Director of Culinary Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Culinary Director

Location: Charleston, WV

(Relocation Assistance & Temporary Company Housing Available for Qualified Candidates)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Compensation: $80,000-$85,000 starting salary based on experience, plus performance-based bonus and exceptional long-term growth opportunities.

Help Build the Culinary Future of a Growing Hospitality Group

We're seeking an experienced Culinary Director to help lead the next chapter of our growing hospitality group. Today, our portfolio includes three distinct concepts, each with its own identity, culture and guest experience. Together, they represent a growing collection of hospitality businesses committed to exceptional food, outstanding service, and operational excellence. With additional growth planned, we're looking for a culinary leader who wants to help build systems, develop people, influence strategy, and shape the future of our organization.

If you're on Executive Chef, Corporate Chef, or Culinary Director who's ready for more influence, more autonomy, and the opportunity to help build something meaningful, lead talented people, and leave your fingerprint on a hospitality group that's still in the early stages of its growth.

This position reports directly to ownership and will play a key role in company strategy, culinary innovation, operational excellence and future expansion.

Why This Opportunity Is Different

Many Culinary Director positions ask you to maintain someone else's systems. This role asks you to build them. You'll have the autonomy to make meaningful decisions, implement your ideas and help define the culinary identity of both our current and future concepts. You'll mentor chefs, improve operations, create scalable systems, influence company strategy, and help develop new restaurant concepts as our organization grows. As the company grows, so will this role, its responsibilities, and the opportunities that come with it.

What We Offer

• Competitive starting salary of $80,000-$85,000
• Relocation is encouraged, and temporary company-provided housing is available for qualified candidates to help make the transition as seamless as possible.
• Performance-based bonus program
• Paid Time Off
• Employee dining discounts across all concepts
• Direct collaboration with ownership
• Significant career advancement opportunities as the company grows
• The opportunity to help shape future restaurant openings and new concepts
• A leadership role where your ideas are heard, valued and implemented

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead culinary operations across multiple restaurant concepts while preserving the unique identity of each venue.
• Develop and execute the long-term culinary vision for the company.
• Build standardized systems, recipes, procedures, and quality standards that can scale as we grow.
• Work directly with ownership on new restaurant concepts, operational improvements, and strategic planning.

Menu Development

• Design, test, and launch seasonal menus, features, and limited-time offerings.
• Balance creativity with profitability and operational efficiency.
• Continuously evaluate menu performance using guest feedback and sales data.
• Collaborate with beverage leadership on pairings, promotions, and special events.

Financial Performance

• Own food cost performance across all locations.
• Improve purchasing systems, inventory management, and vendor relationships.
• Monitor labor efficiency and kitchen productivity.
• Use Toast reporting and operational data to identify opportunities for improvement.

Team Development

• Recruit, mentor, and develop Executive Chefs, Kitchen Managers, Sous Chefs, and future culinary leaders.
• Create onboarding programs and ongoing culinary training.
• Build a culture of accountability, professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Standards & Quality

• Maintain company-wide recipe books, plating guides, prep standards, and operational procedures.
• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, and health department requirements.
• Deliver a consistent guest experience across every concept.

Qualifications

Required

• 7+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience.
• Experience leading multiple kitchens or restaurant concepts.
• Strong menu development experience.
• Proven ability to manage food cost, labor, inventory, purchasing, and kitchen profitability.
• Outstanding leadership and communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities.
• Experience developing systems and improving operations.
• Ability to travel between company locations.
• Experience with Toast POS, XtraCHEF, Microsoft Office, or similar operational software.

Preferred

• Culinary degree or formal culinary education.
• Certified Executive Chef (CEC).
• ServSafe Manager Certification.
• Experience opening new restaurants.
• Multi-brand restaurant group experience.
• Catering or banquet experience.
• Beverage and wine collaboration.
• Experience implementing culinary technology.

About US

We're a growing collection of independently owned hospitality concepts based in Charleston, West Virginia. While each venue has its own identity and ownership structure, we work collaboratively with a shared commitment to exceptional food, genuine hospitality, and operational excellence.

We're building for the future. As we continue expanding, we're looking for leaders who want more than a job. They want the opportunity to help build an organization, develop great people, and grow alongside a hospitality group with ambitious goals.

We're not looking for someone to simply oversee kitchens. We're looking for someone who wants to help build one of the region's premier hospitality organizations. If that sounds like the next step in your career, we'd love to hear from you.

We own and operate multiple hospitality concepts in Charleston, West Virginia, including restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. We believe hospitality is about creating experiences, not simply serving food. With three successful concepts already operating and additional growth planned, we're building a leadership team capable of scaling with the company. We invest in people, encourage innovation, and give leaders the opportunity to make meaningful decisions that directly shape our future.

Company Description

We own and operate multiple hospitality concepts in Charleston, West Virginia, including restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. We believe hospitality is about creating experiences, not simply serving food. With three successful concepts already operating and additional growth planned, we're building a leadership team capable of scaling with the company. We invest in people, encourage innovation, and give leaders the opportunity to make meaningful decisions that directly shape our future.