Kitchen Manager

Biscuits & Butter is a breakfast, brunch, and lunch eatery focused on exceptional food, thoughtful presentation, genuine hospitality, and a consistent guest experience.

Our kitchen is the foundation of that experience. We are looking for a strong, hands-on Kitchen Manager who can lead a high-volume brunch kitchen while maintaining exceptional standards for food quality, cleanliness, organization, team development, and cost control.

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and operation of the Biscuits & Butter kitchen.

This position oversees food preparation and execution, kitchen staffing, training, scheduling, inventory, ordering, food safety, sanitation, recipe compliance, quality control, equipment care, labor management, and food-cost management.

This is a hands-on leadership position. The Kitchen Manager is expected to be present on the floor, coach employees in real time, support stations when necessary, solve operational problems quickly, and hold the kitchen team accountable to Biscuits & Butter standards.

The ideal candidate is organized, calm under pressure, detail-oriented, financially responsible, and passionate about developing a strong kitchen culture.

• Lead all day-to-day back-of-house operations.
• Manage and supervise line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, and other kitchen employees.
• Ensure the kitchen is fully prepared before opening each day.
• Conduct pre-shift kitchen checks and communicate priorities to the team.
• Maintain consistent execution of all Biscuits & Butter recipes and plating standards.
• Monitor food quality, taste, temperature, portion size, and presentation.
• Ensure tickets are executed accurately and within established service-time expectations.
• Coordinate kitchen operations during high-volume breakfast and brunch periods.
• Maintain proper staffing levels based on projected restaurant volume.
• Create and manage back-of-house schedules according to business needs and approved labor budgets.
• Monitor employee attendance, punctuality, performance, and productivity.
• Train, coach, develop, and hold kitchen employees accountable.
• Manage inventory, ordering, receiving, storage, and product rotation.
• Monitor food costs, waste, portions, and purchasing.
• Ensure compliance with all food safety, sanitation, and health department requirements.
• Maintain kitchen equipment and immediately report repair or maintenance needs.
• Work closely with the General Manager and front-of-house leadership to ensure smooth restaurant operations.

The Kitchen Manager is expected to create a kitchen culture built around accountability, consistency, respect, urgency, and teamwork.

Leadership responsibilities include:

• Set clear expectations for every kitchen position.
• Lead by example in professionalism, cleanliness, urgency, and work ethic.
• Conduct effective pre-shift meetings when appropriate.
• Provide employees with immediate coaching and constructive feedback.
• Recognize strong performance and address performance issues consistently.
• Assist with interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training back-of-house employees.
• Ensure new employees are properly trained before working independently.
• Develop team members who demonstrate leadership potential.
• Address attendance, behavioral, performance, and policy concerns according to company procedures.
• Maintain professional communication even during high-pressure service periods.
• Create an environment where employees understand both what is expected and why the standard matters.

Consistency is non-negotiable at Biscuits & Butter.

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for ensuring:

• Recipes are followed exactly.
• Portion sizes remain consistent.
• Plating and presentation meet brand standards.
• Food is prepared and served at proper temperatures.
• Ingredients meet established freshness and quality standards.
• Prep is completed before service.
• Stations remain stocked throughout service.
• Menu modifications are handled correctly.
• Allergy and dietary requests are communicated and executed safely.
• Food that does not meet Biscuits & Butter standards does not leave the kitchen.

The Kitchen Manager should regularly taste and inspect food to maintain quality standards.

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for protecting the restaurant's inventory and maintaining appropriate food-cost controls.

Responsibilities include:

• Complete or oversee regular food inventory counts.
• Maintain accurate inventory records.
• Order products according to projected sales and established pars.
• Avoid unnecessary over-ordering and excessive inventory.
• Verify deliveries for quantity, quality, and accuracy.
• Ensure invoices match products received.
• Immediately communicate vendor shortages or product-quality concerns.
• Maintain proper storage and organization of all food products.
• Enforce FIFO (First In, First Out) procedures.
• Monitor portion sizes.
• Track and reduce food waste.
• Monitor spoilage and overproduction.
• Identify unusual food-cost variances and determine their cause.
• Work with leadership to maintain food costs within established company targets.

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for ensuring the restaurant is properly prepared for anticipated business volume.

This includes:

• Establishing daily prep priorities.
• Reviewing and approving prep lists.
• Assigning prep responsibilities.
• Monitoring prep completion.
• Adjusting production based on projected sales and actual restaurant volume.
• Maintaining appropriate par levels.
• Preventing unnecessary overproduction.
• Ensuring all prepared products are properly labeled, dated, and stored.
• Reviewing the kitchen before service to identify shortages before they become operational problems.

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for maintaining proper back-of-house staffing while protecting labor costs.

Responsibilities include:

• Build schedules based on projected restaurant volume.
• Schedule appropriately for weekends, holidays, events, and high-volume periods.
• Monitor overtime.
• Make appropriate staffing adjustments when business volume changes.
• Ensure employees clock in and out correctly.
• Monitor breaks and attendance.
• Minimize unnecessary labor without compromising food quality or service.
• Maintain adequate coverage for each kitchen station.
• Communicate staffing concerns to the General Manager.

The Kitchen Manager is ultimately responsible for maintaining a clean, safe, and inspection-ready kitchen.

Responsibilities include:

• Ensure compliance with all health department regulations.
• Maintain proper food temperatures.
• Monitor refrigeration and freezer temperatures.
• Ensure proper handwashing and glove-use procedures.
• Prevent cross-contamination.
• Maintain allergen-awareness procedures.
• Ensure food is properly cooled, stored, labeled, dated, and rotated.
• Maintain proper chemical storage.
• Ensure all kitchen surfaces and equipment are cleaned and sanitized.
• Maintain clean walk-ins, freezers, dry storage areas, prep stations, cook lines, dish areas, and floors.
• Maintain cleaning schedules and hold employees accountable for assigned cleaning duties.
• Correct food-safety concerns immediately.
• Maintain required food-safety documentation and logs.

The kitchen should remain inspection-ready every day—not only when an inspection is expected.

Biscuits & Butter's busiest periods may occur during weekend and holiday brunch service.

The Kitchen Manager must be able to:

• Prepare the team for anticipated volume.
• Ensure prep and pars are increased appropriately.
• Position strong employees at critical stations.
• Monitor ticket times.
• Identify bottlenecks quickly.
• Reassign team members when necessary.
• Communicate with front-of-house management regarding delays.
• Maintain food quality despite high volume.
• Keep the kitchen calm, organized, and focused.
• Step onto a station and assist when necessary.

High volume is never an excuse for poor quality, unsafe practices, or unprofessional behavior.

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for helping protect and maintain company equipment.

Responsibilities include:

• Ensure kitchen equipment is used properly.
• Train employees on correct equipment operation.
• Maintain required equipment cleaning schedules.
• Identify equipment problems early.
• Immediately report maintenance and repair needs.
• Coordinate with management regarding service calls when necessary.
• Help prevent equipment damage caused by improper use or lack of cleaning.
• Ensure equipment is properly shut down and secured at closing.

The Kitchen Manager must maintain a strong working relationship with the General Manager and front-of-house leadership.

This includes communicating regarding:

• Ticket times
• Menu item shortages or 86'd items
• Guest allergies
• Special requests
• Large parties
• Reservations and projected volume
• Guest complaints involving food
• Staffing concerns
• Operational challenges