Culinary Operations Manager / Working Kitchen Manager
Holiday Inn & Suites Farmington Hills–Detroit NW
Location: Farmington Hills, Michigan
Position Type: Full-Time
Schedule: Primarily afternoons, evenings, weekends, and event-related shifts
Position Summary
Holiday Inn & Suites Farmington Hills–Detroit NW is seeking a hands-on Culinary Operations Manager / Working Kitchen Manager to lead and execute food service for our hotel restaurant, bar, meetings, and special events.
The successful candidate will work directly in the kitchen, lead dinner preparation and service, support banquet and meeting functions, train kitchen employees, and build the systems necessary to deliver consistent food quality and timely service.
Our hotel has an established menu and approximately 4,000 square feet of meeting and event space. We are looking for an experienced culinary professional who can take ownership of daily kitchen execution and help grow both our restaurant and banquet food-and-beverage operations.
Primary ResponsibilitiesRestaurant and Dinner Service
- Lead daily preparation and execution of the hotel’s dinner menu.
- Work actively on the cooking line during breakfast & dinner service.
- Ensure food is prepared consistently, safely, and according to established recipes and presentation standards.
- Create and maintain daily prep lists, production schedules, station assignments, and opening and closing procedures.
- Monitor ticket times, food quality, portioning, plating, and guest feedback.
- Coordinate with restaurant servers, bartenders, front-desk employees, and hotel management.
- Maintain appropriate product levels while minimizing food waste and menu-item outages.
- Recommend practical menu or operational adjustments that improve execution, quality, and profitability.
Meetings, Banquets, and Events
- Prepare and execute food service for meetings, corporate functions, social events, and group business.
- Review banquet event orders and upcoming event requirements with hotel management and sales personnel.
- Develop production timelines and prep plans for scheduled events.
- Coordinate food preparation, presentation, buffet setup, replenishment, and breakdown.
- Ensure restaurant and banquet functions can operate simultaneously when required.
- Assist with developing practical banquet menus, packages, and service standards.
- Adjust staffing and food production based on hotel occupancy, restaurant demand, and event schedules.
Kitchen Leadership and Administration
- Recruit, train, schedule, and supervise line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, and utility employees.
- Establish standardized recipes, portions, plating guides, pars, and inventory procedures.
- Manage food purchasing, receiving, storage, rotation, and inventory.
- Monitor food cost, labor usage, waste, and purchasing decisions.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and inspection-ready kitchen.
- Ensure compliance with health-department regulations, food-safety requirements, and hotel standards.
- Maintain kitchen equipment and promptly report repair or replacement needs.
- Provide clear communication to the General Manager regarding staffing, purchasing, operational concerns, and upcoming events.
- Support other food-and-beverage functions as reasonably needed.
Qualifications
- Previous experience as a kitchen manager, sous chef, lead cook, banquet chef, or similar culinary leadership position.
- Strong line-cooking skills and the ability to personally execute multiple kitchen stations.
- Experience preparing food for restaurant service, banquets, catering, meetings, or special events.
- Ability to organize and execute several food orders or functions simultaneously.
- Experience training and supervising kitchen employees.
- Working knowledge of food cost, inventory, ordering, portion control, and waste management.
- Knowledge of food-safety and sanitation requirements.
- Ability to remain organized and composed during busy dinner and event periods.
- Dependable attendance and availability for evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- Hotel culinary experience is preferred but not required.
- ServSafe Manager certification is preferred or must be obtained within [30/60/90] days of employment.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to stand and work in a commercial kitchen for extended periods.
- Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to approximately 50 pounds.
- Ability to work around heat, steam, sharp equipment, refrigeration, and commercial cooking equipment.
- Ability to safely move food, supplies, and banquet equipment throughout the hotel.
What Success Looks Like
The Culinary Operations Manager will be expected to:
- Establish reliable and consistent dinner service.
- Improve food quality, preparation, presentation, and ticket times.
- Build and train a dependable kitchen team.
- Create repeatable systems for restaurant and banquet production.
- Successfully execute food service for meetings and events.
- Maintain appropriate food and labor costs.
- Keep the kitchen clean, organized, properly stocked, and ready for service.
Why Join Our Team?
This is an opportunity to take ownership of a hotel culinary operation with an existing restaurant menu and meaningful potential to grow dinner, meeting, banquet, and event business. The selected candidate will have the ability to shape kitchen procedures, develop the culinary team, and directly influence the success of the hotel’s food-and-beverage operation.
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
