Restaurant Chef

About the role

The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel is seeking a talented and experienced Restaurant Chef to lead the kitchen operations and ensure high-quality food production.

Responsibilities

• Develops, designs, or creates new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions for the restaurant.
• Supervises restaurant kitchen shift operations and ensures compliance with all Food & Beverage policies, standards and procedures.
• Maintains food preparation handling and correct storage standards.
• Recognizes superior quality products, presentations and flavor.
• Plans and manages food quantities and plating requirements for the restaurant.
• Communicates production needs to key personnel.
• Assists in developing daily and seasonal menu items for the restaurant.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Follows proper handling and right temperature of all food products.
• Estimates daily restaurant production needs.
• Prepares and cooks foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions.
• Checks the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
• Determines how food should be presented and creates decorative food displays.
• Serves as a role model to demonstrate appropriate behaviors.
• Ensures and maintains the productivity level of employees.
• Ensures employees are cross-trained to support successful daily operations.
• Ensures employees understand expectations and parameters.
• Establishes and maintains open, collaborative relationships with employees and ensures employees do the same within the team.
• Sets and supports achievement of kitchen goals including performance goals, budget goals, team goals, etc.
• Develops specific guidance and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish daily kitchen operations work.
• Understands the impact of kitchen operation on the overall property financial goals and objectives and manages to achieve or exceed budgeted goals.
• Effectively investigates, reports and follows-up on employee accidents.
• Knows and implements company safety standards.
• Provides services that are above and beyond for customer satisfaction and retention.
• Manages day-to-day operations, ensuring the quality, standards and meeting the expectations of the customers on a daily basis.
• Improves service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand guest needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching when needed.
• Sets a positive example for guest relations.
• Emphasizes guest satisfaction during all departmental meetings and focuses on continuous improvement.
• Empowers employees to provide excellent customer service.
• Handles guest problems and complaints.
• Interacts with guests to obtain feedback on product quality and service levels.
• Identifies the developmental needs of others and coaches, mentors, or otherwise helps others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Participates in training restaurant staff on menu items including ingredients, preparation methods and unique tastes.
• Manages employee progressive discipline procedures.
• Participates in the employee performance appraisal process, providing feedback as needed.
• Uses all available on the job training tools for employees.
• Assists as needed in the interviewing and hiring of employee team members with appropriate skills.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: High school diploma or GED; 4 years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area. OR 2-year degree from an accredited university in Culinary Arts, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; 2 years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area.