Kitchen Operations Lead — Hands-On BOH Manager

Jobtome; Oklahoma; On-site; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

The Restaurant Zone is seeking a hands-on Kitchen Manager / BOH Operations Leader to own daily back-of-house operations at a busy American gastropub. You will lead by example, cook alongside the team when needed, establish consistent standards, and manage financial and operational aspects of the kitchen.

The ideal candidate will run the kitchen, develop the team, control costs, and deliver consistent results while maintaining strong food safety and sanitation practices.

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years of progressive kitchen leadership experience.
• Strong background in American gastropubs, craft beer tap houses, scratch kitchens, or comparable full-service casual dining concepts.
• Proven ability to manage daily BOH operations in a fast-paced restaurant environment.
• Hands-on cooking experience and credibility with line cooks and kitchen teams.
• Solid understanding of food and labor cost controls, inventory, ordering, purchasing, and waste management.
• Experience improving kitchen organization, prep systems, ticket times, and food consistency.
• Proven ability to recruit, train, coach, and hold BOH employees accountable.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and kitchen operating procedures.
• Organized, decisive, and solutions-oriented; calm under pressure.
• Comfortable with ownership and kitchen performance accountability.
• ServSafe certification preferred or ability to obtain.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily BOH operations, including food preparation, kitchen organization, and service execution.
• Lead, train, schedule, and hold kitchen employees accountable for performance and standards.
• Maintain consistent food quality, portion control, presentation, and ticket times.
• Improve prep systems, station organization, opening/closing procedures, and overall kitchen efficiency.
• Monitor food and labor costs, inventory, ordering, purchasing, and waste reduction.
• Maintain accurate inventory levels and proper rotation and storage.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, and cleanliness standards.
• Work hands-on with line cooks during busy service and provide direction.
• Partner with ownership to address staffing, operational challenges, and kitchen performance.
• Support menu execution and specials while maintaining established concept.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

BOH operations

Staff coaching

Food safety knowledge

Cost controls

Process improvement

Hands-on cooking

Job description

The Restaurant Zone is seeking a hands-on Kitchen Manager / BOH Operations Leader to own daily back-of-house operations at a busy American gastropub. You will lead by example, cook alongside the team when needed, establish consistent standards, and manage financial and operational aspects of the kitchen.

The ideal candidate will run the kitchen, develop the team, control costs, and deliver consistent results while maintaining strong food safety and sanitation practices.