Kitchen Manager/Head Chef

Job Details

Augie’s Chicago is seeking an experienced, hands-on Head Chef / Kitchen Manager to lead our back-of-house operation. We are a busy, independent neighborhood restaurant in Lincoln Park with a high-volume kitchen, a strong team, and a menu focused on approachable, quality food.

We are looking for someone who is as strong at managing people and kitchen operations as they are at cooking. This is not a position for someone who simply wants to create menus or work the line. We need a leader who can take ownership of the entire kitchen, build a dependable team, establish systems, and ensure the BOH operates efficiently and consistently every day.

The right person will be organized, accountable, calm under pressure, and comfortable being both a manager and a hands-on chef.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage all day-to-day back-of-house operations
• Hire, train, develop, schedule, and manage BOH employees
• Build a strong, dependable kitchen team and maintain appropriate staffing levels
• Hold employees accountable to performance, attendance, cleanliness, and workplace standards
• Work alongside the team during busy services and step onto any station when needed
• Oversee ordering, receiving, inventory, product rotation, and vendor relationships
• Monitor food costs, waste, portioning, and overall kitchen efficiency
• Maintain accurate pars and prevent unnecessary shortages and over-ordering
• Ensure recipes, portions, preparation, and presentation remain consistent
• Create and maintain prep lists, station procedures, recipes, and kitchen systems
• Ensure cooks are properly trained and cross-trained throughout the kitchen
• Maintain a clean, organized, safe, and health-code-compliant kitchen
• Enforce food safety, sanitation, phone/headphone, uniform, and workplace policies
• Work closely and communicate effectively with ownership and FOH management
• Identify problems and resolve them proactively rather than waiting for ownership to intervene
• Assist with menu development and improvements while maintaining consistency and controlling costs

What We're Looking For:

• Minimum 3–5 years of professional kitchen experience with significant leadership responsibility
• Previous experience as a Head Chef, Kitchen Manager, Chef de Cuisine, Executive Sous Chef, or similar leadership role
• Proven ability to successfully manage and develop a kitchen team
• Strong knowledge of food cost, inventory, purchasing, labor management, and kitchen organization
• Comfortable working in a high-volume restaurant environment
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills
• Dependable, organized, professional, and accountable
• Willing to be hands-on and work alongside the team
• Able to lead firmly while maintaining a respectful and positive workplace
• Experience with pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and high-volume casual dining is a plus

We are looking for someone who wants to make Augie’s their kitchen—someone who takes pride in developing a great team, creating strong systems, maintaining high standards, and taking genuine ownership of the operation.

If you are an experienced kitchen leader who enjoys being hands-on and wants the opportunity to run a kitchen with the support of engaged ownership, we would love to hear from you.

Pay: From $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person