Group Executive Chef

Group Executive Chef

Department: Management

Reporting to: Managing Director

Job Purpose:

The Group Executive Chef leads all aspects of each of the group’s respective kitchen operations. You will deliver high-quality menus and motivate your staff to provide excellent customer service.

You are required to oversee and manage the culinary operations across our chain of restaurants. This role is responsible for maintaining high standards of food quality, consistency, and operational efficiency while driving innovation in menu development and ensuring cost-effective kitchen management. You must be a hands-on leader with a passion for culinary excellence, team development, and strategic growth. Your responsibilities include maintaining each restaurant’s revenue, profitability and quality goals. You will ensure efficient restaurant operations, as well as maintain high production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards.

To be successful in this role, you will need to know how to oversee the respective dining rooms, check-in with customers and balance seating capacity, and make sure we comply with health and safety restaurant regulations.

We’ll expect you to lead by example and uplift our staff during busy moments in our fast-paced environment. Ultimately, you will ensure our restaurants runs smoothly and customers have pleasant dining experiences.

Summary Key Responsibilities:

Culinary Leadership & Menu Development

• Develop and maintain menus that align with the brand identity and guest expectations.
• Ensure consistency in food presentation, portioning, and taste across all locations.
• Research and implement new culinary trends, seasonal dishes, and cost-effective recipes.
• Designing new dishes to fit the menus and keeping customers returning to try new dishes.
• Work closely with the marketing and operations teams to introduce promotions and special menus.
• Creating an overall vision and plan for the company as it relates to food operations.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee kitchen operations at multiple locations to ensure efficiency, quality control, and adherence to food safety regulations.
• Implement where needed and monitor standard operating procedures (SOPs) for food preparation, storage, and hygiene.
• Maintain relationships with suppliers to secure the best ingredients while managing food costs.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, conducting regular audits and training as needed.
• Customer-Service: Food service managers might have to interact with customers. Being friendly and courteous will help keep customers coming back.
• Keeping kitchens fully equipped with all the tools and inventory.
• Taking the lead and executing all aspects of the restaurant as it relates to expansion ventures that the company undertakes (menu development, sourcing of equipment and tools, designing kitchen layout, hiring and training of new staff)

Team Development & Leadership

• Recruit, train, and mentor Executive Chefs, Sous Chefs, and kitchen staff across all locations.
• Foster a positive and high-performing kitchen culture that promotes teamwork and accountability.
• Provide hands-on coaching and skill development to improve kitchen performance and consistency.
• Conduct regular performance evaluations and set clear goals for culinary teams.
• Establishing an effective reporting structure with respective Location Head Chefs. Follow up with them to ensure that all kitchen procedures check list are being completed. e.g. Temperature log of food, chillers/freezers, meat log and Equipment service log, opening and closing procedures.
• Speaking Skills: Food service managers need to accurately and easily communicate standards and cooking methods to staff, give orders and speak with customers clearly.

Financial & Cost Management

• Develop and oversee food cost controls, budgeting, and forecasting for kitchen operations.
• Optimize kitchen efficiency to reduce waste, improve margins, and maintain profitability.
• Work closely with procurement to negotiate supplier contracts and streamline inventory management.
• Recipe creation and menu costs engineering
• Overseeing and approval of purchasing food and supplies from vendors approved by the company

Responsibilities also include:

• Coordinating Kitchen management operations and being present on the restaurant’s peak nights.
• You may be required to report to a location in case of a chef emergency or special event.
• Approval of location kitchen rosters.
• Weekly meetings with location chefs to ensure quality standards are being met.
• Monthly review of location sales.
• Quarterly review of respective menus.
• New menu training for kitchen staff and FOH including demos.
• Periodic cleanliness and maintenance checks of the respective kitchens.
• Training, Coaching and counseling of existing staff.
• Ensuring that Chefs are responding efficiently and accurately to restaurant customer complaints.
• Regularly review product quality and research new vendors.
• Appraise management performance and provide feedback to improve productivity.
• Control operational costs and identify measures to cut waste.
• Create detailed reports on weekly, monthly and annual revenues and expenses.
• Promote the brand in the local community through word-of-mouth and restaurant events.
• Recommend ways to reach a broader audience.
• Implement policies and protocols that will maintain future restaurant operations.
• Must maintain personal hygiene in accordance with Trinidad and Tobago Public Health Department standards for Food Service Employees.

Requirements:

Proven work experience as a Head Chef, Restaurant Manager, Hospitality Manager or similar role Proven customer service experience in Management role

Extensive food and beverage (F&B) knowledge, with ability to remember and recall ingredients and dishes to inform customers and wait staff

Familiarity with restaurant management software, Lightspeed, Bevspot and M.S. Office Strong leadership, motivational and people skills

Acute financial management skills

BSc degree in Business Administration; hospitality management or culinary schooling is a plus