Kitchen Manager

Kitchen Manager Stoner's Pizza Joint Cocoa Village Position Summary Stoner's Pizza Joint is seeking a motivated, hands-on Kitchen Manager to lead our back-of-house team and oversee the daily operation of our kitchen. The Kitchen Manager is responsible for maintaining consistent food quality, speed of service, cleanliness, food safety, inventory control, labor management, and overall kitchen organization. This position requires a leader who is willing to work alongside the team, hold employees accountable, develop strong kitchen systems, and ensure every order leaving the kitchen meets Stoner's Pizza Joint standards. The Kitchen Manager works closely with the General Manager and other members of the management team to create an efficient, positive, and profitable restaurant operation. Key Responsibilities Lead and oversee all day-to-day back-of-house kitchen operations. Ensure all food is prepared according to established recipes, portions, presentation, and quality standards. Maintain consistency in pizza preparation, cook times, portioning, ticket accuracy, and overall product execution. Actively manage the kitchen during high-volume service periods to maintain speed, organization, communication, and food quality. Train, coach, develop, and hold kitchen employees accountable to company expectations. Assist with hiring, onboarding, training, scheduling, and performance management of BOH employees. Create a positive, productive kitchen culture built around teamwork, urgency, communication, cleanliness, and accountability. Monitor BOH labor and make appropriate staffing decisions based on sales volume and operational needs. Maintain proper inventory levels and assist with ordering food, supplies, and kitchen products. Complete and verify inventory counts accurately and consistently. Monitor food cost, portion control, waste, overproduction, spoilage, and product usage. Ensure proper receiving, storage, labeling, dating, rotation, and FIFO procedures are followed. Maintain appropriate prep levels based on projected business while minimizing unnecessary waste. Ensure the kitchen, walk-ins, storage areas, equipment, floors, walls, and workstations remain clean, organized, and inspection-ready. Enforce all food safety, sanitation, temperature-control, handwashing, cross-contamination, and allergen procedures. Ensure opening, shift-change, and closing checklists are completed thoroughly and consistently. Identify equipment or maintenance issues and communicate them promptly to the General Manager. Work closely with front-of-house leadership to maintain accurate ticket times, smooth communication, and an excellent guest experience. Respond quickly and professionally to food-quality concerns, incorrect orders, ticket-time issues, and other operational challenges. Help establish and maintain systems that improve kitchen efficiency, consistency, accountability, and profitability. Lead by example and be willing to perform any kitchen position when necessary to support the operation. Leadership Expectations The Kitchen Manager is expected to take ownership of the kitchen. Success in this role means not simply identifying problems, but actively correcting them and putting systems in place to prevent them from recurring. The Kitchen Manager should know the condition of the kitchen, the performance of the team, inventory needs, prep levels, cleanliness standards, and operational challenges at all times. This position requires a manager who can balance being supportive of employees with maintaining clear expectations and accountability. Qualifications Previous restaurant kitchen leadership or management experience preferred. Strong understanding of kitchen operations, food preparation, sanitation, and food safety. Ability to lead and motivate a diverse BOH team. Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills. Experience with inventory, ordering, food cost, waste control, and labor management preferred. Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. Ability to remain calm, organized, and decisive during peak business periods. Must be dependable, punctual, and able to maintain a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays as business requires. Food safety certification or ability to obtain required certification. Must be able to stand for extended periods and perform the physical duties associated with restaurant kitchen operations. What Success Looks Like Consistent, high-quality food on every shift. Fast and accurate ticket execution. A clean, organized, and food-safe kitchen. Properly trained and accountable BOH employees. Effective scheduling and labor control. Accurate inventory and responsible product ordering. Strong portion, waste, and food-cost controls. Proper prep levels without excessive overproduction. Effective communication between the kitchen, front of house, and management. A kitchen team that understands expectations and takes pride in its work. Our Standard At Stoner's Pizza Joint, we believe great food starts with a well-run kitchen. Our Kitchen Manager sets the standard through leadership, consistency, cleanliness, organization, urgency, and accountability. This is a hands-on leadership position. We are looking for someone who takes pride in their kitchen, develops their team, protects the quality of our product, controls costs, and treats the restaurant as if its success depends on them - because it does. #J-18808-Ljbffr Stoner's Pizza Joint