Kitchen Manager at Puckett's in Nashville

Puckett's in Grocery & Restaurant, part of the A. Marshall Hospitality family, is seeking a hands-on Kitchen Manager to lead our kitchen in Nashville, TN. We pride ourselves on high energy and quality, with locations including 7 other Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant sites, Deacon's New South, and Scout's Pub.

About the role

The Kitchen Manager oversees all kitchen functions, including food purchasing, preparation, quality standards, sanitation, cleanliness, and staff training in cooking methods, plate presentation, portion control, and cost management.

Responsibilities

• Promote and act in alignment with A. Marshall Hospitality’s mission: “To make every person we interact with feel like family and to make every guest a fan.”
• Ensure all food and products are prepared and served according to recipes, portioning, cooking, and serving standards.
• Develop recipes or menus considering seasonal ingredient availability and guest volume.
• Collaborate with restaurant managers to plan and price menu items, establish portion sizes, and create standard recipe cards.
• Supervise and coordinate food preparation activities of cooks and kitchen staff.
• Plan, direct, or supervise food preparation across multiple kitchens or restaurants.
• Monitor sanitation practices to ensure compliance with standards and regulations.
• Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to meet established standards.
• Maintain proper food holding and refrigeration temperature control points.
• Maintain cleaning schedules for kitchen floors, mats, walls, hoods, equipment, and storage areas.
• Ensure equipment is clean and in excellent working condition through inspections and preventative maintenance.
• Inspect supplies, equipment, and work areas for conformance to standards.
• Order or requisition food, equipment, or supplies to ensure efficient operation.
• Ensure products are ordered according to specifications and received in correct condition.
• Follow receiving policies and procedures for deliveries.
• Determine production schedules and staffing requirements for timely service delivery.
• Check quantity and quality of received products.
• Determine food presentation and create decorative displays.
• Meet with sales representatives to negotiate prices or order supplies.
• Coordinate planning, budgeting, or purchasing for food operations.
• Estimate costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
• Control food cost and usage through proper requisition, storage, recipes, and waste control.
• Analyze recipes to assign menu prices based on food, labor, and overhead costs.
• Provide orientation on company and department rules, policies, and procedures for new kitchen team members.
• Oversee and ensure timely completion of employee performance appraisals.
• Train cooks and workers in food preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation.
• Schedule personnel to meet anticipated business activity while managing labor costs.
• Enforce restaurant policies and administer corrective action for violations.
• Coach and train kitchen staff on equipment use, cleanliness, sanitation, first-aid, CPR, lifting techniques, and hazardous materials handling.
• Demonstrate new cooking techniques or equipment to staff.

Requirements

• 21 years of age or older.
• Reliable transportation to and from work.
• Clear and effective communication with managers, staff, and guests.
• Self-discipline, initiative, and excellent leadership skills with a focus on treating the team with dignity and respect.
• Pleasant, polite manner and neat, clean appearance.
• Must pass the federally mandated E-verify process.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in varied kitchen positions (e.g., food preparation, line cook, fry cook, expediter).
• At least 1 year of experience in a similar capacity preferred.
• Able to reach, bend, stoop, and frequently lift up to 50 pounds.
• Able to work in a standing position for long periods (up to 9 hours).

Skills

• Excellent communication for diverse staff interactions.
• Self-discipline, initiative, and leadership ability.
• Multi-tasking and problem-solving under pressure.
• Pleasant, polite manner and neat appearance.

Tools & Technology

• Carbonated Beverage Dispenser
• Commercial kitchen equipment: blenders, choppers, cubers, dicers, graters, grinders, peelers, processors, slicers, broilers, deep fryers, griddles, grills, heat lamps, high-pressure steamers, microwave ovens, ovens, pizza ovens, ranges, rice cookers, rotisseries, smokers, steamers, toasters, waffle irons, dishwashers, food warmers, mixers, knives, scales, fire extinguishers, ice dispensers.
• Cash Register
• Aloha Point of Sale System
• R365: Restaurant Management Platform
• Payroll/HRIS System: Dominion Payroll
• Google for Business: Email, Drive, Calendar
• Inventory Management Software: R365
• Word Processing: Google Docs
• Spreadsheet Software: Google Sheets

Benefits

• Semi-annual bonus opportunity (up to 10% of base salary) after 6 continuous months.
• Two weeks paid vacation per fiscal year after 6 continuous months.
• Annual Incentive Trip: Five-day mostly paid trip for locations meeting stretch goals (e.g., Cabo San Lucas, Telluride, CO, cruises). Eligibility after 10 months.
• Employee health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision) starting 60 days after hire, plus the first of the month.
• Short-Term Disability Insurance, including Paid Maternity Leave.
• 50% discount for you and immediate family on in-house food and non-alcoholic beverages at your restaurant.
• 50% discount at affiliated restaurants for in-house food, non-alcoholic beverages, and apparel.
• Discounted rates for catering services at affiliated restaurants.

Schedule

Full-time, exempt, and at-will position. Hours vary, including days, evenings, and weekends.