Executive Chef

Executive Chef

The Executive Chef provides strategic leadership and direction for all culinary operations, ensuring exceptional food quality, consistency, safety, and profitability while delivering world-class guest service. This position is responsible for leading and developing culinary team members, overseeing menu execution, managing food and labor costs, maintaining compliance with all food safety regulations, and ensuring culinary operations consistently meet OHM world-class guest service, hospitality and brand standards. The Executive Chef collaborates with hotel leadership to create memorable dining experiences while fostering a positive, engaged, and high-performing team culture.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Leads all culinary operations to ensure exceptional food quality, presentation, consistency, and guest satisfaction.
• Oversees daily kitchen operations, including restaurants, banquets, catering, room service, bars (where applicable), and other food service outlets.
• Recruits, hires, trains, mentors, coaches, develops, schedules, evaluates performance, recognizes achievements, and administers progressive discipline for culinary team members in accordance with company policies.
• Creates a culture focused on teamwork, accountability, engagement, safety, and delivering world-class guest service.
• Develops and maintains standardized recipes, menu offerings, and food presentation standards while supporting seasonal and specialty menu development.
• Plans production levels and staffing based on occupancy, banquet activity, forecasts, and business demands.
• Monitors food quality throughout preparation and service to ensure consistency and compliance with company and brand expectations.
• Maintains compliance with all federal, state, and local health department regulations, sanitation requirements, food handling standards, and HACCP guidelines.
• Ensures safe operation, cleanliness, organization, and preventative maintenance of all kitchen facilities, equipment, and storage areas.
• Oversees purchasing, receiving, inventory management, product rotation, and storage practices to minimize waste and maximize product quality.
• Controls food, beverage, labor, and operating costs by monitoring purchasing, portion control, waste reduction, inventory levels, and scheduling practices while meeting budget expectations.
• Reviews financial reports, food cost reports, labor reports, inventory variances, and operational metrics to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Collaborates with hotel leadership, Sales, Events, and Food & Beverage teams to successfully execute meetings, weddings, banquets, catering functions, and special events.
• Ensures all menus accommodate dietary restrictions, food allergies, and guest requests whenever possible.
• Maintains appropriate staffing levels while supporting recruitment, retention, succession planning, and professional development initiatives.
• Responds promptly and professionally to guest concerns, resolving issues to achieve the highest possible level of guest satisfaction.
• Maintains compliance with company policies, brand standards, safety procedures, and all applicable employment and food safety regulations.
• Participates in Manager on Duty responsibilities as assigned and supports hotel operations to ensure an exceptional guest experience.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support the successful operation of the property.
• Embraces O'Reach, OHX Experience, Green Team, Guest Service, Team Member Satisfaction, Health & Wellness, and Safety culture.

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong culinary knowledge, food preparation techniques, and menu development.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP, and sanitation standards.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to manage budgets, food costs, labor costs, and operational expenses.
• Excellent leadership, communication, coaching, and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong organizational and time management abilities with the ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and hospitality/POS/inventory management systems.
• Commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences while maintaining operational excellence.
• Proficient in the following dimensions of restaurant functions: food planning and preparation, purchasing, sanitation, security, company policies and procedures, personnel management, recordkeeping, and preparation of reports.
• Pleasant, polite manager who maintains a neat and clean appearance.
• Ability to motivate team members to work as a team to ensure that food and service meet appropriate standards.
• The ability to spot and resolve problems efficiently.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• The ability to multitask and prioritize.
• Maintains a positive reputation within the community.

Work Requirements:

• This is an on-site position. All essential job duties must be performed on hotel premises.
• Must be available to work a flexible schedule including mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on business demands.
• Must maintain regular and reliable attendance.
• Ability to respond to operational emergencies outside of scheduled work hours when necessary.

Education & Experience:

• Degree/certification from a culinary institution preferred.
• Two years' experience as a Sous Chef preferred.
• Two years kitchen supervisory experience with three years kitchen operations experience including at least one year in a lead cook position and one year in a steward position OR an equivalent level of education and experience.
• Fluent in Spanish is a plus.

Physical Requirements of the Position:

• Frequently stand and walk for extended periods throughout the workday.
• Frequently bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push, pull, climb, and lift.
• Regularly lift and carry up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift greater amounts with assistance.
• Frequently use hands for food preparation, handling equipment, and operating kitchen tools.
• Ability to work in hot, humid, cold, wet, and fast-paced kitchen environments.
• Requires close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to safely operate commercial kitchen equipment.

Physical Activity of the Position:

• Stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, picking/pinching with fingers, typing, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, repetitive motion.

Work Environment:

Work is performed primarily indoors in a commercial kitchen, restaurant, banquet, and food preparation areas. The position routinely works near hot surfaces, open flames, steam, sharp objects, refrigeration units, cleaning chemicals, and commercial kitchen equipment. Exposure to varying temperatures, moderate to high noise levels, and occasional outdoor conditions may occur while supporting events, deliveries, or other operational needs. The Executive Chef is expected to maintain a safe working environment and consistently follow all company safety procedures and food safety regulations.

O'Reilly Hospitality Management, LLC, is an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, genetic information, disability, protected veteran status or other protected classifications.