What are the responsibilities and job description for the Culinary Director position at Catrina's Cocina & Tequila Bar?
Executive Chef / Culinary Director
Cantina Lime Restaurant Group
Dallas / North Texas Region
Compensation: $65,000–$80,000 Base Performance Bonus Catering Incentive
About Us
Cantina Lime is a growing multi-unit Mexican restaurant group focused on high-quality, scratch-made food, strong hospitality standards, and disciplined operations. We are expanding and building the systems to scale to 8–10 locations over the next several years.
We are seeking a hands-on Executive Chef / Culinary Director to lead kitchen operations across multiple locations and build structure, consistency, and profitability without sacrificing flavor or quality.
Role Overview
This role is responsible for culinary systems, food cost control, kitchen labor discipline, training, and menu consistency across all units. This is not a celebrity chef position — this is a systems and leadership role.
Key Responsibilities
• Develop and maintain complete recipe books with specs and costing
• Standardize prep systems, pars, portioning, and station organization
• Reduce food cost through yield control and discipline (not shortcuts)
• Build kitchen leadership (Kitchen Managers, Lead Cooks)
• Conduct regular kitchen audits and performance reviews
• Oversee catering execution and profitability
• Protect brand standards: scratch marinades, fresh prep, quality proteins
• Partner with COO and ownership to scale to additional locations
Qualifications
• 5 years in multi-unit kitchen leadership
• Strong background in food costing and labor control
• Experience building SOPs and scalable systems
• Proven ability to train and hold teams accountable
• Comfortable working in high-volume environments
• Passion for quality execution and operational discipline
Compensation Structure
• $65,000–$80,000 base salary (depending on experience)
• Performance bonus tied to food cost, labor targets, and operational KPIs
• Catering incentive (percentage based on profitability)
• Growth opportunity into senior leadership as company expands
We are building a scalable, disciplined restaurant group. If you are a systems-oriented culinary leader who wants to grow with a multi-unit brand, we’d like to speak with you.
Salary : $65,000 - $80,000