Executive Chef Job at Pumphouse Brewery in Longmont

Position: Executive Chef

We are one of the largest single location independent restaurants in the country, serving quality pub food in a casual environment. We're looking for a hard-working, hands-on Executive Chef with outstanding culinary, leadership and management skills. We want someone who can both lead and be led, who knows what to do and will take initiative without being asked, but who can take direction when appropriate. This role will be a key member of the senior leadership team; building on over two decades of success, the Executive Chef will help us chart our course for our next decade.

Specific duties will include:

• Managing and leading the BOH team, fostering a high-performing, harmonious work environment.
• Managing kitchen operations to ensure consistent quality, efficiency and speed of execution.
• Developing new dishes, running specials, and tweaking existing dishes to enhance quality, appeal and/or execution.
• Maintaining food cost within pre-established target percentages, responsible for menu profitability.
• Hiring & firing, and training & coaching all kitchen staff, and ensuring that all associated administrative measures are completed punctually & accurately, and kept well organized.
• Managing the daily schedule for all kitchen staff, ensuring a balance between coverage for projected business volume, and containment of labor costs.
• Overseeing all food and supply ordering.
• Implementing and executing preventive maintenance plans for all kitchen equipment, and undertaking unplanned maintenance when and as required.
• Identifying equipment and training needs, and sourcing the same.
• Other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Experience and soft skill requirements:

• Restaurant veteran: 3+ years as Executive Chef (or comparable title) in a high volume kitchen. This experience must be in an environment other than catering, hotel or golf club, and must be in a restaurant with at least $8M in annual sales. We're looking for someone with a track record of longevity in their most recent role.
• Menu experience: We are known for our large and diverse menu, and you will have the lead in updating our offering several times per year. The ability to blend quality, creativity, diversity and efficiency is essential in this high-volume environment. Great-tasting, unpretentious food in large portions at outstanding value are what we are all about. We are not open to shrinking our menu, or reducing quality to make an extra buck.
• Drive & passion: You must love this business. If you feel burned out by the demands and challenges of operating in a high-volume kitchen, this is not the place for you. As with any busy restaurant, the physical and mental demands can become challenging, but the right mindset - self-driven and motivated - will get results.
• Mechanical aptitude: You must understand how the kitchen's equipment works, and be able to troubleshoot it in real time when a critical piece goes down at the worst moment. That may mean making a scrappy fix to keep things running until close, or getting creative about redistributing tasks around the kitchen.
• Organization: You must recognize the importance of being meticulously organized when it comes to managing your kitchen. This includes everything from the basics of kitchen organization/cleanliness, to the administrative duties, to the way you manage your personal workload and the workload of the entire BOH staff.
• Leadership: You will be supported by a seasoned, high-performing team including several sous chefs. To get the best from each member of your staff, you must earn their buy-in by setting a strong, hands-on example, and practicing coaching and teaching every day. Yelling, insulting and threatening will get you nowhere, nor will disregarding concerns brought to you by staff from all parts of the restaurant. Our team has high expectations of its leadership, and vice-versa.
• Financial smarts: You must have a strong aptitude for restaurant financials, including food & labor costs, and all other controllable expenses.
• Detail oriented: Attention to detail is critical in all aspects of our business, but nowhere more so than in the leadership of our kitchen.

Our ideal candidate has formal culinary training (or else extensive informal training up to a comparable level), and Spanish language proficiency.

What we offer: Excellent base salary with aggressive bonus potential, excellent benefits including 401(k), health, vision and dental insurance, and participation in employee ownership.