Sous Chef

Sous Chef — The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Help lead the kitchen at Charlotte's iconic biergarten.

Reports to: Executive Chef Location: Ballantyne, Charlotte, NC Type: Salaried, full-time

If you want to be a key player in a high-volume scratch kitchen inside one of the most iconic craft beer destinations in the South, this is your shot.

OMB is looking for a Sous Chef who wants to grow — someone who'll be the Executive Chef's right hand and a driving force behind the culinary team. You'll help lead the line, hold the standard, and feed a packed house of Charlotte regulars who come for the beer and stay for the food. We have openings for one Sous Chef at each of our locations: the original LoSo destination and our newer, expansive Ballantyne home.

Founded in 2009, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery brews exclusively to the German Purity Law of 1516—Reinheitsgebot—meaning every beer is made with just four ingredients: water, barley, hops, and yeast. That obsession with doing things the right way runs through everything we make, including what comes out of the kitchen. Our Ballantyne location opened in 2024. It is a two-story, 14,000-square-foot restaurant and biergarten that has quickly become a cornerstone gathering place for the community. While our beer is distributed across North Carolina, our kitchens are where Charlotte actually comes together.

Your Role

Reporting to the Executive Chef, you'll be a critical part of culinary management — supporting the team's leadership, mentoring the line, and making sure every plate lives up to the OMB name. That means:

• Providing professional leadership and direction to the culinary crew alongside the Executive Chef
• Holding the line on recipes, prep, plating, and presentation so quality never slips
• Helping coach, develop, and review staff — and supporting the hiring and training of new cooks
• Keeping a clean, safe, organized kitchen where every station is stocked, labeled, temped, and dialed in
• Stepping in as expeditor when service gets loud and keeping the team composed under pressure
• Partnering with the Executive Chef on daily line-ups, staffing levels, and the rhythm of each shift
• Working with the Service Team on smooth opens and closes
• Supporting performance reviews and, when needed, tougher personnel calls
• Knowing and enforcing every safety and emergency procedure, no exceptions

What You Bring

• A culinary degree, or 3+ years of training in a high-volume kitchen
• ServSafe certified (or willing to certify within a year)
• Strong leadership instincts — you know how to work with a diverse crew and bring out their best
• Excellent volume cooking, plating, and organizational skills, with composure during the rush
• Strong communication and listening skills, and a genuinely positive attitude
• Comfort with Microsoft Word, Excel, and culinary reporting software
• Flexibility to work weekends and holidays, and the ability to lift up to 50 lbs
• A real interest in craft beer (we'll keep you well supplied)
• A commitment to OMB's six core values

What's In It For You

• Free beer stipend for OMB staff
• Health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
• 401(k) with company match
• Employer-paid long-term disability insurance
• Paid time off
• Employee discounts on food, beer, and merch

Our core values: Dedication to quality, no shortcuts. Integrity — do the right thing. Service-minded. A point of pride in the community. Lead, don't follow. Team.

All candidates must pass a pre-employment / post-offer background check. Applications are reviewed regularly for both locations; if we'd like to move forward, HR will reach out by phone or email. Positions are posted and maintained on an ongoing basis — if you haven't heard from HR, we may not have an opening right now but may contact you about a future one. OMB participates in E-Verify. OMB is an equal opportunity employer that hires based on job-related qualifications and abilities.

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery • Charlotte, NC • Since 2009