Lead Kitchen Shift — Assistant Manager

Goop Kitchen; California, Northern (MO, KY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

401k match

Phone reimbursement

Employee discount

Growth opportunities

Job summary

goop kitchen is opening a new La Jolla location and seeks an Assistant Kitchen Manager to lead on the floor during peak hours and coach line cooks to deliver clean, crave‑worthy food with consistent portioning and safety standards.

You’ll partner with the Chef de Cuisine to drive daily operations, manage prep lists, and step in when the CDC is off‑site, developing the team toward future leadership roles in a fast‑casual, delivery‑driven concept.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in a supporting kitchen leadership role (e.g., Assistant Kitchen Manager, Kitchen Lead, Sous Chef) in a high‑volume or made‑to‑order kitchen.
• Demonstrated ability to run a station and direct others through a full‑volume shift.
• Experience training or onboarding hourly kitchen team members.
• ServSafe Food Handler certification, or the ability to obtain one
• Working knowledge of food safety standards, HACCP, and Health Department compliance
• Familiarity with clean eating principles, dietary restrictions, and allergen‑friendly cooking techniques
• Comfort with kitchen systems — POS, inventory platforms, online ordering, and digital food safety logs
• Organizational skills to prioritize prep, production, and cleaning in a fast‑paced environment
• Clear communication with leadership, your kitchen team, and vendors
• A commitment to sustainability, ingredient integrity, and high standards of kitchen cleanliness
• Background in health‑forward, clean‑ingredient, made‑to‑order kitchen concepts and/or experience with delivery‑first or digital food concepts preferred
• Bilingual — Spanish/English a plus

Responsibilities

• Lead the shift. Run assigned shifts as the senior culinary leader on the floor — directing stations, setting the pace, and moving the team as volume shifts.
• Hold the standard. Enforce recipe adherence, portion control, and plating specifications station by station, correcting course in real time before food leaves the kitchen.
• Coach and develop. Train Shift Leads, Utility Chefs, and Line Chefs on station standards, prep procedures, and new menu items, with feedback in the moment.
• Plan prep and production. Build and adjust daily prep and production lists against forecasted volume to protect quality and limit waste.
• Own food safety. Complete and verify temperature checks, cooling reports, and digital food safety logs; lead sanitation walks and hold the team to allergen‑handling and HACCP protocols.
• Support inventory and ordering. Run counts, receive and verify deliveries against invoices, flag variances, and place orders as directed by the CDC.
• Watch the numbers. Apply portioning, yield, and waste controls that support food and labor cost targets, and surface what’s driving them.
• Open and close. Lead opening line checks and closing procedures — checklists complete, equipment shut down properly, facility secured.
• Step in. Take day‑to‑day leadership of the kitchen when the CDC is not present

Skills

Team leadership

Food safety

Communication

Bilingual Spanish/English

Education

ServSafe Certification

Tools

POS systems

Inventory software

Online ordering

Job description

goop kitchen is opening a new La Jolla location and seeks an Assistant Kitchen Manager to lead on the floor during peak hours and coach line cooks to deliver clean, crave‑worthy food with consistent portioning and safety standards.

You’ll partner with the Chef de Cuisine to drive daily operations, manage prep lists, and step in when the CDC is off‑site, developing the team toward future leadership roles in a fast‑casual, delivery‑driven concept.