Kitchen Manager — New Fast-Casual Chicken Concept (Pre-Opening)
About the Opportunity
We're a new fast-casual concept built around one thing done exceptionally well: pressure-fried, pickle-brined chicken. A focused menu, high standards, and Southern sides that actually mean it. We're opening our first location in Jonestown and building the kitchen from the ground up — which is exactly why this role matters.
The Role
This is a founding Kitchen Manager position. You won't inherit someone else's systems — you'll help refine them, then run them. Working alongside ownership and our opening team, you'll take our recipes and station layout from paper to a working, repeatable operation, then lead the back of house through soft open and into steady service.
The right person is an operator who wants ownership of a kitchen's execution and takes real pride in consistency — the same great plate on Day 1 and Day 200.
What You'll Do
- Lead daily back-of-house operations: prep, line, expo, and close
- Own execution of recipes, build sheets, and quality standards across the fry program, sandwiches, sides, and sauces
- Hire, train, and schedule the kitchen team
- Manage food ordering, inventory, par levels, and waste
- Hold the line on food safety and cleanliness to Austin Public Health standards
- Hit food and labor cost targets without cutting quality
- Help finalize prep systems and training materials during the pre-opening build
How We Run
We're built on one idea: do a few things exceptionally, every single time. That only works when everyone owns the standard instead of just following it. We hire people who take consistency personally, speak up when something's off, and fix it rather than hide it. Expectations are clear and we hold each other to them — kitchen and ownership alike. No drama, no shortcuts, no "good enough for a chicken place." If that's already how you work, you'll fit here.
What We're Looking For
- 3+ years in a kitchen leadership role (KM, sous, or strong lead) in a high-volume fast-casual or full-service kitchen
- High-volume fry experience strongly preferred; pressure fryer (Henny Penny) experience a plus
- Proven ability to train a team and hold consistency at volume
- Comfort with ordering, inventory, and cost management
- Current Texas Food Manager Certification, or ability to obtain one before opening
- Available nights and weekends, including a weekend brunch service
- Energized by a pre-opening build — comfortable creating structure where none exists yet
Why This Job
- Ground-floor role. Build the systems you'll run, with genuine ownership of the kitchen.
- Direct line to ownership not layers of bureaucracy.
- A focused menu, taken seriously. We'd rather do 15 things exceptionally than 50 adequately.
To Apply
Apply through Indeed with your resume. A short note on why a pre-opening chicken concept interests you goes a long way.
Pay: $50,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
