Kitchen Manager

Description

Job Title: Kitchen Manager   Department: Culinary

FLSA: Exempt   Status:     Full Time

Reports to: Executive Chef

Customary Days:  Sunday - Saturday

Customary Hours: Varies to include evenings, holidays, and extended hours as business requires

Purpose:

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for supporting the Executive Chef and Sous Chef in overseeing the daily operation of the Blue Plate kitchen as well as providing assistance in developing new business lines. Additional responsibility includes overseeing production and staff management of kitchen operations.

Key Responsibilities

Corporate Culinary

• Assist the Executive Chef and Sous Chef in managing the overall kitchen staff, to include selection, training, and supervising of daily work assignments.  Act as a coach and mentor; managing performance by setting objectives, delivering performance reviews, providing ongoing performance feedback and administering corrective action when needed. 
• Monitor and train all staff in proper sanitation procedures. Ensure that all employees are in assigned uniforms and serving safe food.
• Oversee daily production from each kitchen department to ensure proper presentation and preparation to event guidelines.
• Conduct regular department walk-throughs and random food tastings, with primary focus on quality and consistency.
• Establish proper portion sizes and controls to ensure proper amounts are being prepared for events.
• Responsible for printing all event orders and any revised event orders in a timely manner.
• Continually monitor cleaning and maintenance of all kitchen equipment according to Blue Plate cleaning and sanitation guidelines.
• Implement the policies and practices as outlined by the Blue Plate Safety Policy.
• Make recommendations for equipment purchases and monitor equipment repairs, ensuring equipment is fixed in a safe and timely manner. 
• Assist with placing food and cleaning supplies orders with vendors as needed, using  order guides and purchase orders (when required) to organize all orders.  
• Report to work in proper uniform as outlines in the Back of the House Dress Code Policy.
• Assist in conducting daily walkthroughs to ensure Health Codes are being met, Good Retail Practices & Foodborne Illness Risk Factors.
• Conduct constant daily checks of all food prior to leaving the building, overseeing the Expo department to ensure all food is being checked properly and up to Blue Plate Standards.

Events Culinary

• Participate in bi-weekly production meetings to confirm all kitchen details with sales and operations staff, making arrangements to obtain information missed if not in attendance. 

General

• Act as a team player and perform other relevant tasks as assigned by the Executive Chef or the Operating Partner. 

Requirements

Education and Experience: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Culinary Arts degree or advance culinary arts certification is preferred
• 5 years of successful experience within the hospitality industry, preferably with catering or hotel food service. 
• Completion of City of Chicago Department of Public Health Certified Food Service Manager certification preferred, or ability to complete the certification within 90 days after date of hire.

Essential Qualifications:  To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactory. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Ability to demonstrate strong affinity for Blue Plate’s mission: Our mission is to “care more” for others through food and service experiences that turn our partner’s vision into reality
• Impeccable service standards and attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to prepare and deliver clear, concise reports and presentations that are understandable by the target audience
• Ability to manage confidential information and maintain its integrity
• Ability to effectively solve problems and make decisions in a fast paced, high pressure environment.
• Ability to work effectively across all functional departments and foster a cooperative work environment
• Results