Kitchen Manager

Exploding Flavors, LLC is seeking a highly experienced, motivated, organized, and results-driven Kitchen Manager to oversee daily back-of-house operations.

The ideal candidate must be a strong leader who understands that running a successful kitchen requires more than cooking great food. It requires discipline, accountability, teamwork, consistency, efficiency, and exceptional leadership.

We are looking for someone who can take ownership of our kitchen, develop a dependable team, maintain our high food-quality standards, and ensure smooth operations in a fast-paced restaurant environment.

THIS IS NOT AN ENTRY-LEVEL POSITION. PREVIOUS KITCHEN MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Kitchen Leadership & Staff Management

• Supervise, train, coach, and develop all kitchen employees.
• Establish clear expectations for employee performance, attendance, productivity, and professionalism.
• Create and manage kitchen staff schedules based on business needs and labor budgets.
• Hold employees accountable for following recipes, procedures, and company policies.
• Address performance concerns and recommend disciplinary action when necessary.
• Conduct kitchen meetings and ongoing employee training.
• Lead by example and maintain a positive, respectful, and productive work environment.

2. Food Quality & Consistency

• Ensure all food is prepared according to Exploding Flavors’ recipes, presentation standards, and portion requirements.
• Monitor food quality, taste, temperature, and presentation before orders leave the kitchen.
• Maintain consistency across all menu items, including steaks, seafood, pasta, wings, and specialty dishes.
• Minimize incorrect orders, remakes, and customer complaints.
• Ensure orders are completed accurately and within reasonable preparation times.
• Maintain the restaurant’s commitment to FRESH, NOT FAST!

3. Inventory & Food Cost Management

• Monitor food inventory and maintain accurate inventory records.
• Manage ordering, receiving, storage, and proper rotation of food products.
• Control food waste, overportioning, spoilage, and unnecessary expenses.
• Monitor food costs and identify opportunities to improve profitability without sacrificing quality.
• Ensure adequate supplies are available for daily operations.
• Communicate inventory shortages and purchasing needs to ownership.

4. Food Safety, Sanitation & Cleanliness

• Ensure compliance with applicable health department regulations and food safety standards.
• Maintain proper food storage, labeling, dating, and temperature controls.
• Ensure all kitchen stations, equipment, floors, coolers, and storage areas are properly cleaned and sanitized.
• Implement and enforce daily opening, closing, and deep-cleaning checklists.
• Conduct routine kitchen inspections.
• Maintain a clean, safe, organized, and inspection-ready kitchen at all times.

5. Daily Kitchen Operations

• Oversee food preparation, line setup, cooking, plating, and kitchen closing procedures.
• Ensure all stations are properly stocked and prepared before service.
• Manage kitchen workflow during high-volume lunch and dinner rushes.
• Monitor ticket times and improve kitchen efficiency.
• Coordinate with front-of-house employees to ensure accurate orders and effective communication.
• Troubleshoot operational issues and make sound decisions under pressure.
• Ensure kitchen equipment is used properly and report maintenance concerns immediately.

6. Accountability & Communication

• Provide ownership with regular updates regarding kitchen performance, staffing, inventory, and operational concerns.
• Take initiative in solving problems rather than waiting for direction.
• Demonstrate professionalism, reliability, integrity, and strong decision-making skills.
• Help establish and enforce standard operating procedures.
• Support ownership in implementing improvements and achieving company goals.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 3–5 years of professional kitchen experience, including supervisory or management responsibilities.
• Proven experience managing employees in a high-volume restaurant.
• Strong knowledge of cooking techniques, kitchen operations, and food preparation.
• Understanding of inventory management, food costs, portion control, and labor management.
• Knowledge of food safety and sanitation regulations.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to multitask and remain calm under pressure.
• Dependable, punctual, professional, and accountable.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends and peak business periods.
• ServSafe Manager certification preferred, or willingness to obtain certification.

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM OUR KITCHEN MANAGER

At Exploding Flavors, we believe that a strong kitchen starts with strong leadership.

Our Kitchen Manager must be someone who:

• LEADS instead of simply giving orders.
• TRAINS instead of constantly complaining.
• SOLVES PROBLEMS instead of creating them.
• TAKES ACCOUNTABILITY instead of making excuses.
• DEMANDS CONSISTENCY without compromising quality.
• RESPECTS THE TEAM while maintaining authority.
• PROTECTS THE BRAND by ensuring every plate meets our standards.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

Success in this position will be measured by:

• Food quality and consistency
• Kitchen cleanliness and health inspection readiness
• Employee performance and retention
• Food waste and inventory control
• Labor efficiency and scheduling
• Customer satisfaction and reduction in complaints
• Order accuracy and ticket times
• Overall kitchen productivity and profitability

We are not a FAST FOOD restaurant. We provide FRESHLY cooked food to each and every customer!