Danville, Virginia | Full-Time, Salaried, Exempt | Reports to Ownership
This position leads a team of cooks, prep staff, expeditors, and dishwashing staff.
Candidate Requirements
Applicants should bring:
- A minimum of 5 years of kitchen management experience within a full-service restaurant environment
- Demonstrated proficiency in food cost management, plate costing, and inventory control systems
- Proven experience developing and managing back-of-house staff schedules
- Current ServSafe Manager certification
- Full availability, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and event dates
Physically, the role requires standing and walking for extended periods, regularly lifting and carrying heavy items, working in a hot and high-volume kitchen environment, and safely operating commercial kitchen equipment.
Position Overview
The Kitchen Manager holds full accountability for kitchen operations, including culinary output, cost management, staffing, sanitation, and facility standards. This individual serves as a core member of the management team and is evaluated on measurable business outcomes, not solely on day-to-day shift execution.
Financial and Inventory Accountability
The Kitchen Manager is responsible for the full financial health of the kitchen:
- Maintaining accurate, up-to-date cost documentation for all menu offerings, notifying ownership promptly of ingredient price changes, and providing pricing recommendations
- Managing food costs to established targets through disciplined purchasing, portioning, and preparation standards
- Supporting the organization's overall cost objectives through purchasing and labor discipline
- Developing and executing a weekly purchasing plan aligned to budget by category
- Monitoring and reducing waste, with documentation maintained for all recorded losses
- Conducting complete weekly inventory counts across food, non-food, and beverage-related supply categories
- Maintaining and reconciling actual-versus-theoretical inventory records, and investigating any discrepancies
- Managing vendor relationships and formally documenting and resolving any supply-related issues
Culinary Execution and Compliance
Quality, consistency, and regulatory readiness fall under this manager's direct ownership:
- Ensuring consistent execution of all menu items to specification, including quality, presentation, and service timing
- Developing and costing new menu items and seasonal specials, and entering finalized recipes into the point-of-sale system
- Supporting execution of special culinary initiatives as needed
- Providing ownership with performance reporting on menu items and recommendations for adjustment
- Maintaining continuous readiness for health department inspection and assuming responsibility for inspection outcomes
- Enforcing daily cleaning protocols and adherence to the weekly deep-cleaning schedule
- Ensuring compliance with food temperature, storage, and labeling requirements
- Monitoring equipment condition, coordinating preventive maintenance, and minimizing operational downtime
Staffing, Scheduling, and Team Development
Beyond the kitchen line, this role shapes the people who run it:
- Developing back-of-house schedules aligned with projected business volume, adjusting staffing promptly in response to changes in demand
- Ensuring appropriate staffing levels for scheduled events
- Monitoring labor costs and scheduling accuracy against established targets
- Providing training to kitchen staff on new menu items and recipes prior to implementation
- Cross-training staff across kitchen stations and maintaining individual training records
- Completing quarterly performance evaluations for all back-of-house staff in accordance with company policy
- Addressing performance concerns in a timely manner, with appropriate documentation
Pay: $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
