Line Cook

Cream City Concepts; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive hourly pay

Discounted employee meals

Opportunity to grow culinary Craft

Job summary

Cream City Concepts in Milwaukee is hiring a Line Cook to own a station, cook to spec, and maintain quality during busy service. You will prep, plate, and stay organized to keep pace on the line.

Join a fast-paced kitchen where collaboration and speed matter. The role requires strong knife skills and food-safety awareness; nights, weekends, and holidays are required; you must be authorized to work in the United States.

Qualifications

• 1+ year of line cook experience in a high-volume kitchen preferred, or a strong cook ready to step up.
• Able to run a station and hold pace during heavy service.
• Solid knife skills and comfort following recipes and plating specs.
• Understanding of food-safety and sanitation standards.
• Calm, fast, and consistent under pressure, with a strong sense of urgency and teamwork.
• Flexible availability including nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Able to stand for extended periods; bend, reach, and lift up to 50 lbs; and work around heat and kitchen equipment.

Responsibilities

• Run your assigned station through prep, service, and close — set up, stocked, and ready before the first ticket.
• Cook every item to recipe, spec, and plating standard, holding quality and portion control under high volume.
• Hold pace during peak service and keep tickets moving without sacrificing consistency.
• Fire and time dishes so the rail flows and plates leave together.
• Keep your station clean, organized, and fully stocked throughout the shift.
• Taste, check, and hold the line on quality — no plate goes out below standard.
• Complete assigned prep accurately and on time, and restock during service.
• Label, date, and rotate product(FIFO).
• Follow all health-department food-handling and sanitation standards.
• Maintain proper temperatures and complete cleaning and closing tasks for your station.
• Communicate clearly on the line — call for backup, answer the expo, flag 86s early.
• Help teammates, prep, and dish whenever the kitchen needs it.

Skills

Station ownership

High-volume service

Work ethic

Empathy

Self-awareness & Integrity

Teamwork

Knife skills

Food safety

Urgency

Availability nights/weekends/holidays

Legal work authorization (US)

Stamina & lifting (up to 50 lbs)

Job description

About Us

Cream City Concepts is Milwaukee’s hospitality group built for the energy of a packed house. We run Oak Barrel Public House, Who’s on Third, Who’s on Layton, Cream City Catering, and 3rd Street Retreat — craft food, cold drinks, game days, date nights, big events, and a place to stay, all over the city. The pace is fast, the standards are high, and the people are what make it work.

About the Role

The Line Cook is where the food happens. You own a station and put out every plate to standard — fast, consistent, and right — through some of the busiest service in the city. Who’s runs high volume: game days, packed bars, tickets stacking up. This role is about holding your station, holding pace, and never letting quality slip when it gets loud. It’s a core step on the Craft Track.

One Kitchen, One Team

In our kitchens, nobody is above any station. When the team needs it, everyone crosses over — as a Line Cook you’ll help with prep, jump on dish when the pit gets buried, and slide across stations wherever the kitchen needs you. We run as one team, not separate jobs.

Clean and Organized — Always

There’s no standing around in our kitchens — if you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean. When you’re not on a task, you’re cleaning, organizing, restocking, or prepping ahead. You keep your station and the kitchen clean and organized all shift, and you work the cleaning checklists — daily, weekly, and monthly — without being asked. A clean, organized kitchen is the standard here, not the exception.

What We’re Hiring For

Skills change by station. These five don’t — they’re the bar in every CCC kitchen, every shift.

• Optimistic Warmth — You bring good energy to the line and stay steady when the rail is full and the night runs long.
• Curious Intelligence — You’re a self-starter. You learn the menu fast, sharpen your technique, and find the cleaner, faster way to work your station.
• Work Ethic — You take pride in every plate — cooked right and consistent, not just fast.
• Empathy — You read the rail and your teammates: you call for help, give it, and set up the next cook to win.
• Self-Awareness & Integrity — You hold your station to standard when no one’s watching, and you own a mistake, refire, and fix it.

Key Responsibilities

Station Ownership & Execution

• Run your assigned station through prep, service, and close — set up, stocked, and ready before the first ticket.
• Cook every item to recipe, spec, and plating standard, holding quality and portion control under high volume.
• Hold pace during peak service and keep tickets moving without sacrificing consistency.

Speed, Consistency & Quality

• Fire and time dishes so the rail flows and plates leave together.
• Keep your station clean, organized, and fully stocked throughout the shift.
• Taste, check, and hold the line on quality — no plate goes out below standard.

Prep & Setup

• Complete assigned prep accurately and on time, and restock during service.
• Label, date, and rotate product(FIFO).

Food Safety & Sanitation

• Follow all health-department food-handling and sanitation standards.
• Maintain proper temperatures and complete cleaning and closing tasks for your station.

Team & Communication

• Communicate clearly on the line — call for backup, answer the expo, flag 86s early.
• Help teammates, prep, and dish whenever the kitchen needs it.

Qualifications

• 1+ year of line cook experience in a high-volume kitchen preferred, or a strong cook ready to step up.
• Able to run a station and hold pace during heavy service.
• Solid knife skills and comfort following recipes and plating specs.
• Understanding of food-safety and sanitation standards.
• Calm, fast, and consistent under pressure, with a strong sense of urgency and teamwork.
• Flexible availability including nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Able to stand for extended periods; bend, reach, and lift up to 50 lbs; and work around heat and kitchen equipment.

Success in This Role Means

• Your station is set, stocked, and ready before every service.
• Every plate leaves to recipe, spec, and plating standard — even at peak volume.
• Tickets move and the rail flows; pace holds when it gets loud.
• Your station stays clean, safe, and organized all shift.
• The team can count on you to hold your spot and jump in elsewhere when needed.

Benefits & Perks

• Competitive hourly pay (based on experience).
• Discounted employee meals.
• Opportunity to grow your skills and move up the culinary Craft Track.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Cream City Concepts is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected class. This job description does not constitute a contract of employment. Employment remains at-will. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time based on business needs.

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