Culinary Director

Bon Appetit
Position Title: Culinary Director
Salary: 130,000-140,000
Other Forms of Compensation:
Our Passion is Food
At Bon Appetit Management Company we are committed to two things, great food and outstanding service At Bon Appetit you won't find our managers referring to a corporate recipe book or our chefs microwaving the lunch special. We do not have standardized recipes or central commissaries, instead, our chefs and managers are expected to stay abreast of current culinary trends and bring cutting edge food into their cafes. We are a restaurant company that operates in contract food service. That means you will have the freedom to be creative, take risks, and truly shine. We are committed to our staff growing, trying new things, and learning all that they can. Our rapid growth and breadth of accounts translates into exciting opportunities for our people
Job Summary
Position Summary:
The Culinary Director is responsible for leading the culinary vision, standards, execution, and operational performance across a high-volume, multi-unit food service environment. This role provides hands-on leadership to culinary teams, drives menu innovation, ensures consistent food quality and presentation, and supports the overall guest and client experience through strong operational systems, training, financial discipline, and compliance.
Key Responsibilities
+ Lead culinary operations across all assigned outlets, ensuring consistent execution, high-quality food production, strong presentation, and efficient kitchen operations.
+ Develop, implement, and maintain recipes, menus, portion specifications, preparation standards, and production procedures that support quality, consistency, cost control, and guest satisfaction.
+ Provide hands-on culinary leadership by cooking, by example, coaching culinary teams, and ensuring operations can run smoothly and efficiently in the Culinary Director's absence.
+ Partner with operational leadership, marketing, purchasing, and regional culinary support to roll out new culinary programs, seasonal menus, activations, and client-facing food experiences.
+ Manage menu development with attention to guest preferences, local sourcing, sustainability, cultural relevance, culinary trends, operational feasibility, and financial performance.
+ Oversee food cost management, inventory control, purchasing standards, ordering practices, invoice tracking, labor planning, and operational reporting to support budget and P&L goals.
+ Hire, train, coach, develop, and engage culinary leaders and back-of-house associates while maintaining appropriate staffing levels based on business needs.
+ Mentors chefs and sous chefs continuously to build their culinary and management skills
+ Establish training routines that build culinary skill, reinforce recipe execution, improve speed and consistency, and support continuous development for team members.
+ Maintain full compliance with company policies, food safety standards, sanitation requirements, OSHA expectations, Health Department regulations, and client-specific operating standards.
+ Conduct regular inspections of kitchens, service areas, events, equipment, food presentation, associate appearance, cleanliness, safety practices, and overall culinary execution.
+ Collaborate with front-of-house and operations teams to ensure seamless service, strong communication, and exceptional guest experience across daily service, catering, and special events.
+ Prepare reports and analyses that identify performance metrics, financial results, production needs, adverse trends, improvement opportunities, and recommended actions.
+ Support catering, banquet, and special event execution, ensuring menus, staffing, production planning, quality, timing, and service standards are met.
+ Create a positive, accountable, and inclusive work environment that improves productivity, morale, retention, and team performance.
Qualifications
+ Minimum of ten years of progressive culinary management experience in high-volume, complex food service, restaurant, hotel, resort, catering, banquet, or contract-managed operations.
+ At least five years of experience in an Executive Chef or equivalent senior culinary leadership role.
+ Strong knowledge of menu development, recipe standardization, food production, presentation, procurement, purchasing specifications, inventory control, labor management, sanitation, and food cost controls.
+ Demonstrated experience leading, training, coaching, and developing culinary teams in a fast-paced, service-focused environment.
+ Strong financial and business acumen, including experience with budgets, P&L management, food cost analysis, labor planning, and operational reporting.
+ Working knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP principles, Health Department requirements, OSHA standards, and safe food handling practices.
+ Proficiency