About Pressed Cafe
Pressed Cafe is a fast-casual restaurant group built on scratch-made food, genuine hospitality, and a culture people actually want to be part of. With 11 locations across New Hampshire and Massachusetts and three more opening this fall, we are in full growth mode. Our commissary is the engine that keeps quality consistent and our kitchens running. This role is central to everything.
We are currently in the early stages of constructing a new and improved commissary production facility- purpose-built to handle our growing workflow demands and set us up for the next phase of expansion. The person in this role will have a direct hand in shaping how that facility comes to life operationally.
About the Role
The Director of Commissary Operations owns the full lifecycle of centralized food production at Pressed Cafe -- from planning and procurement through production, quality control, and last-mile delivery to our cafe locations. You will lead the team, set the standards, and build the systems that allow us to scale without sacrificing the quality our guests expect.
Our commissary has one mission: make sure every cafe has exactly what it needs, every single day, without fail. That requires a leader who is energized by the floor -- someone who thrives in the rhythm of production, leads from the front, and takes real pride in the fact that 90% of this job happens in the action, not behind a desk.
This is a high-accountability, floor-first leadership role. We need someone who leads from the front, solves problems in real time, and holds the operation to a high standard every single day.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
- Direct day-to-day commissary operations: production scheduling, food preparation, packaging, and distribution to all Pressed Cafe locations.
- Partner with location General Managers to forecast demand and align commissary output with real-time store needs -- the cafes never run out of product.
- Implement and monitor standardized recipes, portion control, and quality consistency across all products.
- Develop and maintain SOPs for all commissary functions; ensure they are documented, trained, and followed.
- Manage facility upkeep, equipment maintenance schedules, and capital improvement planning.
- Ensure qualified management coverage is scheduled at all times; no shift operates without proper leadership in place.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of production supervisors, cooks, prep staff, and drivers.
- Establish clear performance metrics, conduct regular evaluations, and build a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
- Build and manage all scheduling -- including driver routes and delivery assignments -- to meet production and distribution demands while controlling labor costs.
- Ensure management coverage gaps are identified and filled proactively; every shift has a qualified leader on the floor.
- Partner with HR to recruit, onboard, and retain commissary talent; champion a strong team culture aligned with the Pressed Cafe Way.
Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure full compliance with OSHA, FDA, ServSafe, and local/state health department requirements at all times.
- Oversee and maintain HACCP plans, allergen controls, and sanitation protocols.
- Conduct regular food safety audits, internal inspections, and team training.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for health department inspections and third-party audits.
Financial & Inventory Management
- Own and manage the commissary budget, including food costs, labor, equipment, packaging, and logistics.
- Lead the implementation of a new custom inventory management system currently in development -- this is a top priority and needs to be operational as soon as possible.
- Monitor purchasing, receiving, and inventory systems to minimize waste, reduce shrinkage, and maximize efficiency.
- Establish and track KPIs for cost-per-unit, yield, waste, and throughput; use data to drive decisions.
- Collaborate with vendors to negotiate pricing, contracts, and delivery terms; build strong supplier relationships.
Logistics & Distribution
- Oversee timely, accurate delivery of all commissary products to multiple cafe locations -- on time, every time.
- Set and optimize driver routes and delivery schedules to reduce costs, minimize drive time, and ensure product freshness and integrity.
- Implement and manage tracking systems for deliveries; proactively resolve distribution issues before they impact store operations.
- Ensure cold chain compliance and food safety integrity from commissary to cafe.
Culinary Collaboration & Menu Support
- Partner with culinary leadership and R&D to support menu innovation, recipe development, and new product scaling.
- Translate new menu items into commissary-ready production processes, including batch sizing, packaging specs, and shelf-life standards.
- Provide operational feedback during product development to ensure commissary feasibility and cost alignment.
Continuous Improvement & Technology
- Identify and implement workflow, equipment, and layout improvements to increase throughput and reduce costs.
- Leverage production data, WMS tools, and KPIs to drive ongoing improvements in quality, efficiency, and speed.
- Play an active role in the buildout and operational ramp-up of the new commissary facility currently under development.
Qualifications
- 7+ years of progressive leadership experience in food production, commissary operations, or multi-unit foodservice.
- Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related field -- or equivalent experience that proves you know your stuff.
- Deep knowledge of food safety standards, HACCP, and regulatory compliance.
- Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams in a fast-paced, floor-first production environment.
- Strong financial acumen: comfortable owning a budget, managing food and labor cost, and using data to make decisions.
- Experience with production planning, demand forecasting, logistics, driver routing, and vendor management.
- Proficiency with WMS platforms, inventory systems, and technology-driven operational tools.
- Excellent communicator who can work cross-functionally with culinary, operations, and field leadership teams.
- Self-directed and comfortable operating with ambiguity in a scaling, entrepreneurial environment.
- Familiarity with cold chain logistics and distribution fleet management.
- Working knowledge of high-volume food production equipment (extruders, breaders, sealing/packaging lines, soup/liquid pumps) and experience driving automation initiatives to improve efficiency.
Bonus points for:
- Experience opening or expanding a commissary or central production facility.
- Background working in a branded, multi-unit restaurant group.
Work Location: In person
