Restaurant Kitchen Manager

Position Summary:

The Kitchen Manager at Paisans Pizza is responsible for leading high-volume kitchen operations to deliver consistent, high-quality pizzas, pastas, and Italian specialties in a fast-paced casual dining and carryout environment. This role ensures efficient production flow, strong food safety practices, cost control, and team development while maintaining speed and accuracy during peak service periods. The Kitchen Manager plays a key role in driving guest satisfaction, operational excellence, and profitability.

Key Responsibilities:

High-Volume Kitchen Operations

• Lead daily kitchen operations to ensure fast, accurate preparation of pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and Italian entrées.
• Oversee pizza line production, oven management, and timing to maintain speed-of-service standards during peak periods.
• Ensure consistent dough handling, portioning, topping accuracy, and baking standards.
• Maintain strong communication between pizza line, prep, expo, and front-of-house teams.
• Monitor ticket times and adjust staffing or workflow to maintain service efficiency.
• Support both dine-in and high-volume carryout/delivery production demands.

Team Leadership & Development

• Recruit, interview, hire, and train kitchen team members including pizza makers, line cooks, prep cooks, and dish staff.
• Schedule kitchen team based on sales forecasts and peak business patterns.
• Provide hands-on coaching in production techniques, speed, and food safety practices.
• Build a strong team culture focused on accountability, urgency, and teamwork.
• Conduct performance reviews and address performance issues as needed.
• Lead daily pre-shift meetings and reinforce operational priorities.

Food Safety & Sanitation

• Ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal food safety regulations.
• Maintain strict adherence to sanitation, food handling, and HACCP standards.
• Conduct daily line checks, temperature logs, and sanitation audits.
• Ensure proper labeling, dating, and FIFO rotation of all ingredients.
• Maintain readiness for health inspections and internal audits.

Inventory & Cost Control

• Manage food and supply ordering to meet high-volume production needs.
• Conduct weekly inventory and monitor usage to control food cost.
• Track dough, cheese, sauce, and key ingredient usage to prevent waste and shortages.
• Maintain accurate par levels for high-volume ingredients.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities while maintaining product quality.
• Monitor portion control and minimize food waste.

Financial & Operational Performance

• Control labor costs through effective scheduling and productivity management.
• Support achievement of food cost and labor cost targets.
• Analyze kitchen performance metrics and implement improvements.
• Maintain efficient prep systems to support daily production needs.
• Assist with budgeting, forecasting, and operational planning.

Equipment & Facility Management

• Ensure pizza ovens, mixers, slicers, and refrigeration equipment are properly maintained.
• Monitor equipment performance and coordinate repairs when needed.
• Enforce safe operating procedures for all kitchen equipment.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe work environment.

Qualifications:

• 2-4+ years of kitchen leadership experience in high-volume casual dining or pizza operations.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and kitchen systems.
• Proven ability to lead teams in fast-paced environments with heavy order volume.
• Experience with inventory management, ordering, and food cost controls.
• ServSafe Certification or equivalent required (or ability to obtain).
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to stand for extended periods (8–12 hours).
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds regularly.
• Ability to work in hot environments near ovens and cooking equipment.
• Flexibility to work nights, weekends, and holidays.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Food Cost Percentage (especially cheese, dough, and protein usage)
• Labor Cost Percentage
• Ticket Times & Order Accuracy
• Health Inspection Scores
• Inventory Variance & Waste Levels
• Employee Retention & Training Completion
• Guest Satisfaction Scores
• Speed of Service During Peak Hours