Sous Chef

Scratchboard Kitchen is seeking a Sous Chef with strong leadership skills, attention to detail, and a passion for hospitality and scratch cooking. This role works directly alongside and reports to the Executive Sous Chef to support daily kitchen operations, lead service, maintain standards, and help continue building a strong and professional kitchen culture.

We are looking for someone who is organized, collaborative, calm under pressure, and excited to grow within a chef-driven restaurant focused on quality, systems, and teamwork.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Support daily prep, service, and kitchen operations to ensure smooth and efficient execution
• Lead and support line cooks and prep cooks during service while maintaining a positive and professional environment
• Expedite service while maintaining quality control, plate consistency, and allergy awareness
• Support ordering, inventory, prep systems, and kitchen organization
• Assist culinary leadership with scheduling, labor management, and operational systems
• Maintain cleanliness, organization, and food safety standards throughout all kitchen and storage areas
• Support recipe costing, waste reduction, temperature logs, and maintenance communication
• Help train, develop, and hold team members accountable to kitchen standards
• Lead by example through professionalism, urgency, communication, and consistency

Requirements:

• 1–3+ years of kitchen leadership experience preferred
• Strong line cooking and expediting experience
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Ability to lead and develop team members in a positive and professional manner
• Strong understanding of kitchen systems, prep organization, and service execution
• Experience with food cost, inventory, and labor management is preferred
• Calm under pressure with a proactive approach to problem-solving
• A positive attitude and willingness to continue learning and growing
• Weekend availability is required

Compensation:

Starting pay is $24–26/hr based on experience, with opportunities for growth and advancement within the company.

ABOUT SCRATCHBOARD KITCHEN

Scratchboard Kitchen is a chef-driven upscale casual restaurant in downtown Arlington Heights focused on seasonal, scratch-made food, pastry, coffee, and hospitality. Our kitchen emphasizes teamwork, professionalism, consistency, and continuous improvement. We are a growing company looking for motivated individuals who want to be part of building something special.