Executive Chef

Group Executive Chef — Multi-Unit NYC Restaurant Group

About NOWON

NOWON is a Korean-American restaurant group built in New York City, known for high-impact dishes like the Legendary Cheeseburger and Chopped Cheese Rice Cakes.

We operate two high-volume NYC locations (East Village and Bushwick), with a third NYC location in development.

We are entering a growth phase. This role is central to how we execute it.

The Role

This is a hands-on, multi-unit leadership role.

As Group Executive Chef, you own how NOWON kitchens operate across every unit.

Your immediate priorities:

• Hire and develop Head Chefs / Exec Sous level leaders
• Build and lead BOH teams for upcoming openings

From there, you are responsible for how NOWON cooks at scale — across every kitchen, every shift, and every new opening.

Systems are already in place. Your role is to enforce, refine, and scale them, while developing leaders and executing new openings.

If you want to run a single kitchen, this is not the role.
If you want to step into multi-unit leadership and build something that scales, it is.

Reports to: Director of Operations
Direct reports: Head Chefs
Location: NYC-based, rotating across units

What You’ll Own Head Chef Leadership

• Hire, develop, and hold Head Chefs accountable
• Upgrade underperforming leadership where needed
• Build BOH teams for new locations

Kitchen Execution

• Drive consistency in quality, technique, and standards
• Set the tone for culture, discipline, and accountability
• Step into any kitchen and lead when needed

Systems & Training

• Enforce, refine, and scale systems for prep, service, and ordering
• Standardize recipes and training across units
• Train BOH teams on NOWON systems and expectations

Financial Performance

• Own food cost, BOH labor, and kitchen profitability
• Partner with DOO on margin strategy
• Make decisions based on P&L, not instinct

Menu & Product

• Partner with ownership on menu evolution
• Ensure all products are executable at volume and profitable
• Protect the core identity of the brand

New Openings

• Lead BOH setup and execution for new locations
• Hire, train, and stabilize new kitchen teams
• Ensure openings launch clean and stay consistent

Who You Are

• 7+ years in senior kitchen leadership
• Multi-unit experience or strong #2 in a serious group
• Experience in high-volume restaurants ($2M–$4M+ units)
• Has hired and managed Head Chefs
• Has opened at least one restaurant and understands BOH buildout
• Thinks in systems, not just recipes
• Direct, accountable, and solutions-driven
• Comfortable owning numbers and acting on them

Why This Role

• Full BOH ownership across a growing NYC restaurant group
• Immediate impact — improve existing kitchens and build new ones
• Real authority to hire your team and set standards
• Direct partnership with ownership on growth and execution
• Clear path into expanded multi-unit leadership as the group grows

Compensation

• $95K–$110K base salary (based on experience)
• Performance-based bonus tied to food cost, labor, and execution
  • Strong performance can bring total compensation into the $110K–$130K+ range
• Health, dental, vision, 401(k), PTO
• Dining benefits across all NOWON locations