Sous Chef

Sous Chef

Responsible for all aspects of managing the kitchen and kitchen personnel, ensuring the quality preparation of all menu items and proper handling/storage of all food items in accordance with standards. Coordinate the purchase of all food and maintain menus, maintaining approved food costs and labor costs. Scheduled time in this position is split approximately 50% hands-on culinary production and 50% administrative and management work, including scheduling, labor management, recipe and menu costing, ordering, receiving and inventory.

Maintain complete knowledge of and ensure associate compliance with all departmental/hotel policies and procedures. Train, recommend performance evaluations, resolve problems, provide open communication and recommend discipline and/or termination when appropriate. Establish the day's priorities and assign production and preparation tasks for staff to execute. Create daily menu specials and receive feedback from Executive Chef. Review banquet event orders and make note of any changes. Communicate both verbally and in writing to provide clear directions to staff. Take physical inventory of specified food items for daily inventory. Requisition the day's supplies and ensure that they are received and stored correctly. Communicate needs with Purchasing and Storeroom personnel. Ensure quality of products received. Meet with the Steward to review equipment needs, banquet plate up assistance, cleaning schedule/project status, health/safety and sanitation follow up. Ensure that staff report to work as scheduled; document any late or absent employees. Ensure that each kitchen work area is stocked with specified tools, supplies and equipment to meet the business demand. Ensure that recipe cards, production schedules, plating guides, photographs are current and posted. Ensure that all staff prepare menu items following recipes and yield guides, according to department standards. Monitor performance of staff and ensure all procedures are completed to the department standards; rectify deficiencies with respective personnel. Observe guest reactions and confer with service staff to ensure guest satisfaction. Conduct frequent walk throughs of each kitchen area and direct respective personnel to correct any deficiencies. Ensure that quality and details are being maintained. Assist the Executive Chef in menu development and execution. Work with catering department to ensure guest satisfaction and exceeding/meeting guest expectations. Review sales and food cost with the Executive Chef to ensure the department is meeting budgeted costs. Ensure that excess items are utilized efficiently. Oversee and direct training of new hires in specified phases of the kitchen operation. Maintain an on-going training program for existing staff. Back to basics training maintained. Maintain hotel policies and standards. Perform any other job-related duties as assigned. Comply with attendance rules and be available to work on a regular basis. Must have HACCP training and comply with Osha Regulations for F&B department job positions.

This position is structured as an approximately 50/50 split between hands-on culinary production on the line and administrative work required to run the kitchen. Administrative time is a required function of this role, not optional, and is expected to be completed on property during scheduled hours. Administrative responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: Build and post weekly schedules for assigned kitchen areas, including banquets and in-room dining, built to the sales and covers forecast and within the approved labor budget. Manage daily punch edits, missed punches, break compliance, overtime exposure and payroll approval in the hotel timekeeping system by the required deadlines. Cost recipes and menu items. Maintain current plate costs, yield tests and batch recipes, and update costing when vendor pricing changes or products are substituted. Place, receive and reconcile food orders. Verify invoices against orders and receiving records, resolve shortages and credits with vendors, and submit completed paperwork to Accounting within required period deadlines. Complete weekly and period-end inventory counts, waste and spoilage logs, and interdepartmental transfer documentation. Review food cost and menu mix results with the Executive Chef, identify items underperforming on margin or mix, and recommend corrective action. Maintain recipe cards, plating guides, prep lists, production sheets and training documentation in current, accurate and posted condition. Complete HACCP, temperature, sanitation and other required department logs and reporting.

The 50/50 split is a planning guideline. Actual daily allocation will vary with business volume, group and banquet activity, and staffing levels, and this position is expected to flex into production or service support when the operation requires it. Administrative work is not to be deferred or carried as unscheduled or off-the-clock time.

Must have the ability to communicate in English. Self-starting personality with an even disposition. Always maintain a professional appearance and manner. Can communicate well with guests. Must be willing to "pitch-in" and help co-workers with their job duties and be a team player. Ability to transport cases of received goods to the workstations; pots and pans of food from storage/prep areas to the serving line. Ability to work with all products and food ingredients involved. Ability to operate, clean and maintain all equipment required in job functions. Ability to plan and develop menus and recipes. Ability to apply basic supervisory skills to plan, organize, direct, coach, train and discipline, as necessary. Ability to ensure security of kitchen access, products and hotel property. Ability to operate with stress, time constraints, physical activity and continuous walking. Finger/hand dexterity in order to operate food machinery. Ability to grasp, lift and/or carry, or otherwise, move goods weighing a maximum of 100 lbs. on a continuous schedule.

Customer Satisfaction: Our customers are what we are about. One of the keys to a positive guest experience is positive interaction with Crescent staff. It is essential that you always remain professional, and that you treat all guests and associates with courtesy and respect, under all circumstances. Every Crescent associate is a guest relations ambassador, every working minute of every day.

Work Habits: In order to maintain a positive guest and associate experience, your work habits should always meet and strive to exceed hotel standards for work procedures, dress, grooming, punctuality and attendance. You should be adaptable to change in your work area and in hotel procedures with a willingness to learn new skills and/or improve existing ones, have the ability to solve routine problems that occur on the job and ask for help whenever you are not sure how to do something.

Safety & Security: The safety and security of our guests and associates is of utmost importance to Crescent. Every Crescent associate should adhere to the hotel security policies and procedures, particularly regarding key controls, lifting heavy objects, using chemicals, and effectively reporting safety hazards and safety concerns.

Note: This description excludes non-essential and marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of the fundamental job duties. Furthermore, the specific examples in each section are not intended to be all-inclusive. Rather, they represent the typical elements and criteria considered necessary to perform the job successfully. Other job-related duties may be assigned by the associate's supervisor.

Furthermore, this description is subject to change, in the sole discretion of the Company, and in no way creates an employment contract, implied or otherwise; each associate remains, always, an "at will" associate.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

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