Kitchen Manager

Kitchen Manager

The Kitchen Manager oversees the daily culinary operations of AC Kitchen, the hotel's European-inspired breakfast experience, and AC Lounge, the evening lobby bar offering thoughtfully prepared food in a relaxed, modern setting. This hands-on leader is responsible for delivering consistent food quality, efficient production, strong sanitation practices, and an exceptional dining experience for hotel guests and the local McKinney community.

Responsibilities include food preparation and production, associate hiring and development, scheduling, ordering and receiving, inventory control, recipe and portion compliance, health department requirements, and management of food, labor, and operating costs. The Kitchen Manager partners closely with food and beverage and hotel leadership to achieve departmental financial goals and ensure seamless service across both meal periods.

Lead Two Distinct Culinary Experiences

• Lead daily culinary operations for AC Kitchen breakfast service and AC Lounge evening food service, ensuring both meal periods are organized, properly staffed, and fully prepared.
• Execute AC Hotels culinary standards while maintaining consistent recipes, portions, presentation, taste, and timeliness across breakfast and evening service.
• Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence in the kitchen during peak breakfast and evening service periods.
• Plan production and prep levels based on occupancy, business volume, events, and forecasted demand while minimizing waste and shortages.
• Partner with front-of-house and lounge leadership to ensure clear communication, proper pacing, accurate orders, and a seamless guest experience.

Inspire and Develop Your Team

• Recruit, onboard, train, schedule, coach, and develop a high-performing culinary team capable of supporting both early-morning and evening operations.
• Foster a positive, inclusive kitchen culture built on accountability, teamwork, professionalism, safety, and continuous learning.
• Provide regular feedback, conduct performance conversations, and address associate concerns, attendance issues, and disciplinary matters promptly and consistently.
• Ensure associates are knowledgeable about recipes, ingredients, allergens, preparation methods, portion standards, equipment use, and food-safety requirements.
• Lead by example through hands-on involvement in preparation, cooking, plating, cleaning, and service whenever business needs require.

Drive Operational Excellence

• Oversee kitchen opening and closing procedures, daily prep lists, production schedules, station assignments, line checks, and shift handoffs.
• Maintain a clean, organized, safe, and efficient kitchen, storage, refrigeration, dishwashing, and service-support environment.
• Ensure compliance with AC Hotels and company standards, health department regulations, HACCP guidelines, food-safety practices, and all applicable laws.
• Manage food and kitchen-supply ordering, receiving, storage, labeling, rotation, inventory, and equipment needs using proper FIFO procedures.
• Maintain accurate schedules, standardized recipes, prep lists, temperature logs, cleaning schedules, training materials, inventories, and operational documentation.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance and promptly report kitchen-equipment or facility issues to minimize service disruption.

Own the Business

• Manage food cost, culinary labor, kitchen operating expenses, waste, and controllable costs to achieve financial objectives.
• Develop culinary budgets, forecasts, staffing plans, purchasing plans, and action plans in partnership with hotel and food and beverage leadership.
• Analyze sales, occupancy, labor, inventory, waste, purchasing, and food-cost trends to improve productivity and profitability.
• Adjust staffing, production, and purchasing based on business levels while protecting food quality and the guest experience.
• Build strong vendor relationships and verify product quality, availability, consistency, and competitive pricing.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of progressive culinary experience, including supervisory or management responsibility, in a hotel, restaurant, or similar hospitality environment.
• Previous Kitchen Manager, Sous Chef, Lead Cook, or comparable culinary leadership experience preferred.
• Hotel or restaurant opening experience is highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of breakfast production, short-order cooking, evening bar or lounge menus, food preparation, kitchen organization, and team development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple meal periods with different menus, staffing models, and production needs.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, culinary labor management, scheduling, purchasing, inventory control, waste reduction, and food-cost management.
• ServSafe Manager Certification or another approved food-protection manager certification, or the ability to obtain certification within the established timeframe.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and restaurant purchasing, inventory, point-of-sale, and scheduling systems.
• Strong culinary, communication, organization, decision-making, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Flexible schedule with the ability to support early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays based on operational needs.

Physical Requirements

This position requires the ability to stand and walk for extended periods, frequently lift and carry up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift up to 70 pounds, work in hot and cold kitchen environments, and perform repetitive bending, reaching, lifting, pushing, pulling, and other physical movements associated with a busy culinary operation.

Benefits

Peachtree Group provides a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance. We also offer a generous 401(k) retirement match. To support work-life balance, we provide Paid Holidays and Paid Time Off. Additional perks include access to our Employee Assistance Program and Fund.

Peachtree Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all associates are treated with respect and dignity. As part of our hiring process, Peachtree Group participates in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility for all newly hired associates.

Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.