Executive Chef High-Volume Coastal Restaurant

Executive Chef

Lead the culinary vision for a premier, high-volume waterfront restaurant known for innovative coastal cuisine, sushi, and an elevated guest experience. This is an opportunity for a hands-on Executive Chef to take the reins of a fast-paced, high-profile kitchen within a growing hospitality group that values creativity, standards, and strong leadership.

Benefits and Compensation:

• Excellent compensation
• Opportunity to lead one of the busiest restaurants on the South Coast
• Professional, established restaurant operation
• Growth potential within a multi-concept hospitality group
• Year-round, full-service restaurant environment
• High-visibility leadership role with operational support
• Opportunity to shape menu execution, kitchen culture, and culinary standards

Requirements & Qualifications:

• Minimum 2 years of experience as a Chef in a similar high-volume restaurant concept
• Proven leadership experience managing BOH teams in a fast-paced service environment
• Strong culinary skills with a passion for high-quality food and hospitality
• Demonstrated ability to drive positive financial results
• Excellent interpersonal, listening, and communication skills
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and manage workload with minimal direction
• Experience supervising Sous Chefs, Kitchen Managers, and hourly BOH team members
• Stable background in full-service restaurant operations

Must Haves:

• Lead daily kitchen execution for a 300-seat, high-volume restaurant generating more than $12M in annual sales
• Oversee and develop Sous Chefs, Kitchen Managers, and all hourly back-of-house staff
• Maintain consistency across innovative coastal cuisine and sushi-focused menu execution
• Drive food quality, plate presentation, ticket flow, and kitchen efficiency during high-volume service
• Partner with senior operations leadership on labor performance, food cost control, and overall kitchen profitability
• Set the tone for kitchen culture, accountability, and standards of cleanliness, organization, and professionalism
• Coach and mentor BOH leaders to build a high-performing culinary team
• Manage prep, production, ordering, and line execution to support intense seasonal and year-round demand
• Balance creativity with operational discipline in a polished, high-expectation environment

Preferred Background & Skills:

• Experience in upscale casual or polished high-volume dining environments
• Background with seafood, coastal cuisine, or sushi programs
• Experience in multi-unit or growth-oriented hospitality groups
• Strong systems mindset with the ability to improve kitchen processes and team performance
• Financial acumen related to food cost, labor management, and inventory controls
• Calm, decisive leadership style with the ability to motivate strong teams under pressure
• Passion for mentoring culinary talent and building long-term team stability