Head Chef

At Heirloom Hospitality Group, our purpose is “Cultivating Relationships through the fanatic pursuit of Hospitality." We are dedicated to creating an environment that promotes creativity, passion, and a genuine sense of community.

We are seeking a Head Chef for our Casual American Dining Restaurant in downtown Birmingham, Michigan: Townhouse. This leader must embody our core values:

• Consistently care about the smallest details
• Be kind, be happy
• Own it with pride
• Willingness to learn and teach
• Every second counts

These values drive our pursuit of excellence and form the foundation of our work culture. If you believe in the power of enlightened hospitality and resonate with our core values, we would love to hear from you…

QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least three years of culinary leadership experience in a high-volume, scratch kitchen; upscale casual dining preferred.
• Strong culinary skills with the ability to work every station, lead service, and teach proper techniques.
• Proven ability to hire, train, develop, and hold kitchen employees accountable.
• Experience scheduling to sales forecasts, seasonal demand, and labor budgets.
• Strong understanding of food cost, recipe costing, inventory, ordering, production, and waste control.
• Creative approach to adapting staffing and workflows as business needs change.
• Experience implementing seasonal menus and ensuring recipe and plating consistency.
• Clear communication and collaboration with restaurant and corporate culinary leadership.
• Strong organization, ownership, and follow-through without constant direction.
• Availability for evenings, weekends, and holidays; ServSafe Manager certification or willingness to obtain it.

JOB FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leadership & Culture

• Consistent execution: Ensure approved recipes, portions, preparation methods, and plating standards are followed every shift.
• Team development: Teach, coach, and build employees’ skills while holding the team accountable to clear expectations.
• Financial ownership: Meet culinary labor and food cost targets through thoughtful scheduling, purchasing, production, and waste control.
• Seasonal adaptability: Anticipate changes in patio volume, weather, dining patterns, menus, and holiday demand, adjusting the operation to meet business objectives.
• Independent follow-through: Identify problems, take action, and sustain improvements without repeated reminders.

Hands-On Kitchen Leadership

• Work alongside cooks during preparation and service, demonstrating techniques and coaching in real time.
• Conduct daily tastings, line checks, and station readiness reviews.
• Correct execution gaps before food reaches the guest.
• Lead kitchen communication, ticket pacing, and coordination with the front-of-house team.
• Maintain food safety, sanitation, equipment care, and opening and closing standards.

Team Development

• Recruit, interview, onboard, and train culinary employees in partnership with restaurant leadership.
• Set clear expectations, assess performance fairly, and address gaps promptly.
• Cross-train employees across stations and develop reliable shift leaders.
• Build schedules around forecasted sales, reservations, service needs, and budgeted labor.
• Adjust start times, staffing levels, and prep assignments as demand changes.
• Establish coverage and team accountability so standards hold when you are away.

Seasonal Business Ownership

• Prepare for patio opening and breakdown, slower winter periods, holidays, and shifts in lunch, brunch, and dinner demand.
• Bring creativity to staffing and workflow through cross-training, staggered shifts, shared responsibilities, and more efficient production routines.
• Ensure every scheduled position and hour serves a clear operational need; reassess staffing as volume changes.
• Review sales, labor, purchasing, and food cost results regularly and take timely corrective action.
• Adjust ordering, pars, and production to seasonal demand, minimizing waste and excess inventory.
• Collaborate with corporate culinary leadership on seasonal menus, balancing guest appeal, ingredient utilization, execution, and profitability.
• Ensure menu changes are costed, documented, trained, and ready before launch.

Operational Execution

• Own ordering, receiving, storage, product rotation, and weekly inventory accuracy.
• Maintain accurate inventory systems and ensure proper product management and strong vendor relationships
• Communicate concerns early, bring practical solutions, and follow through to completion.
• Partner with the General Manage ,and corporate leadership to meet restaurant goals.
• Build procedures and team habits that deliver consistent results.

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all health, safety, sanitation, and company policies.
• Maintain emergency procedures, incident reporting, guest safety protocols, and regulatory compliance.

Business Growth

• Drive same-store sales growth through operational excellence and hospitality.
• Increase check averages, guest counts, product mix, and guest loyalty.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability while protecting the guest experience.

Additional Details

This is a full-time position, that will work out of an Heirloom Hospitality group restaurant and report to the restaurant General Manager. 

Perks:

• Flexible Scheduling
• Competitive Pay
• Generous PTO
• Meal Comp at our restaurant concepts
• Competitive + Bonus Structure 

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Schedule:

• 10 Hour Shifts – Weekends and Holidays required