Culinary Director/Executive Chef

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.