Kitchen Manager - Dallas

The Yay Company

Reports to:

Operations Manager

Location:

Dallas, TX

Type:
Full-Time, Salaried

The Kitchen Manager is the on-the-ground operator for the Dallas market. This is a working kitchen leadership role — the Kitchen Manager directly runs day-to-day operations at the primary hub kitchen and maintains check-in oversight of two additional school locations in the market that have staff onsite and one additional drop-off location. The Kitchen Manager is accountable for food quality, kitchen team performance, production execution, and operational standards across all four Dallas schools.

• Works alongside the Lead Cook and kitchen team daily — this is a working kitchen role, not supervisory-only
• Owns bi-weekly cold batch production: plans, leads, and executes all cold batch runs at the hub kitchen
• Leads hot prep days in partnership with the Lead Cook, setting the pace and standard for the team
• Manages production scheduling, food quality, waste tracking, and inventory at the hub
• Directly supervises kitchen staff and holds the team accountable to Yay standards

• Delivers cold food to both additional Dallas schools twice per week
• Uses each delivery as a structured site visit — directly oversees kitchen staff, checks standards, and addresses any issues in person
• Manages the school relationship at each location: serves as the primary Yay contact for school staff and leadership
• Supports Lead Cook development at each site through in-person coaching during delivery visits
• Conducts daily check-ins with both locations on non-delivery days to confirm service is on track

• Runs hub kitchen from prep through service — production schedule, food quality, and on-time execution
• Manages call-out coverage and real-time kitchen decisions during service hours
• Ensures food is produced to Yay standards and delivered on time to spoke schools served by the hub
• Serves as primary point of contact for school partners at hub location on day-of operational matters
• Checks in with both additional Dallas locations daily to confirm service status and address any real-time issues

• Sets the hub kitchen schedule within labor budget provided by the Operations Manager
• Tracks actual hours versus scheduled hours daily; identifies and corrects overages
• Approves any schedule changes or additional shifts at the hub kitchen
• Reports labor performance to the Operations Manager as part of daily and weekly reporting

• Monitors and reduces waste at the hub kitchen — holds team accountable for portioning, FIFO, and end-of-day tracking
• Confirms inventory counts are accurate and that pars are correctly set for the week ahead
• Reviews waste reports from additional Dallas locations and flags concerns to Operations Manager
• Upholds Yay food quality and safety standards at all three Dallas locations

• Provides direct leadership to Lead Cooks and kitchen staff at the hub kitchen
• Supports Lead Cook development at the two additional locations through regular check-ins and site visits
• Leads onboarding for new kitchen hires and sets standards for the Dallas market
• Escalates performance or operational issues to the Operations Manager as needed

• Present at the hub kitchen during service hours — managing production flow, team execution, and quality
• Handles real-time issues: call-outs, equipment problems, service timing, and school-level escalations
• Checks in with both additional Dallas locations to confirm service is running smoothly

• Reviews the day…