Kitchen Assistant (Sur La Table)

About the role

As a Kitchen Assistant at Sur La Table, you play a key role in inspiring customers throughout every stage of their culinary experience. With a passion for cooking, hospitality, and teamwork, the Kitchen Assistant supports the chefs to ensure smooth class operations and a #bestincenter experience, a company-wide standard for excellence in service. You'll help bring culinary dreams to life by supporting our chefs, engaging with guests, and ensuring a clean, well-organized kitchen environment.

Responsibilities

• Represent Sur La Table's brand and culture by creating memorable, educational experiences that inspire repeat visits and customer loyalty
• Maintain expertise by staying current on products, actively engaging in available training, and independently seeking out additional resources
• Ensure exceptional customer experience by leading a customer-focused, Guest Obsessed culture in both the kitchen and retail sales floor
• Assist chefs with class execution that drives repeat visits and positive customer feedback
• Deliver class revenue goals by ensuring high enrollment, positive reviews, and guest return rates
• Consistently meet or exceed monthly sales goals, contributing to overall store revenue
• Assist in setting up and breakdown of classes including organizing mise en place, prepping ingredients, and cleaning workstations
• Clean and sanitize dishes and equipment promptly to ensure smooth kitchen operations
• Assist with restocking, organizing, and maintaining kitchen supplies and tools to support overall store readiness
• Ensure compliance with food safety standards, local health codes, and sanitation regulations
• Properly handle all tools, ingredients, and kitchen equipment to maintain a safe and efficient work environment
• Maintain accurate inventory levels, minimize shrink, and control supply and culinary expenses
• May handle liquor, wine, and beer in compliance with state and location alcohol regulations, company policies, including enforcing age restrictions
• Ensure store safety and cleanliness, addressing any maintenance needs promptly
• Adhere to applicable wage and hour laws
• Accurately records time worked according to SLT Policy
• Model and ensure consistent adherence to all Sur La Table policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years of age or older at the time of employment
• 1 year retail sales experience, preferred
• 1 year food prep and/or kitchen operations experience, preferred
• Valid Food Handlers Certification
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities
• Passion for community engagement and providing exceptional customer experiences
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and retail systems preferred

Physical requirements

• Ability to communicate verbally and work cooperatively with associates and customers
• Ability to remain standing for up to 4 hours at a time
• Ability to move about the store directing class participants while selling to customers and retrieving merchandise from stockroom or sales floor
• The capability to accurately perceive and differentiate variations in intensity or quality of flavors or odors, or to identify specific tastes or scents using the tongue or nose
• Ability to grab, reach, push, pull, bend, stoop, kneel and crouch to demonstrate, retrieve and/or replenish merchandise and/or cooking equipment
• Ability to use hands to seize, hold, grasp, turn, or otherwise to chop, whisk, slice, stir, juice and/or demonstrate other techniques
• Ability to lift and/or move merchandise weighing up to 50 lbs
• Ability to ascend/descend ladders to retrieve and/or move merchandise
• Ability to operate a computer, POS system, keyboards, merchandise scanners and mouse to accomplish work
• Available to work between 12 and 16 hours per week, with a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays. While this is the minimum availability, scheduled hours may differ based on business needs
• Regular and predictable attendance with the flexibility to adjust class assignments based on demand
• Ability to work in a variable kitchen environment included but not limited to open flames, hot surfaces, temperature variations, various food allergens both physical and airborne