Kitchen Manager (Santona)

Silver Ventures; San Antonio, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Santonia Cantina is seeking a hands-on Kitchen Manager in San Antonio, TX to lead the back-of-house with urgency, pride, and hospitality, ensuring dishes are prepared safely and consistently to Santonia’s standards while building a motivated kitchen team.

You will oversee prep, line, sanitation, inventory, cost control, and staff development, collaborating with the General Manager and FOH for an exceptional guest experience.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of kitchen management or senior kitchen leadership experience in a high-volume restaurant.
• Strong working knowledge of kitchen stations and systems, including prep, line, grill, fry, expo, sanitation, and quality-control standards.
• Demonstrated ability to train, coach, organize, and lead a diverse BOH team.
• Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, allergy awareness, and safe food-handling practices; current manager-level food-safety certification preferred or ability to obtain as required.
• Experience with inventory, ordering, receiving, food-cost control, portion control, and waste management.
• Working knowledge of restaurant financial drivers; experience with food cost, labor, and P&L accountability is strongly preferred.
• Comfort using POS, inventory, scheduling, communication, and HR systems, with the ability to learn new restaurant software quickly.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively with both BOH and FOH leadership.
• Resourceful, organized, and steady under pressure, with strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Availability to work a flexible schedule including mornings, nights, weekends, holidays, and special events as business needs require.
• Ability to stand and work in a commercial kitchen environment for extended periods and lift up to 50 lbs.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus, but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day kitchen operation, including prep, line, food production, sanitation, opening, and closing standards.
• Monitor recipes, portions, temperatures, preparation methods, presentation, and ticket execution.
• Coach team to execute recipes, station standards, and quality identifiers.
• Protect food safety with proper receiving, storage, labeling, allergy awareness, and sanitation practices.
• Conduct line checks and correct any quality or safety issues.
• Build prep and production systems to support volume, minimize shortages, and reduce waste.
• Manage weekly inventory, ordering, receiving, product rotation, and storage while pursuing food-cost and waste goals.
• Monitor yields, waste, and communicate opportunities or concerns to the General Manager.
• Assess BOH staffing needs and participate in hiring, training, and development.
• Train, cross-train, coach, and develop BOH Team Members across stations and roles.
• Organize, validate, and follow up on BOH training programs and onboarding.
• Set expectations for speed, cleanliness, teamwork, and professionalism; enforce with respect.
• Partner with GM on BOH scheduling and labor deployment for business levels and events.
• Ensure BOH setup before shifts and breakdown after service.
• Lead pre-shift meetings and communicate menu notes, specials, reservations/events, safety reminders, and priorities.
• Collaborate with FOH leadership for smooth ticket flow and guest recovery.
• Support menu rollouts, recipe testing, seasonal changes, events, and openings.
• Maintain kitchen equipment and smallwares; report maintenance needs promptly.
• Work with People & Culture on training, documentation, disciplinary action, and separation.
• Model Santonia’s culture through calm leadership, ownership, hospitality.

Skills

Kitchen management

Food safety

Team leadership

Inventory management

Food cost control

POS systems

Communication skills

Problem solving

Bilingual English/Spanish (plus)

Flexibility

Education

Food safety certification (manager level)

Tools

POS systems

Inventory software

HR systems

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Regular Full-Time San Antonio, TX, US

8 days ago Requisition ID: 1618

Summary / Objective

The Kitchen Manager is a hands-on leader responsible for the daily execution, organization, and culture of Santonia Cantina’s back-of-house operation. This role ensures that every dish is prepared safely, consistently, and according to Santonia’s recipes and standards while building a kitchen team that works with urgency, pride, accountability, and respect. The Kitchen Manager partners closely with the General Manager to deliver a welcoming, high-energy cantina experience rooted in the flavors and hospitality of the North Mexico–South Texas borderlands.

Essential Functions

• Lead the successful day-to-day operation of the kitchen, including prep, line execution, food production, sanitation, opening, and closing standards.
• Maintain Santonia’s food quality and consistency by actively monitoring recipes, portioning, temperatures, preparation methods, presentation, and ticket execution.
• Become thoroughly knowledgeable in Santonia recipes, prep procedures, station standards, and quality identifiers, and coach the team to execute them consistently.
• Protect food safety at all times , including proper receiving, storage, cooling, reheating, holding, labeling, allergy awareness, and sanitation practices.
• Conduct thorough line checks before and during service and immediately correct any food-quality , readiness, cleanliness, or safety issue .
• Build strong prep and production systems that support projected volume, minimize shortages, and reduce unnecessary waste.
• Manage weekly inventory, ordering, receiving, product rotation, and storage while working toward established food-cost and waste goals.
• Monitor yields, portion control, waste, and usage trends and communicate opportunities or concerns to the General Manager.
• Assess BOH staffing needs and participate in hiring team members who demonstrate hospitality, urgency, reliability, and pride in their work.
• Train, cross-train, coach, and develop BOH Team Members across prep, line, grill, fry, expo, dish, and other assigned stations.
• Organize, validate, and follow up on BOH training programs and ensure new team members are properly prepared before working independently.
• Set clear expectations for speed, accuracy, cleanliness, teamwork, and professionalism, and hold the team accountable in a respectful and consistent manner.
• Partner with the General Manager on BOH scheduling and labor deployment so the kitchen is appropriately staffed for business levels and special events.
• Ensure the BOH is correctly set up before every shift and fully cleaned, stocked, labeled, and broken down at the end of service.
• Lead or participate in pre-shift meetings and communicate menu notes, 86’d items, specials, reservations/events, safety reminders, and operational priorities.
• Work collaboratively with FOH leadership to support smooth ticket flow, accurate communication, guest recovery, and a unified Santonia experience.
• Support menu rollouts, recipe testing, seasonal changes, special events, and opening-period adjustments as directed by Santonia leadership.
• Maintain kitchen equipment and smallwares responsibly, report maintenance needs promptly, and help prevent avoidable damage or downtime.
• In partnership with Silver Ventures People & Culture, support team-member training, development, documentation, disciplinary action, and separation as necessary in accordance with company policies and applicable law.
• Model Santonia’s culture through calm leadership, ownership, curiosity, hospitality, and a willingness to work alongside the team wherever needed.

Required Education and Experience

• 2+ years of kitchen management or senior kitchen leadership experience in a high-volume restaurant environment.
• Strong working knowledge of kitchen stations and systems, including prep, line, grill, fry, expo, sanitation, and quality-control standards.
• Demonstrated ability to train, coach, organize, and lead a diverse BOH team.
• Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, allergy awareness, and safe food-handling practices; current manager-level food-safety certification preferred or ability to obtain as required.
• Experience with inventory, ordering, receiving, food-cost control, portion control, and waste management.
• Working knowledge of restaurant financial drivers; experience with food cost, labor, and P&L accountability is strongly preferred.
• Comfort using POS, inventory, scheduling, communication, and HR systems, with the ability to learn new restaurant software quickly.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively with both BOH and FOH leadership.
• Resourceful, organized, and steady under pressure, with strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Availability to work a flexible schedule including mornings, nights, weekends, holidays, and special events as business needs require.
• Ability to stand and work in a commercial kitchen environment for extended periods and lift up to 50 lbs.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus, but not required.

Santonia Cantina is committed to creating extraordinary hospitality experiences and a workplace where team members can learn, contribute, and flourish. We lead with respect, accountability, generosity, and shared pride in the experience we create together.