Director of Culinary Operations
Cantina Lime Restaurant Group
North Texas / Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex
Compensation
$65,000–$80,000 annual base salary, depending on experience
Performance-based bonus opportunity
Catering incentive program
Mileage or travel reimbursement between locations
Advancement opportunity as the restaurant group expands
About Cantina Lime
Cantina Lime is a growing Mexican restaurant group with two locations in North Texas. We specialize in fresh, scratch-made Mexican cuisine, quality ingredients, bold flavors, and approachable hospitality.
Our next objective is to grow from two restaurants to approximately five locations throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. We are strengthening our culinary systems, leadership structure, and operating standards to support that expansion.
We are seeking an experienced Director of Culinary Operations with a strong background in Mexican, Tex-Mex, or Latin cuisine to protect our food quality while improving consistency, profitability, training, and kitchen execution across multiple locations.
Position Summary
The Director of Culinary Operations will oversee culinary standards and back-of-house performance across Cantina Lime’s current and future locations.
This is a hands-on, multi-unit leadership position. The selected candidate will work closely with ownership, the Director of Operations, General Managers, Kitchen Managers, and an outside culinary consultant.
The primary responsibility is to establish and enforce consistent kitchen systems without eliminating the fresh ingredients, scratch preparation, marinades, and flavors that distinguish Cantina Lime.
Primary Responsibilities
Culinary Standards and Recipe Execution
Maintain and protect Cantina Lime’s established flavor profile and culinary identity
Standardize recipes, portions, preparation procedures, plating, and product specifications
Maintain complete recipe books with measurements, yields, photographs, procedures, and food costs
Ensure consistent food quality across all locations
Test proposed recipe or menu improvements and present them to ownership for approval
Obtain ownership approval before implementing material recipe, product, plating, or menu changes
Kitchen Systems and Operations
Develop and maintain prep lists, production pars, batch schedules, station diagrams, and opening and closing procedures
Establish proper kitchen staffing models based on projected sales
Improve ticket times, line organization, prep readiness, and shift execution
Conduct regular kitchen inspections and operational audits
Maintain labeling, shelf-life, temperature-control, sanitation, and food-safety standards
Assist with kitchen layouts, equipment organization, and future restaurant openings
Food Cost and Inventory Control
Maintain accurate recipe and plate costing
Monitor food cost, waste, yields, portions, purchasing, and inventory accuracy
Identify cost-saving opportunities without reducing ingredient quality or compromising flavor
Establish approved product specifications and substitution procedures
Collaborate with vendors and ownership on purchasing and procurement
Participate in menu engineering and profitability reviews
Leadership and Training
Recruit, train, coach, and evaluate Kitchen Managers, Assistant Kitchen Managers, Lead Cooks, and culinary team members
Build a kitchen-management bench capable of supporting future openings
Establish structured onboarding and station-certification programs
Hold kitchen leaders accountable for food quality, labor, cleanliness, food cost, training, and execution
Work collaboratively with General Managers and the Director of Operations
Help create a consistent and respectful kitchen culture across all locations
Catering and Additional Revenue
Develop and enforce catering production and execution systems
Ensure catering orders meet quality, presentation, timing, and profitability standards
Assist in growing catering sales and operational capacity
Participate in catering incentives based on mutually established performance and profitability requirements
Culinary Non-Negotiables
Cantina Lime is not seeking to replace its food with generic corporate products or unnecessary shortcuts.
The Culinary Director must protect:
Fresh marinades and sauces
Scratch-made recipes and preparations
Quality proteins and produce
Bold, consistent Mexican flavors
Proper portions and presentation
Food safety and cleanliness
Efficient execution without sacrificing quality
Operational improvements are expected, but material changes to recipes, ingredients, menu items, or culinary identity require ownership approval.
Required Qualifications
At least five years of progressive kitchen leadership experience
Professional experience with Mexican, Tex-Mex, regional Mexican, or Latin cuisine
Strong knowledge of Mexican ingredients, cooking techniques, sauces, marinades, proteins, and production methods
Experience managing food cost, kitchen labor, purchasing, inventory, and waste
Experience creating or enforcing standardized recipes, prep systems, and kitchen SOPs
Ability to train and hold kitchen leaders accountable
Experience in high-volume restaurant operations
ServSafe Manager or equivalent food-safety certification
Ability to travel regularly between North Texas locations
Availability to work selected nights, weekends, holidays, and restaurant openings when operationally necessary
Preferred Qualifications
Multi-unit culinary leadership experience
Experience supporting two or more restaurant locations
New restaurant opening experience
Spanish-language proficiency
Catering operations experience
Menu engineering and recipe-costing experience
Experience developing Kitchen Managers and opening teams
Knowledge of Texas and Dallas–Fort Worth restaurant markets
Performance Expectations
The Culinary Director will be evaluated based on:
Food quality and recipe consistency
Food-cost and waste performance
Kitchen-labor productivity
Recipe and portion compliance
Ticket times and prep readiness
Food-safety and cleanliness audit results
Development and retention of Kitchen Managers
Completion and maintenance of culinary systems
Successful preparation for future restaurant openings
Growth Opportunity
Cantina Lime currently operates two locations and plans to expand to approximately five restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
This position offers the opportunity to help build the culinary infrastructure, leadership bench, and operating systems required to support that growth. As the company expands, the role may develop into a more senior culinary leadership position with increased compensation and responsibility.
Indeed Summary
Cantina Lime is hiring a hands-on Director of Culinary Operations with professional Mexican or Tex-Mex culinary experience. This multi-unit position will oversee food quality, recipes, kitchen systems, food cost, labor, training, and future openings as we grow from two North Texas locations to five restaurants across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Salary is $60,000–$80,000 plus bonus and catering incentives.
