Find & Apply For Restaurant / Food Service Manager Jobs in Oceanside, California

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for the daily operation, organization, cleanliness, financial performance, staffing, and overall execution of the kitchen . This is a hands-on leadership position requiring strong organizational skills, accountability, professionalism, urgency, and attention to detail. The Kitchen Manager works directly with Ownership and the General Manager and is expected to execute company standards, policies, procedures, and direction consistently.

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT

The Kitchen Manager is expected to: Lead the kitchen team professionally, respectfully, and consistently. Set the standard for work ethic, urgency, cleanliness, organization, and professionalism. Hold employees accountable for attendance, punctuality, performance, cleanliness, food quality, and adherence to company standards. Train, coach, develop, and supervise kitchen employees. Identify performance problems early and communicate them to the GM and Ownership. Delegate responsibilities effectively and verify that assigned work is completed. Maintain composure and professionalism during busy or stressful situations. Communicate clearly with FOH management, the GM, and Ownership. Follow through on responsibilities without requiring repeated reminders. Follow reasonable instructions and operational direction provided by Ownership and the General Manager.

SCHEDULING & LABOR CONTROL

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for maintaining an effective kitchen schedule while controlling labor costs.

Responsibilities include:

Create and maintain weekly kitchen schedules. Schedule according to anticipated sales and business needs. Ensure appropriate staffing levels without unnecessary overtime or overstaffing. Monitor labor throughout each shift and make adjustments when appropriate. Control overtime and obtain management approval when overtime is necessary. Manage call-outs, shift coverage, employee availability, and scheduling conflicts. Maintain appropriate staffing for prep, service, cleaning, and closing. Work with the GM and Ownership to achieve established labor-cost targets. The Kitchen Manager must understand that labor is a controllable expense and staffing decisions directly affect profitability.

INVENTORY, ORDERING & RECEIVING

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for maintaining appropriate inventory levels while minimizing waste and unnecessary purchasing.

Responsibilities include:

Maintain accurate inventory and appropriate pars. Complete required physical inventories. Order food and kitchen supplies accurately and on time. Prevent over-ordering and unnecessary inventory accumulation. Prevent shortages that negatively affect service. Check deliveries for accuracy, quality, quantity, pricing, and condition. Verify invoices and immediately report discrepancies. Ensure products are properly received, labeled, dated, rotated, and stored. Maintain proper FIFO rotation. Monitor high-cost and high-usage products closely. Maintain organized walk-ins, freezers, dry storage, and kitchen storage areas. Running out of routinely stocked products because an order was not properly placed or maintaining excessive inventory because ordering was not controlled are both considered management failures.

FOOD COST & WASTE CONTROL

The Kitchen Manager is directly responsible for helping maintain established food-cost targets.

Responsibilities include:

Monitor portion control. Maintain recipe and plating standards. Monitor waste, spoilage, overproduction, and improper preparation. Investigate unusual product usage or inventory discrepancies. Ensure employees are properly trained on yields, portions, recipes, and preparation methods. Maintain appropriate prep levels based on anticipated business. Reduce unnecessary waste without compromising food quality. Communicate significant food-cost issues to Ownership and the GM. Food cost is everyone's responsibility, but the Kitchen Manager owns the day-to-day execution of food-cost controls in the kitchen.

FOOD QUALITY & EXECUTION

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for ensuring that every item leaving the kitchen meets company standards.

This includes:

Proper recipes. Proper portions. Proper cooking temperatures. Proper seasoning. Proper presentation. Proper ticket execution. Consistency between cooks and shifts. Proper handling and storage of prepared foods. Food should be regularly tasted and inspected rather than assuming standards are being followed.

CLEANLINESS & ORGANIZATION

The kitchen must remain clean, organized, and inspection-ready at all times , not only when a health inspection is expected. The Kitchen Manager is responsible for: Daily kitchen cleanliness. Walk-in and freezer organization. Dry-storage organization. Dish area cleanliness. Floors, walls, shelving, equipment, drains, and work surfaces. Proper labeling and dating. Proper food storage. Maintaining cleaning schedules. Ensuring opening, shift-change, and closing cleaning responsibilities are completed. Identifying maintenance, sanitation, or pest-control concerns immediately. The Kitchen Manager is expected to conduct routine walkthroughs and correct problems as they are identified.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT & FOOD SAFETY COMPLIANCE

The Kitchen Manager must maintain the kitchen in compliance with applicable health department and food-safety requirements.

