Kitchen Operations Lead | Culinary & Financial Steward

Goodwin Recruiting; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary

Bonus

Insurance

Paid time off

Career growth

Job summary

Goodwin Recruiting is seeking a Kitchen Manager to lead back‑of‑house operations for a Scratch Kitchen, combining culinary excellence with strong financial stewardship. The role emphasizes menu standardization, team development, and adherence to health standards in a fast-paced gastropub setting.

You will manage daily duties, cost controls, and collaborations with front‑of‑house leadership to ensure guest satisfaction and profitability, with opportunities for advancement as performance and

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of progressive kitchen experience in full-service, fine casual, or premium casual restaurants.
• Proven kitchen leadership experience overseeing daily operations and team performance.
• Strong hands-on culinary skills including line cooking, food preparation, expediting, and quality control.
• Experience managing food costs, labor expenses, inventory, purchasing, and waste control.
• Ability to read and analyze P&L statements and understand restaurant profitability metrics such as COGS and prime cost.
• Skilled in developing staffing schedules, labor forecasting, and budget management.
• Experience recruiting, training, mentoring, and developing culinary teams.
• Familiarity with POS systems, inventory management platforms, and scheduling software.
• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving abilities.
• Demonstrated career progression and professional stability.
• Hands-on, solutions-oriented leadership style with a passion for culinary excellence and hospitality.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily back-of-house operations including preparation, cooking, expediting, and service execution.
• Maintain consistent food quality, portion control, recipe standards, and presentation.
• Develop and implement standardized recipes and kitchen operating procedures.
• Work alongside the culinary team during busy service periods to ensure high standards.
• Manage food safety, sanitation, cleanliness, and compliance with health regulations.
• Oversee kitchen equipment maintenance and preventative maintenance programs.
• Monitor and control food costs, labor expenses, purchasing, inventory, and waste reduction.
• Analyze financial performance using P&L statements, cost percentages, and other KPIs.
• Develop staffing schedules and labor forecasts aligned with business volume.
• Build, train, and develop a positive and accountable kitchen team.
• Collaborate closely with front‑of‑house leadership to ensure smooth service and guest satisfaction.
• Identify operational efficiencies and implement process improvements to maximize profitability.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

P&L analysis

Food cost control

Line cooking

Staff training

POS systems

Budget management

Scheduling

Team development

Quality control

Tools

POS systems

Scheduling software

Job description

Goodwin Recruiting is seeking a Kitchen Manager to lead back‑of‑house operations for a Scratch Kitchen, combining culinary excellence with strong financial stewardship. The role emphasizes menu standardization, team development, and adherence to health standards in a fast-paced gastropub setting.

You will manage daily duties, cost controls, and collaborations with front‑of‑house leadership to ensure guest satisfaction and profitability, with opportunities for advancement as performance and