Lead Line Cook

Overview

The Lead Line Cook at Merchant will serve as a leader in the kitchen assisting Executive Chef, Monica Riley, in ensuring the operation of the kitchen is executed to the highest level, primarily during service. This will be achieved through actively leading by example to help encourage, empower, motivate and educate fellow staff. This position will serve as the representative of the kitchen in the absence of the Kitchen Manager and is responsible for ensuring the set up, execution, and break down of specific shifts.

Responsibilities

Your primary focus as Lead Line Cook will be making sure service is executed and that the rest of the kitchen staff is adhering to standards and procedures.

Working Directly with the Kitchen Manager to ensure:

• The line is set up and ready for service on any shift you are assigned as the designated Lead. This includes stocked to par levels, clean and organized, and all products properly stored and labeled.
• The line is properly organized, cleaned, and all equipment is taken care of.
• Closing leads should ensure that all tasks are completed before the last person leaves.
• The line and kitchen in general is kept clean and in good order throughout the day and service.
• All opening and closing checklists are completed. The Lead delegates out tasks as needed.
• Cooks have clearly and completely filled out their prep lists for the next day.
• Representative of the Kitchen Manager on the line in their absence. This includes actively relaying information to and from the General Manager, Shift Leads, and Front of House. This also includes making the determination if/when someone can be cut, should service be slow, as well as dealing with any interpersonal issues that could arise amongst the staff, during service. The Lead Line should relay any HR concerns to the Kitchen Manager and General Manager as needed.

The Lead Line Cook will assist the Kitchen Manager in the proper training of new staff

• Help train new staff during assigned training shifts
• Report to the Kitchen Manager, Assistant General Manager, and General Manager the strengths and weaknesses of other staff, as needed

The Lead Line Cook will assist the Kitchen Manager in some managerial tasks, when needed.

Our line cooks’ primary focus is on the guest experience while mastering our prep and cooking techniques and recipes to make our guests repeat customers and providing them with the finest quality fare. The cook role is divided between food production, kitchen operations, culinary and industry knowledge:

Food Production

• Knowledgeable about every product, recipe, sub-recipe, and menu item served including what it should taste like, what it is made from, what ingredients it contains and where it comes from.
• Able to prep and prepare mise en place in an effective, efficient, and consistent manner with impeccable knife and safety skills. Prep is consistent according to Merchant’s standard recipes and methods.
• Able to fire dishes consistent within Merchant’s standard recipes and methods. Must construct each dish for maximum consistency in appearance and taste with correct plateware and plating technique.
• Every dish needs to demonstrate the skills of the chef with a keen awareness to improve speed and efficiency without compromising the quality of the product.
• Communicate with teammates and FOH in a professional manner and keeping food flowing up to the pass as fast in a timed fashion per the chef expediting service
• Keep stations clean, floors swept and surfaces wiped down periodically throughout the duration of their shift and service
• Work with FOH staff to deliver proper timing of meal progression
• Purposefully follow all opening, closing and cleaning checklists as needed throughout the duration of the shift and service
• Ability to work as a team and assist other cooks with any necessary production when time allows to ensure the overall efficacy of the kitchen

Kitchen Operations

• Knowledge of all tools, equipment and systems in the kitchen maintaining safety and quality standards
• Remain constantly aware of all allergens on the menu as outlined in the allergy sheets and dish cards provided by management
• Manage your schedule responsibly by handling all on-call shifts, time-off requests, getting shifts covered, and manager communications as needed. This includes arriving for all shifts on time or prior to your scheduled start time. It is asked that if you shall be more than 5 minutes late to your shift that you effectively communicate this to your direct supervisor on that shift be it the Executive Chef or Sous Chef.
• Protect establishment and patrons by adhering to sanitation, safety and alcohol beverage control policies outlined by Merchant and the Health Department

Culinary and Industry Knowledge

• The Merchant line cook is expected to work with the Executive Chef and Sous Chefs to learn the mechanics of producing balanced dishes in line with our menu. Every dish at Merchant has a reason and an inherent provenance that brings meaning to the menu and an experience to the guest. Understanding menu assortment, taste profiles, construction of dishes, and most importantly, how they play into Merchant’s brand is the difference between a cook and a chef.
• Be aware of the profit motivation of restaurants, minimizing and documenting waste, aware of relationships with suppliers, and contributing to the bottom line by thinking of specials or promotions, or helping to implement cost-saving initiatives.
• Have an understanding of the palate in relation to taste categories and the mechanics of tasting in order to produce balanced drinks and how ingredients affect taste.
• We are in the midst of a food revolution in America. The Merchant cook is expected to work with ownership, and the management team, to understand that eating habits, the industry, and drinking culture have evolved and are evolving in order to serve it properly to the guest.
• Work with the Culinary Director, Executive Chef, and management to extend your knowledge of the industry using Merchant’s reading lists, recipe books, etc. ​

Reporting:

The role will report directly to the Executive Chef of Merchant, Assistant General Manager, and General Manager.

Benefits:

• Competitive wages
• A flexible and predictable schedule that is posted two weeks in advance
• 50% dining discount for you and your friends and family
• 50% off all food and beverage, 15% off retail items
• Access to Merchant's online classroom with training materials, recipes, and checklists. After full orientation, we offer frequent paid training opportunities to taste wine, spirits and food with industry experts
• Our mission is centered around treating each other and ourselves well through our love of food, drink, and community.
• All full time employees are offered health, dental and vision insurance
• Paid time off for full time employees

Our ideal cook has the following attributes:

• 2-3 years of cooking experience in a professional kitchen
• Calm, confident, and focused
• Able to thrive in a team environment as a reliable and trustworthy player.
• Awareness and communication are key. Be vocal and communicative, communicating to managers and the kitchen team.
• Be impeccably clean, neat and tidy in their personal appearance and also in their working habits. Must adhere to the uniform policy outlined upon hire
• Also maintain the highest standards of hygiene in their workplace. Sanitation is a vital aspect of working in the kitchen, equal to the ability to cook.
• Self motivated and respectful. Respect across the kitchen team, FOH and bar, with caring for not only the employees but also the food and the process. Promote the role of the cook as a Trade and a career and help spread professionalism throughout the industry.
• Embody the organizational mission and caring, inclusive, and authentic values in terms of who we are and what we believe (outlined below).

Our Values:​

• Inclusivity. We will establish a culturally diverse and inclusive environment, one that specifically supports minorities, all genders, and those historically underrepresented in our industry.
• Humility. We are modest about capabilities, admit mistakes, and create the space for others to contribute.
• Effective Collaboration. We are a team centered around positivity, that stands for one message which involves empowering others, empathizing with each other, and uplifting others as a collective.
• Respect and Justice / Health and Well-Being. All team members need to be treated respectfully and fairly. This pertains to equity in pay, and specific attention to physical/mental health, well-being and safety.
• Positivity and Love of Food and Community. Cooking and serving others is a powerful act of caring and love for one another. Let us work together to bring our community together through the power of food and drink

​

Pay Rate: total compensation $18-32/hr (inclusive of tip-out)

​

Merchant is an equal opportunity employer, with a mission to support women, Black, LGBTQ applicants. As an organization, we support a minimum wage of $16/hour.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $27.00 - $32.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Shift:

• 10 hour shift
• 12 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Morning shift

Work Location: In person

Salary : $18 - $32