Server

Kidilum is a Kerala fine-dining restaurant on West 21st Street, opened in February 2026 under Chef Vinu T Raveendran. We cook the food of Kerala without softening it: coastal seafood, toddy-shop heat, coconut, curry leaf, and spice in its full voice. New York Magazine named us one of the 43 Best Restaurants in New York this fall; we are a James Beard Foundation collaborator; and we are building, deliberately, toward Michelin recognition.

The room is 74 seats plus a bar, three seatings a night, with a private dining room and a full event program. Guests come with high expectations and leave having tasted something they could not find anywhere else in the city. The service team is how that happens.

The role

You run a section in a serious dining room. That means owning the guest experience from greeting to farewell: reading the table, pacing the meal, guiding people through a menu that will be unfamiliar to most of them, and pairing it with a cocktail and wine list built around the food. You’ll explain regional dishes, ingredients and techniques with confidence and warmth, never with a script.

Day to day you will:

• Take ownership of your section through three turns while keeping standards steady from first seating to last
• Learn the menu to the ingredient level, including the spice work, the regional background, and allergen and dietary details, and keep learning as it changes
• Sell thoughtfully: tastings, upgrades, wine and cocktail pairings, and the specials of the night
• Work in tight coordination with captains, server assistants, runners and the bar
• Support private events in the PDR and the occasional buyout
• Hold the Kidilum standard of hospitality: generous, precise, and unhurried

Who we’re looking for

• 2+ years serving in a fine-dining or high-volume, chef-driven restaurant in New York or a comparable market
• Real curiosity about food and drink; you ask the kitchen questions and remember the answers
• Composure on a busy Saturday and polish on a quiet Tuesday
• Strong wine and cocktail fundamentals; interest in South Indian cuisine is a plus, prior knowledge is not required — we will teach you
• Reliable, punctual, and comfortable with Toast
• NYC Food Protection Certificate a plus
• Open availability including nights, weekends and holidays

What you get

• Pooled-tip structure with a clear, published point system
• Family meal every shift, staff dining discount, and menu education with the chef
• A team that is small enough to know you and ambitious enough to be worth your time
• Room to grow into captain and lead roles as we open new concepts under Hungry Trio Hospitality (Aarzu, Esquina Nº 525, Indie Gala Catering)