Team Leader

Lead Burger Chef / Kitchen Lead

We are hiring an experienced Lead Burger Chef / Kitchen Lead for an upcoming burger restaurant in Queens, NY. We are specifically looking for someone with at least 3+ years of professional, hands-on experience working in a burger restaurant, smash burger shop, fast-casual burger concept, or high-volume burger kitchen. Burger-shop cooking experience is required for this position. General restaurant, deli, pizza, catering, or unrelated cooking experience by itself does not qualify for this lead position.

The person selected will become a leader of our cooking team and will be responsible for helping train cooks, maintain recipes and procedures, control food quality, and ensure consistent execution.

Required burger experience. You should already have professional experience with:

• Smash burgers on a commercial flat-top griddle.
• Proper smashing technique.
• Burger patty seasoning.
• Griddle temperature management.
• Developing a strong beef crust without overcooking.
• Single and double burger timing.
• Onion smash burgers.
• Cheese melting and finishing.
• Bun toasting.
• Burger assembly and presentation.
• Portion control.
• High-volume burger production.
• Managing multiple orders during rush periods.

Chicken, breading & fryer experience. Professional experience should also include:

• Crispy chicken sandwiches.
• Chicken tenders.
• Chicken seasoning and marination.
• Breading and dredging systems.
• Seasoned flour/breading mixtures.
• Fryer temperature control.
• Fried chicken timing.
• Maintaining crispy texture and product quality.
• French fries and fried sides.
• Proper food holding procedures.

Sauce & seasoning knowledge. We are especially interested in someone who understands flavor development, not simply someone who follows instructions. Experience with some or all of the following is highly desirable:

• Mayonnaise-based sauces.
• Burger/house sauces.
• Spicy mayo.
• Aioli-style sauces.
• Garlic and chipotle sauces.
• Seasoning blends.
• Chicken marinades.
• Burger seasoning.
• Breading seasoning.
• Sauce consistency, batching and portioning.

You are not expected to bring or disclose proprietary recipes from a previous employer. However, you should understand how professional restaurant sauces, seasonings, marinades and breading systems are developed, prepared, scaled and kept consistent.

This is a leadership position. We are not simply hiring another line cook. You will be expected to:

• Lead cooks during service.
• Train new kitchen employees.
• Teach proper burger cooking techniques.
• Teach breading, frying and preparation procedures.
• Ensure recipes and procedures are followed consistently.
• Maintain consistent taste, appearance and portion size.
• Organize daily prep.
• Check station readiness before service.
• Manage burger, fryer and prep stations.
• Monitor food quality throughout service.
• Identify and correct cooking mistakes.
• Maintain kitchen cleanliness and sanitation.
• Control unnecessary food waste.
• Follow proper food storage, labeling and rotation procedures.
• Help management improve kitchen workflow.
• Maintain organization during high-volume rush periods.
• Set a professional standard for the rest of the cooking team.

Minimum qualifications. 3+ years of professional burger-shop cooking experience required. Previous experience as any of the following is highly relevant:

• Burger Chef
• Lead Burger Cook
• Grill Cook
• Lead Cook
• Kitchen Lead
• Kitchen Supervisor
• Senior Line Cook
• Head Cook

We respect all types of kitchen experience, but this particular position requires an experienced burger-shop professional.

We want someone who can walk into a professional burger kitchen and already understand:

• Seasoning → Prep → Griddle → Fryer → Breading → Sauce → Assembly → Timing → Consistency → Cleanliness → Leadership

You should be able to look at a burger or fried chicken product and recognize whether it has been seasoned, cooked, assembled and presented correctly. Most importantly, you should understand consistency — every customer should receive the same high-quality product regardless of which cook is working the station.

Ideal candidate. You are:

• Highly experienced in burger restaurants.
• Dependable and punctual.
• Fast during high-volume service.
• Clean and organized.
• Quality-focused.
• Food-safety conscious.
• Comfortable leading other cooks.
• Comfortable training employees.
• A clear communicator.
• Calm under pressure.
• Serious about consistency.
• Interested in growing with a new restaurant concept.

Location. Queens, New York. The exact restaurant location and business details will be shared with qualified candidates during the interview process. Applicants must be able to reliably commute to Queens.

How to apply. Please submit your résumé and clearly describe your burger-restaurant experience. Answer:

• How many years have you worked specifically in burger restaurants?
• Which burger restaurants have you worked for?
• What positions did you hold?
• Do you have professional smash-burger experience?
• Have you worked extensively on a commercial flat-top griddle?
• Do you have experience seasoning and preparing burger patties?
• Do you have experience preparing restaurant burger sauces or mayonnaise-based sauces?
• Do you have experience marinating and breading chicken?
• Do you have professional commercial-fryer experience?
• Have you trained or supervised other cooks?
• Are you comfortable being responsible for kitchen consistency and food quality?
• What is your current availability?

Candidates with 3–5+ years of strong, direct burger-shop cooking experience will receive first priority. If you have spent several years working hands-on in a successful burger restaurant and are ready to step into a leadership position, we strongly encourage you to apply. We are looking for one experienced burger professional who can help establish and maintain the cooking standards for our entire kitchen team.