Food and Beverage - Cook Lead

About the role

Hornblower Group is a global leader in experience and transportation with a 100-year history. Its portfolio includes water- and land-based experiences, ferry and transportation services, and subsidiaries such as Hornblower Marine, Seaward Services, and Anchor Operating System. The company operates in over 10 countries, 50+ U.S. cities, serves more than 20 million guests annually, and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida with offices in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Dublin, and across Ontario, Canada.

City Experiences, Hornblower Group’s premier experience division, offers dining and sightseeing cruises and walking and food tours through the City Cruises, Walks, and Devour brands. The division welcomes upwards of 30 million guests annually across 25+ brands.

The Kitchen Manager participates in managing back-of-the-house cruise execution to ensure consistently high levels of quality, service, and sanitation satisfaction while maintaining profitability. The role requires adaptability, dynamism, and embodiment of City Experiences’ RESPECT Service System.

Responsibilities

• Act as the on-duty kitchen manager for cruises and manage kitchen staff to ensure adherence to procedures in the Product Management Guide and Galley Operating Manual.
• Ensure all staff consistently follow health department sanitation codes and maintain the Company’s strict sanitation standards.
• Maintain close liaison between the kitchen and other departments, including front-of-the-house.
• Recommend and execute approved programs that improve service and product quality.
• Execute other projects as assigned by management.
• Participate in training of all new kitchen staff.
• Participate in scheduling kitchen staff according to staffing matrix.
• Adhere to Company’s performance management guidelines for discipline and termination situations.
• Provide input to the Executive Chef and F&B Director on development and career growth plans for kitchen staff.
• Recommend promotion of kitchen staff members to the Executive Chef and F&B Director.
• Develop positive working relationships with city department heads and peers.
• Participate in developing strong teamwork within the staff.
• Help develop and execute shipmate incentive programs.
• Resolve guest service issues in conjunction with the on-duty Restaurant Manager, exercising diplomacy to support customer retention.
• Participate in implementing and maintaining effective safety programs with the Marine Operations Department.
• Maintain high sanitation standards in accordance with OSHA requirements.
• Participate in monitoring and controlling all kitchen operation costs per budget.
• Participate in the inventory process to ensure adequate stock.
• Process all invoices timely to maximize corporate rebate programs.
• Maintain food, supplier, and equipment purchasing systems ensuring maximum quality, least cost, and high reliability.
• Schedule kitchen staff work periods to achieve maximum payroll efficiency.
• Ensure all state and local health requirements are met onboard and that all shipmates are familiar with them.
• Attend all scheduled meetings.
• Perform additional job duties as assigned.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Minimum 1 year total kitchen experience in full-service/banquet, high-volume environment.
• Minimum 1 year kitchen staff management experience.
• High school graduate AND minimum 2 years formal culinary training, OR 2 years additional kitchen experience in full-service/banquet, high-volume environment.
• ServSafe Certified.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and tasks.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships as required by job responsibilities.
• Communicate effectively in oral and written form.
• Effectively deal with internal and external customers requiring high levels of patience, tact, and diplomacy.
• Read, write, and speak English to comprehend and communicate job functions.
• Finger/hand dexterity to operate food machinery.
• Work in confined spaces.
• Perform duties within extreme temperature ranges.
• Stand, walk, and/or sit continuously to perform essential functions for extended periods.
• Hearing and visual ability to observe and detect emergency signs, distinguish product, taste, texture, presentation, and observe preparation.
• Finger/grasp, lift, and/or carry or otherwise move goods weighing up to 200 lbs. on a continuous schedule.
• Work with Microsoft Office applications (especially Word & Excel).
• Pass a qualified comprehensive background check.
• Available for work weekends and all major holidays.