Executive Chef

Executive Chef - Premier Upscale-Casual Restaurant

Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Presented by: Tom Bull, Gecko Hospitality
An acclaimed, chef-driven restaurant group with a significant following in major U.S. cities is seeking a visionary Executive Chef to lead the culinary operations of its high-volume Virginia Beach location. We are a growth-oriented company committed to culinary innovation and operational excellence. This is a career-defining opportunity for a leader dedicated to creating exceptional food and mentoring a world-class kitchen team.
The ideal candidate will be an experienced Executive Chef, or a highly accomplished Chef de Cuisine ready for the next step, with a proven history in scratch-kitchen environments generating $6M-$8M in annual sales.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all back-of-house (BOH) operations, upholding the highest standards of food quality, consistency, and kitchen execution.

• Directly influence culinary P&L, managing food costs, BOH labor targets, inventory, and strategic vendor relationships to achieve financial goals.

• Mentor and develop a large culinary team of approximately 100 staff members through a team of sous chefs and supervisors.

• Drive menu engineering and seasonal menu development, creating compelling dishes that align with our brand and drive sales.

• Partner with the General Manager and front-of-house leadership to ensure a unified and exceptional guest experience.

• Implement and enforce rigorous food safety, sanitation, and all health department compliance standards.

• Oversee all culinary training programs, ensuring the team is expertly skilled in recipe execution and technique.

Qualifications and Experience

• Required: Current or recent experience as an Executive Chef or senior culinary leader (e.g., Chef de Cuisine) in a high-volume, upscale-casual, or chef-driven restaurant.

• Required: Verifiable experience in a culinary leadership role within an operation generating annual sales of at least $6 million.

• Demonstrated success in building and leading high-performing kitchen teams in a scratch-cooking environment.

• A proven track record of using menu strategy to build sales and enhance the guest experience.

• Preferred: Experience with new restaurant openings is a significant asset.

Compensation and Benefits

• A competitive base salary in the $100,000 range, commensurate with experience.

• A comprehensive, top-tier benefits package.

• Performance-based bonus potential.

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO).

• Realistic and tangible opportunities for career advancement within our expanding company.

To Apply
Please send your resume to Tom Bull at View email address on click.appcast.io for consideration. All inquiries and resumes will be handled with complete confidentiality.