Understands inventory, ordering and food-cost management.
• Knows how to schedule a kitchen for expected volume.
• Can train employees to follow recipes and procedures consistently.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day back-of-house operations and ensure adherence to the established menu and recipes.
• Manage ticket times, food quality, presentation and portion control.
• Handle BOH staffing, weekly scheduling, hiring and training.
• Coach and develop the kitchen team and monitor inventory, ordering and costs.
• Maintain food safety, sanitation and a clean kitchen, walk‑ins and storage areas.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

Restaurant operations

Staff training

Food safety

Inventory management

Job description

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Employee discounts
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Bonus based on performance
• Competitive salary
• Flexible schedule
• Profit sharing

About the Role:

We’re looking for a talented, organized, hands‑on Kitchen Manager / Chef who wants more than just another kitchen job.

Our restaurant operates an established, licensed concept with a proven menu already in place. You won't be walking into a kitchen where you need to reinvent the menu or figure out the concept. Your first mission is straightforward: build a great back-of-house team and execute our existing menu exceptionally well—every plate, every shift, every day.

Once you've accomplished that, we want to give you room to be creative.

What You’ll Own

You’ll have responsibility for the day‑to‑day operation of the back of house, including:

• Consistent execution of our established menu and recipes
• Ticket times, food quality, presentation and portion control
• BOH staffing and weekly scheduling
• Hiring, onboarding and training new kitchen employees
• Coaching and developing the existing team
• Weekly food and supply inventory
• Ordering food, supplies and other BOH necessities
• Food cost, waste and portion control
• Prep levels and kitchen organization
• Food safety and sanitation standards
• Keeping the kitchen, walk‑ins, storage areas and entire BOH exceptionally clean and organized
• Working closely with ownership and FOH management to create a smooth operation

You’ll be a working leader.

Once the Fundamentals Are Right, Get Creative

Our core menu is already established, but we don't want to eliminate creativity.

Once you've demonstrated that the kitchen is operating consistently—with strong ticket times, quality, cleanliness and cost controls—you'll have the opportunity to develop daily and weekly specials.

We want someone who can eventually put their own stamp on the kitchen while protecting the consistency of the concept.

We’re Looking for Someone Who

• Has kitchen leadership or management experience
• Can run an organized, efficient line during busy service
• Understands inventory, ordering and food-cost management
• Knows how to schedule a kitchen appropriately for expected volume
• Can train employees to follow recipes and procedures consistently
• Holds people accountable while creating a kitchen people actually want to work in
• Takes cleanliness and food safety seriously
• Communicates well with ownership and FOH leadership
• Notices problems and fixes them instead of waiting to be told
• Treats the restaurant's money, product and reputation like their own

Compensation & Performance Bonus

We want our Kitchen Manager to benefit when the restaurant performs well.

In addition to a competitive base salary, we're developing a performance‑based bonus program tied to measurable results such as:

• Food cost and waste
• Labor management
• Kitchen cleanliness and food-safety standards
• Ticket times and consistency
• Guest satisfaction
• Staff development and retention
• Overall restaurant performance

The goal isn't to create impossible bonus targets. It's to reward a strong operator for helping us build a profitable, well‑run restaurant.

Potential Path to Equity

For the right person, this position has the potential to become much more than a salaried kitchen‑management role.

We’re looking for someone who thinks like an owner. Exceptional long‑term performance may create an opportunity to earn an equity stake or other ownership‑based incentive in the business.

Equity is not automatic or guaranteed—it would be based on sustained performance, leadership, commitment and mutually agreed‑upon terms—but we're genuinely open to creating that opportunity for the person who proves they can help us build something great.

Why This Position Is Different

You aren't being handed a failing kitchen and asked to reinvent everything.

You have an established concept and menu to start with.

Your job is to master the operation first: great food, fast ticket times, a clean kitchen, accurate inventory, smart ordering, controlled costs and a well‑trained team.

Do that well, and you'll earn greater creative freedom, performance‑based compensation and the opportunity to grow alongside the business.

If you're the type of kitchen leader who takes pride in walking into a busy service and seeing a prepared team, an organized line, consistent plates and a clean kitchen—and you want your compensation and future opportunities to reflect the results you produce—we'd like to talk to you.