Kitchen Manager

Aubergine Kitchen is a fast-growing, health-forward fast-casual brand operating across Utah, Arizona, Idaho, and Nevada - with several new locations opening in the next 18 months.

As we grow, we need Kitchen Managers who own the back of house - leaders who set the pace in the kitchen, uphold food quality and safety on every shift, and develop the cooks and prep team around them. This role is not about watching things happen from a distance. The best Kitchen Managers at Aubergine are on the line, in the prep area, and in the moments that define whether a shift goes well or falls short.

The Kitchen Manager reports directly to the General Manager and is the primary operations leader for the back of house during their assigned shift (AM or PM). This is a float role - you move around to ensure all kitchen processes and details are happening to our standard and you help where the kitchen needs you most at any given time.

The Kitchen Manager is the operational backbone of the back of house during their shift. You own what comes out of the kitchen - its quality, its speed, and its consistency.

• Run the full back of house during your assigned shift - line, prep, and expediting - with the authority and presence to set the pace and hold the standard

• Ensure every item leaving the kitchen meets Aubergine's food quality and presentation standards, every time, not just when it's easy

• Manage prep readiness at the start of every shift: verify par levels, identify gaps, and direct the team to resolve them before service begins

• Monitor line execution in real time - watching for speed bottlenecks, quality drops, and waste patterns, and correcting them in the moment

• Float across the kitchen as needed - stepping onto the line, into prep, or onto expediting based on where your team needs support most

• Maintain a clean, organized kitchen at all times: stations set up correctly, surfaces clean, and nothing out of place before, during, or after service

Food safety is non-negotiable. The Kitchen Manager is the last line of defense against practices that put guests at risk.

• Enforce all food safety standards, temperature protocols, and health regulations on every shift - no exceptions, no shortcuts

• Ensure proper food storage, FIFO rotation, and labeling across all back of house inventory

• Conduct and document shift-opening and shift-closing food safety checks

• Identify and correct unsafe practices immediately - and elevate to the GM when a pattern requires systemic attention

• Maintain a kitchen that would pass a health inspection on any given day, not just on scheduled audit days

• Assist the GM with inventory management: verify deliveries for accuracy and quality, flag discrepancies, and update counts

• Monitor ingredient usage and waste throughout the shift - identifying patterns that affect food cost and flagging them to the GM

• Maintain accurate prep logs and communicate upcoming shortages before they affect service

• Ensure equipment is used properly to reduce waste and prevent damage

The most important thing a Kitchen Manager does is make the cooks and prep team around them better.

• Onboard new back of house team members and actively coach them during training - not just show them the steps, but explain the why behind Aubergine's standards

• Provide direct, in-the-moment feedback that makes people improve, not shut down

• Know where each person on your shift stands - what they can handle, what they're working on, and how to get them to the next level

• Build a back of house culture built on consistency, excellence, accountability, mutual respect, and joyful teamwork

• Perform shift-level equipment checks and report any issues to the GM before they become disruptions

• Ensure all kitchen equipment is operated correctly and cleaned according to Aubergine standards

• Flag maintenance needs proactively - the GM should never discover a broken piece of equipment from a guest complaint

• Provide the GM with an honest, complete shift recap after every shift - what went well, what did not, and what needs follow-up

• Communicate prep needs, staffing gaps, and operational issues before they become problems

• Execute new menu launches and operational changes with precision - ensuring the kitchen team is trained and ready before the change goes live

• Identify what is not working in the kitchen and bring solutions to the GM, not just…