Kitchen Manager — Houston Market

Role Overview

The Kitchen Manager is the culinary operator for the Houston market, operating out of a shared commercial kitchen. This is a working kitchen leadership role — the Kitchen Manager directly runs day-to-day operations at the commercial kitchen and maintains check-in oversight of food distribution to seven school locations in the market that have staff onsite. The Kitchen Manager is accountable for food quality, kitchen team performance, production execution, and operational standards across all Houston schools that this location would provide food for.

Market Scope

Primary Hub Kitchen — Direct Management

• Works alongside the Prep Cooks daily — this is a working kitchen role, not supervisory-only
• Owns bi-weekly cold batch production: plans, leads, and executes all cold batch runs at the hub kitchen
• Leads hot prep days in partnership with the Prep Cooks, setting the pace and standard for the team
• Manages production scheduling, food quality, waste tracking, and inventory at the hub
• Directly supervises kitchen staff and holds the team accountable to Yay standards

Core Responsibilities

Daily Kitchen Operations

• Runs commercial kitchen from prep through pick-up — production schedule, food quality, and on-time execution
• Manages call-out coverage and real-time kitchen decisions during hours of production
• Ensures food is produced to Yay standards and delivered on time to schools served by the commercial kitchen
• Serves as primary point of contact for school Yay staff and Operations Leads at commercial kitchen location on day-of operational matters
• Checks in with Houston school locations during the week to confirm service status and address any real-time issues

Labor & Scheduling

• Sets the commercial kitchen schedule within labor budget provided by the Operations Manager
• Tracks actual hours versus scheduled hours daily; identifies and corrects overages
• Approves any schedule changes or additional shifts at the commercial kitchen
• Reports labor performance to the Operations Manager as part of daily and weekly reporting

Food Quality, Waste & Inventory

• Monitors and reduces waste at the commercial kitchen — holds team accountable for portioning, FIFO, and end-of-day tracking
• Confirms inventory counts are accurate and that pars are correctly set for the week ahead

Team Leadership

• Provides direct leadership to Prep Cooks at the commercial kitchen
• Supports Prep Cook development
• Leads onboarding for new kitchen hires and sets standards for the Houston market
• Escalates performance or operational issues to the Operations Manager as needed

Day in the Life / Week in the Life

Daily — During Shift Hours

• Present at the commercial kitchen during service hours — managing production flow, team execution, and quality
• Handles real-time issues: call-outs, equipment problems, service timing, and school-level escalations

Daily — End of Day Review

• Reviews the day through the ops dashboard and daily reports after service closes
• Sales vs. target: are all Houston locations hitting expected meal counts?
• Labor hours logged vs. budget: did the commercial kitchen run over, and why?
• Waste reported by hub and additional locations: is it within acceptable range?
• Sends a brief end-of-day summary to the Operations Manager on any flagged items — labor overages, waste spikes, service misses, or school concerns

Weekly — Ongoing Rhythm

• Inventory review: confirms commercial kitchen has submitted accurate counts and pars are set for the following week
• Schedule audit: reviews Houston hub schedule for the coming week to confirm labor hours are within budget and all roles are covered
• Weekly update to Operations Manager covering labor %, waste, meal counts, and operational flags

What Success Looks Like

• The commercial kitchen runs smoothly every service day — on time, on standard, no surprises
• Houston locations are checked in with daily and any issues are surfaced early
• Labor stays at or below budget at commercial kitchen location, every week
• Waste is tracked, understood, and trending down — root causes identified and addressed
• All Houston schools receive food on time, at temperature, and to Yay quality standards
• Prep Cooks at additional locations are supported, accountable, and growing in the role

What We're Looking For

• Minimum of 4 years of experience in kitchen or food production operations — you know how to run a shift, lead a team, and keep a kitchen on track
• Hands-on cook and leader — you're comfortable working the line alongside your team and setting the standard through your own work
• Experience with batch production, food safety, and inventory management — FIFO, portioning discipline, and waste reduction are second nature
• Strong people skills — you've held people accountable, coached newer cooks, and built trust with a team
• Organized and dependable — you manage multiple moving pieces daily and nothing gets dropped
• Comfortable on the road — this role involves driving between Houston locations to handle issues and do spot checks at times; reliable transportation and a valid driver's license required
• ServSafe Manager certification or willingness to obtain within 30 days of hire
• Must be based in Houston area or within commuting distance of Houston, TX

What We Offer

• $22.00/Hour 
• This role has the potential to have a pay increase after 60 days from start with Yay
• A high-growth, mission-driven company where your work directly impacts what kids eat every day
• A leadership team that values accountability, transparency, and operators who take pride in their craft
• Real career growth as we expand into new markets and build out our kitchen leadership team