Santa Monica Kitchen Team Lead

HomeState; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 33,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free meals

Benefits

Life insurance

Employee assistance program

Advancement opportunities

Slip-resistant shoes

Community involvement

Transparent communication

Compassionate culture

Job summary

HomeState, a Tex Mex Kitchen in Southern California, is hiring for a Kitchen Team Member with Lead on Duty responsibilities in Santa Monica. The role emphasizes hospitality, safety, and teamwork across all shifts.

Competitive hourly pay with tip share reflects experience and leadership duties. Requirements include 1–2 years in a professional kitchen, a valid Food Handler certification, and ability to work five days per week, including weekends.

Qualifications

• Mastery of all core competencies for Kitchen Team Member role.
• Ability to secure and deploy resources effectively and efficiently.
• Lead by example and maintain standards with a collaborative approach.

Responsibilities

• Lead on Duty: train and supervise in collaboration with management.
• Maintain standards and ensure a safe, healthy working environment.
• Oversee opening/closing tasks, attendance, reports, and inventory as assigned.

Skills

Resourcefulness

Influential leadership

Situational adaptability

Instill trust

Attendance & reliability

Guest service

Job description

HomeState is a Tex Mex Kitchen in Southern California. We serve tacos, queso, brisket, and margaritas, but more than that, we serve each other. We provide everyone with warm hospitality that makes them feel at home. No matter where you’re from. Everything we do – from how we greet each other to how we show up in our communities – is rooted in that belief. We serve hospitality first, tacos second.

• Service – Our foundation is care for the guest and team experience.
• Hospitality – We treat others with respect and dignity. All are welcome.
• Intentional – No detail is too small and nothing happens by accident.
• Nurturing – We value learning and curiosity through training and innovation.
• Excellence – We hold ourselves to the highest standards in safety and service.

SHINE: HOW WE SHOW UP

• Service – Our foundation is care for the guest and team experience.
• Hospitality – We treat others with respect and dignity. All are welcome.
• Intentional – No detail is too small and nothing happens by accident.
• Nurturing – We value learning and curiosity through training and innovation.
• Excellence – We hold ourselves to the highest standards in safety and service.

PAY

$24–$28/ hr with tip share

Base rate for team leads is $20.50/hr

• With tip share it is reasonable to expect $26–$28/hr

WHY HOMESTATE

• Free delicious meals every shift
• Affordable benefits*
• 100% company-paid life insurance*
• Employee assistance program
• Advancement opportunities available
• Slip-resistant shoe program
• Advancement opportunities
• We play an active role in our communities
• We value transparent communication
• We lead with compassion

Essentials That You Bring

• Mastery of all core competencies for Kitchen Team Member role.
• Resourcefulness: Secure and deploy resources (such as people, time, equipment, materials, and support) effectively and efficiently. Adapt quickly to changing resource requirements. Bring ideas for areas of improvement to management.
• Influential: Inspire team members to gain their support and commitment. Empower and lead by example. Team Leads are charged with maintaining the standards and elevating whenever possible using compelling arguments to find common ground that satisfy the needs of many with maintaining collaborative approach.
• Situationally Adaptable: Adapting in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Change training or communication delivery for different types of learners. Observes situational and group dynamics to select best approach for a successful shift.
• Instill Trust: Gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, transparency and authenticity. Honors commitments & practices professional discretion.
• Follow all HomeState standards, sanitation guidelines, policies or procedures to ensure that you are serving guests the highest quality, delivering caring hospitality, and that you are embodying the HomeState mission and core values.
• Maintain regular, predictable attendance, which includes attendance at all scheduled shifts, training and meetings.
• Ensure common areas and kitchen areas are clean, organized and appealing to guests.
• Take pride in your work each day to make things a little better than they were yesterday.
• Serve as an ambassador, both internally and externally in the community.

Lead on Duty

• Team Leads are responsible for leading and training in collaboration with management.
• Team Leads are responsible to maintain standards and ensure a safe, healthy working environment.
• Team Leads are often responsible for assisting ordering and receiving products.
• Team Leads are often responsible for opening or closing the shift which includes monitoring attendance, breaks, shift reports, waste log, restaurant emails, reporting performance issues, inventory count, or other non-supervisory tasks as assigned by Management or outlined in the administrative duties matrix.
• Team Leads are not responsible for hiring, scheduling, progressive counseling, disciplinary actions, or terminations.

Requirements

• 1-2 years experience in a professional restaurant kitchen is preferred.
• Personable and enjoys working with people and a diverse team.
• Valid Food Handlers Certification Card (or be able to take a company provided course within 30 days of hire).
• Availability to work a minimum of five days per week. Extended hours and/or a sixth day may occasionally be required. Weekends, day shifts and evening shifts may be required.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to remain in a stationary position for long periods of time (6 or more hours per shift, excluding break times).
• Ability to lift, push, pull, or carry up to 40 pounds (examples include stacks of metal sheet trays, bulk food items, and taking out the trash.)
• Ability to frequently bend and reach overhead (examples include stocking supplies and organizing products in the walk in cooler).
• Ability to lift and use utensils (including chopping), and grip equipment such as pots/pans or other kitchen equipment.
• Ability to work in fluctuating temperatures ranging from hot (high radiant heat areas ~ 82°) to cold (food storage areas ~ 37 °).
• Ability to work near open flames, hot cooking equipment, and steam.
• Ability to perform certain repetitive motion activities (e.g., utilizing certain utensils such as food scoops for extended periods of time or flipping tortillas in repetition.)
• Ability to work in tight spaces such as dish stations.
• Ability to recognize, perceive, communicate and/or comprehend directions and spatial cues (e.g. “hot,” “behind,” “corner,” knife,” etc.)
• Ability to sit, squat and kneel occasionally.
• Ability to regularly move around the restaurant from guests areas to kitchen areas while carrying items (such as beverage racks and food cambros).
• Must be able to work in a constant state of alertness and safe manner.

Please note that this job description is not intended to provide a comprehensive list of all the tasks, duties, and responsibilities the employee may be required to perform, and any assigned tasks, duties, and responsibilities may be subject to change at the company’s discretion, with or without notice or contemporaneous update to this document. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities and sincerely-held religious beliefs to perform the essential functions of this position, to the extent required by and in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local law; contact Human Resources to request a reasonable accommodation. Nothing in this job description modifies the at-will nature of employment.

HomeState embraces diversity and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of any classification protected by law. We will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with Criminal Histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

• Eligibility for some benefits may be dependent upon average hours worked or length of employment.