Executive Sous Chef - Evelyn Steakhouse

General Purpose of the Job:

The Sous Chef is responsible for assisting the Executive Chef with all aspects culinary division of the restaurant including directing the daily operations of the kitchen, ensuring compliance with company standards in all areas of food production, food purchase specifications, kitchen maintenance and repair, inventory management, team management, financial accountability, and ensuring that the highest quality products and services are delivered to each guest. He or she should be a strong developer of people who provides leadership and promotes growth among high performing hourly staff. The Sous Chef will ensure new and return business by upholding our food strategy of authentic, handcrafted, and elevated Mexican cuisine and embodying the culture of The Mexican to ensure our brand's longevity.

The Sous Chef leads a team verbally, followed up by action. He or she creates a culture of hospitality within the restaurant while establishing a fun and productive work environment. This position requires an individual who can work well under pressure while maintaining high standards at all times. The Sous Chef will communicate effectively internally within their team and externally with other managers. They should also have excellent organizational skills to manage multiple tasks at once while being flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. In essence, they ensure that the restaurant kitchen operates, at all times, smoothly and efficiently. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist the Executive Chef in management of all areas of the kitchen and partner with GM for decisions on matters of importance

• Adheres to our brand's existing administrative SOPs and company handbook

Protects the health and safety of our guests, hourly team members, and management by adherence to health codes, sanitation guidelines, slip and fall procedures to reduce the risk of injury and accidents 

• Responsible for ensuring consistent high-quality food preparation and service

• Knowledge of special diets and allergens, and how to accommodate for them 

• Maintains professional restaurant image, including kitchen cleanliness, proper uniforms, and appearance standards

• Assists with executing systems that promote the brands' private dining room sales growth 

• Ensures that proper security procedures are in place to protect staff, guests, and company assets

• Manage shifts which include: daily decision-making, scheduling, and planning while upholding standards, product quality, and cleanliness

• Participate in detailed, weekly management meetings

• Demonstrates the ability to handle the pressures of simultaneously coordinating a wide range of activities and recommend appropriate solutions to restaurant problems

• Executes exceptional dining experiences for every guest, leading to the highest satisfaction and retention

• Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Executive Chef & GM

• ServSafe, local and state certifications required

• Maintains a consistent culture of hospitality both in the kitchen and with the service team

• Expresses a continuous positive attitude and enjoys working with people 

• Promotes levels of service excellence through daily one on ones with management, chefs and hourly team members

• Utilizes interpersonal and impactful communication skills to lead, influence, encourage others and advocate sound financial/business decision-making, demonstrating honesty and integrity. Leads by example at all times

• Embraces diversity and inclusion

• Encourages and builds mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among culinary and service team members

• Establishes and maintains a productive and fun working environment

Continually coaches and teaches for performance, improvement and accountability; holds the culinary team accountable for desired results. Trains and develops the BOH team on standards of excellence, proper operating procedures, food & beverage knowledge, guest-focused service

• Responds to complaints, taking any and all appropriate actions to turn dissatisfied guests into life-time regulars

Support the BOH team to resolve team conflicts: As the Chef, he or she must resolve disputes that arise in the workplace (including those with disgruntled guests).

• Actively ensures the completions of daily line check, observes and directs hourly team about prep levels, labels, time as a temperature control, and completes restaurant safety assessments

• Effectively mentors high performing team members that have potential to grow into leadership positions

Assists with performance evaluations that are timely and constructive

• Present a professional, appropriately dressed image to our guests and staff

• Reinforce individual and team accomplishments in daily preshift 

• Ensure the highest level of staff retention and team member engagement

• Embraces the difficult conversations

Business Leadership - Thinks strategically about the business

• Assist with writing effective schedules of all BOH departments that align with the forecasted budget. Make decisions proactively to account for a shift with a lower-than-expected guest count

• Ensure the highest quality of food to include ordering and managing inventory, product specification, preparation of ingredients and recipes, proper storage temperatures, rotation of product and presentation

• Reviews and understands operational numbers and takes approved action that make a positive impact on business results while optimizing workflow and productivity

• Innovates ways to identify or recognize an issue in the restaurant and create a new process or solution for the restaurant to do it better

• Persistently strives for the right goals, and measures success in terms of the results achieved; realizes excellence through successfully translating visionary thought leadership into action; hold self and others accountable to a high standard of excellence and performance

• Ability to prioritize and organize own and others’ work and time to meet deadlines and objectives

• Provides the leadership, vision, and direction to bring together and prioritize the departmental goals in a way that will be efficient and effective

• Ability to determine the applicability of experience and qualifications of job applicants

• Demonstrate exceptional time management and organizational skills.

• Demonstrates a sound knowledge of inventory systems, ordering, receiving, recipe development, budget, P&L and how to create and implement line builds for all menu items. Has the ability to teach, train and hold hourly team members accountable for desired results

• Has a sound understanding of POS systems and scheduling software

• Understand operational cost controls, able to identify measures to cut waste, and knows how to achieve desired results

• Assess current inventory, place orders and verify incoming shipments of products and supplies

• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions

• Technical aptitude in utilizing company systems, email, and Microsoft programs.

• Professionalism in the documentation of written and verbal communication

Requirements: 

• A culinary degree is preferred, but a combination of practical experience and 2+ years of culinary education will be considered as an alternative. 

• 5+ years experience as an Executive Chef or equivalent. 

• Advanced knowledge of food professional principles and practices including BOH systems, ordering, and inventory 

• ServeSafe Certified Alcohol Service permit (for applicable location) 

• Spanish speaking is preferred but not essential

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are the representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

• 50 – 55 hours in a typical work week.

• This role requires prolonged standing, the ability to move, push and lifting up to 50 lbs.

• Work with hot, cold and hazardous equipment as well as operate phones, computers, printers/copiers and other office equipment.