Responsibilities include:

Proper food temperatures. Proper cooling and reheating procedures. Proper hot and cold holding. Proper handwashing and glove use. Cross-contamination prevention. Proper chemical storage and sanitizer concentrations. Proper labeling and dating. Proper food storage and rotation. Employee food-safety practices. Required food-safety certifications and documentation. Maintaining the kitchen in inspection-ready condition. Any serious food-safety concern must be corrected immediately and communicated to the GM and/or Ownership when appropriate.

EQUIPMENT CARE & MAINTENANCE

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for ensuring kitchen equipment is properly used, cleaned, and cared for.

Responsibilities include:

Train employees on proper equipment operation. Ensure equipment is cleaned according to manufacturer and company standards. Prevent abuse, misuse, or neglect of company equipment. Immediately report equipment problems. Identify small maintenance problems before they become expensive repairs. Coordinate with management regarding necessary repairs or service. Never knowingly operate unsafe equipment. Company equipment represents a significant investment and must be treated accordingly.

PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE

The Kitchen Manager is a representative of management and must maintain a professional appearance at all times.

This includes:

Clean and appropriate uniform or management attire. Proper personal hygiene. Clean footwear and clothing. Professional demeanor. Compliance with company grooming and appearance standards. The Kitchen Manager is expected to model the same—or higher—standards expected from employees.

COMMUNICATION WITH OWNERSHIP & GENERAL MANAGER

The Kitchen Manager must work closely with Ownership and the General Manager.

This includes communicating:

Staffing problems. Employee performance concerns. Scheduling issues. Inventory concerns. Food-cost issues. Vendor or ordering problems. Equipment failures. Health and safety concerns. Product-quality issues. Operational problems that could affect service or profitability. Problems should be communicated with proposed solutions whenever reasonably possible. The Kitchen Manager is expected to accept direction professionally, execute agreed-upon decisions, and follow up when requested.

MULTITASKING & ORGANIZATION

The Kitchen Manager must be capable of managing multiple responsibilities simultaneously, including: Prep. Staffing. Scheduling. Ordering. Inventory. Service. Employee supervision. Cleaning. Food safety. Equipment. Administrative responsibilities. Communication with management. The ability to prioritize, delegate, execute, and follow through is essential to this position.

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

As a member of management, the Kitchen Manager must maintain professionalism at all times.

This includes:

Remaining respectful during disagreements. Avoiding inappropriate arguments or confrontations with employees. Maintaining confidentiality regarding management and employee matters. Addressing problems constructively. Avoiding gossip and negative discussion about employees, management, or Ownership. Supporting management decisions professionally. Treating employees consistently and fairly. Maintaining appropriate manager/employee boundaries.

CORE EXPECTATION

OWN

THE KITCHEN

The Kitchen Manager is expected to operate with an ownership mentality. When something is wrong, the expectation is not simply to identify the problem.

The Kitchen Manager should:

See it → Address it → Correct it → Follow up → Prevent it from happening again. The Kitchen Manager is accountable for maintaining a kitchen that is: Clean. Organized. Staffed appropriately. Financially controlled. Food-safe. Consistent. Professional. Ready for service.

PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY

Performance may be evaluated based on: Labor-cost performance. Food-cost performance. Inventory accuracy. Ordering accuracy. Waste control. Schedule effectiveness. Overtime management. Kitchen cleanliness. Health department compliance. Food quality and consistency. Employee training and development. Equipment care. Communication. Reliability. Professionalism. Ability to follow direction. Ability to solve problems independently. Follow-through and completion of assigned responsibilities. The Kitchen Manager's success is ultimately measured by the consistent performance of the kitchen , not simply by completion of individual tasks.

Pay:

$61,000.00 - $73,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental insurance Food provided Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person