Director of Culinary Operations Private Events & Restaurants

USC Auxiliary Services, one of the largest divisions at The University of Southern California, is focused on making a difference for over 65,000 students, athletes, faculty, staff, and guests who visit our campuses each day. Through our innovative services, our six central business units (USC Bookstores, USC Hospitality, USC Housing, USC Transportation, the USC Hotel and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) collectively create the best USC experience for future leaders, scientists, filmmakers, engineers, and doctors alike. Auxiliary Services works tirelessly to welcome all visitors into the Trojan family.

From fine dining restaurants to residential dining, USC Hospitality serves over 65,000 students, athletes, faculty, and staff, as well as our many visitors. Hospitality is one of the six core business units that comprise USC Auxiliary Services and one of the largest employers on campus. The team at USC Hospitality is led by innovative executive chefs and directors who strive every day to craft nourishing and wholesome alternatives for our hungry Trojan Family and our guests. We are driven to succeed by our commitment to uphold our unifying values.

We are seeking a Director of Culinary Operations Private Events & Restaurants to join our rapidly growing team.

Position Overview:

• The Culinary Director of USC Private Events and Restaurants plays a critical role in driving creativity and high-level of culinary execution in our private events and restaurants dining operations. The Culinary Director of USC Private Events and Restaurants is in charge of the culinary vision and direction of the private events and restaurants program and is responsible for all aspects including food quality and safety, innovation, and presentation.

• The primary driver for this position is to push our creativity and to further enhance the reputation of and satisfaction with the private events food and beverage program amongst USC and Non-USC clients, the broader USC community of USC Students, Staff, and Faculty. The position will be in charge of training culinary leadership and staff and maintaining culinary standards throughout all full service restaurants and private event venues and kitchens.

• This position will have Professional Chefs, Kitchen Managers, and Senior Kitchen Managers as direct reports. In addition, the Culinary Director will work closely with Hospitality Purchasing and Business Data Operations in developing menus, while upholding USC’s purchasing standards and working with our food management system to manage all aspects of recipe building, ordering, production and service.

• Collaborate with the leadership team to identify and implement new menus, program updates, create and execute custom menus, and work with the Event Sales and Operations on special projects, operational challenges, and new business and revenue opportunities. The Culinary Director will be responsible to meet or exceeded budgeted targets for cost of goods and culinary labor in private events and full-service restaurant dining both at the Hotel and USC Hospitality.

• Responsible to build positive relationships with the Office of the President, Cultural Relations University Events, and other internal clients as well as the broader USC community and actively seek their feedback, so this can be incorporated into menu development and programming to meet evolving needs and exceed expectations.

• The Culinary Director is a member of the USC Hospitality senior leadership team and collaborates with culinary leadership across the department. The Culinary Director stays current with the development of fine dining at high end downtown restaurants and catering companies and is actively engaged and involved with culinary and industry associations.

The Accountabilities:

• Oversees menu development and implementation in all USC Private Event and Restaurant units and venues.

• Develops and maintains costed recipes, portion specifications, and standard preparation procedures for all dishes and ensures that all chefs and cooks are following these standards.

• Manages the private events and restaurants program according to established KPI’s and implements actions in areas where results deviate from expectations.

• Has a solid understanding of company invoice tracking, labor tracking, schedule preparation, food cost management, labor cost management, inventory control, and hiring, counseling, and termination policies.

• Champions and educates the rest of the team in the use of the Food Management System (CBORD) for product ordering, invoice processing, and proper inventories.

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