Kitchen Director Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

At Serve Give Joy LLC, dba, Chick-fil-A in Manteca, California, we believe that everyone can impact others for good. Our goal is to create an environment that inspires, challenges, and supports each person in reaching their highest level of potential, both personally and professionally while growing a high-performing enterprise.

Guided by our Purpose-to honor God in everything we do, develop servant leaders, pursue excellence and grow, so that our community is transformed-we strive to make a lasting impact that goes far beyond the walls of our restaurants.

Our Vision, "Courageous Care. Moments Igniting Movements.", reminds us that small, intentional acts of care can spark extraordinary transformation. We believe in courageously leading with compassion, creating meaningful moments that ripple through our teams, our customers, and broader community.

We are anchored in our Core Values, which define how we serve, lead, and treat one another:

Ownership - We take accountability for our actions and results.

Generosity - We recognize that everything we have is a gift, entrusted to us to serve others.

Consistency - We lead with integrity, honesty, loyalty, and respect - no matter the circumstance.

Care - We are committed to building an encouraging, supportive, and inclusive environment where everyone belongs.

Joy - We choose positivity, laughter, and hospitality in every interaction, making each day brighter for those we serve.

Role Overview

The Back of House (Kitchen) Director serves as the strategic and operational leader for all things related to the kitchen, such as operations, inventory, food safety, quality, and maintenance. This role is responsible for executing our Winning Hearts Every Day strategy, driving measurable business results, and developing leaders who multiply impact across the Serve Give Joy LLC Enterprise. Reporting directly to the General Manager and working closely with the Operator, Chief Human Resources Officer and other senior leaders, the Back of House Director ensures that our Corporate Purpose, Vision, and Core Values are the foundation upon which we grow the business. This leader is responsible for executing operational excellence as defined by Chick-fil-A, financial stewardship, and people development while ensuring every customer receives a consistent, efficient, and remarkable experience aligned with Chick-fil-A's vision to be the world's most caring company.

Key Responsibilities

Vision and Purpose Alignment

• Embody and share the Enterprise's Vision, Corporate Purpose, and Values to make a significant and positive impact on our team and community
• Ensure that all public facing engagements are consistent with the image, brand, culture, Vision, Values, and Corporate Purpose of Chick-fil-A
• Represent the Operator and the Enterprise in all internal and external communications and decision-making, oftentimes, without direct guidance and taking full ownership for decisions and outcomes
• Consistently exemplify these character qualities: drive; ownership; self-motivation; positive attitude; servanthood; follow-through; excellence; flexibility, efficiency, unwavering integrity; teamwork; and professionalism

Customer Experience and Sales and Brand Growth

• Lead all aspects of the Restaurant's kitchen operations
• In partnership with the General Manager, efficiently executes strategies and outcomes related to Overall Satisfaction (OSAT), Customer Experience Monitor Scores (CEM), Smart Shop, QIV, Food Safety Scores, and any operational audits
• Participate in and help shape quarterly strategic planning and champion long-term business growth initiatives
• Translate high-level business strategy into clear operational execution plans that always keeps the customer experience as the primary focus
• Model servant leadership in all actions, decisions, and communication with customers, team members, fellow leaders, and the broader community
• Lead and model the Restaurant's commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience, focusing on friendly service, quality food, and a clean and welcoming environment
• Develop and implement efficient systems, processes, and leadership teams to enhance the customer experience, productivity, minimize waste, and improve overall operational efficiency and restaurant profitability
• Monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) such as sales, food costs, labor costs, and customer satisfaction, and take appropriate actions to drive improvement
• Respond to customer feedback and complaints promptly and professionally, implementing appropriate measures to address concerns and ensure customer satisfaction
• Ensure executional excellence in order accuracy, speed of service, food safety, and food quality
• Build both systems and teams that exceed cleanliness and food safety standards
• Build teams that reinforce proper procedures in food preparation, packaging, presentation, and operational output

Financial Stewardship

• Assist General Manager in managing the Restaurant's budget, including labor costs, food costs, and other operational expenses relationships to achieve profitability targets
• Collaborate with the General Manager to strategize and operationally achieve sales goals
• Build teams to lead inventory systems, truck orders, produce management, oil rotation, lean product usage, and equipment maintenance
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all external maintenance and vendor relationships
• Build teams to lead all proper maintenance of all restaurant equipment and set goals to reduce maintenance and equipment replacement costs
• Build teams to execute lean systems in all operational areas

Leadership

• Foster a culture of individual and team accountability, excellence, growth, and continuous improvement
• Consistently uphold the formal coaching and disciplinary process as needed
• Identify, select, and coach team members, talent coaches, and leadership candidates to develop and maintain a healthy leadership pipeline that precedes the growth of the business
• Foster a culture of coaching and mentoring to support professional growth and development
• Regularly review and update all leadership training resources and external development opportunities to develop motivated, high-performance teams that embody servant leadership
• Consistently reflect servant leadership in all actions, decisions and communications within the Operator's Vision

Talent

• Partner with the General Manager and Chief Human Resources Officer to ensure alignment of the talent management strategy to maintain adequate staffing levels at the Restaurant that builds for day-to-day staffing margin and coverage, and prepares for continued business growth
• Ensure that the Team Member environment is safe, engaging, and encouraging to align with our Vision, Purpose, and Values
• Provide ongoing coaching and performance feedback to the Restaurant's operations team, recognizing their achievements and addressing areas for improvement
• Lead, inspire, and require a culture of coaching, mentoring, and feedback to support professional growth and development
• Continuously pursue his or her own professional and personal development through Chick-fil-A and other external resources

Required Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated history as an enthusiastic servant leader with a record of leadership development and business results
• Proven excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Proven track record of excellent time management skills and meeting deadlines
• Demonstrated ability to create systematic and scalable operations
• Demonstrated history of acting with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality
• Proven track record of strong analytical and problem-solving skills 
• Proven track record of excelling with systematic follow-through and auditing skills 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and an ability to coach Team Members

Additional Qualifications

• Strongly preferred bachelor's degree in hospitality management, business administration or other similar discipline
• 4+ years of experience in a restaurant leadership or operations role, directly overseeing both financial results and business growth 
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds and stand for up to 8 hours
• A positive, growth mindset
• Able to work full-time (42+ hours a week) and various shifts per week (nights and weekends are required), including minimally one opening and one closing shift per week
• Have reliable transportation
• Be authorized to work in the United States
• Passion for Chick-fil-A's brand and a clearly defined intent to grow within the business

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Meal benefits
• Simple IRA
• Mental health support
• Medical, dental and vision insurance 
• Catering discounts
• Development opportunities
• Discretionary bonus eligibility
• Education investment
• 2.5 weeks (100 hrs) of Paid Time Off

Key Metrics

• Food Safety Score of- 2 or better
• Deloitte - 97% or higher
• Food cost gap - .5% or less
• OSAT - 80%+ across all OSAT metrics
• Order Accuracy - 98%+
• Speed of Service - sub 4 minutes 30 seconds across all dayparts
• Restaurant profitability results meeting or exceeding Chick-fil-A's corporate profitability projection
• Execute Winning Hearts Strategies and lead restaurant goals and metrics
• Clear development as a leader and leader succession planning

• 8 hour shift
• Weekend availability
• Holidays
• Night shift
• Day shift