Kitchen Manager

Description

Step Up to the Plate as Our Kitchen Manager!

Location: Hillside Pizzeria

Department: Restaurant Operations

Pay: $25-$28/hr

At Home Run Inn, we believe pizza should do more than fill you up-it should lift you up.

For nearly 100 years, we've been bringing people together over authentic Chicago tavern-style pizza. Every great guest experience starts in the kitchen, where quality, teamwork, and consistency come together to create something special.

That's where you come in.

If you're a hands-on leader who loves developing people, takes pride in running a high-performing kitchen, and believes every plate should reflect excellence, we'd love to meet you.

What You'll Do

As our Kitchen Manager, you'll lead the heart of the restaurant-our kitchen. You'll oversee daily operations, coach and develop your team, maintain exceptional food quality and safety standards, and help drive the restaurant's overall success.

You'll create an environment where teammates can do their best work while ensuring every guest enjoys the Home Run Inn experience they've come to expect.

No two shifts are ever the same-and that's part of what makes this role rewarding.

You'll Spend Your Time

Leading the Kitchen Team

• Coach, train, and develop kitchen teammates to perform at their best
• Foster a culture built on teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Conduct regular kitchen meetings and provide ongoing feedback
• Help resolve challenges while creating a positive work environment

Delivering Outstanding Food Quality

• Ensure every pizza and menu item meets Home Run Inn quality standards
• Maintain consistency in recipes, portioning, presentation, and flavor
• Monitor food preparation, holding temperatures, rotation, and freshness
• Create daily prep lists and assign responsibilities across the kitchen team

Managing Kitchen Operations

• Oversee inventory, ordering, receiving, and vendor relationships
• Establish and maintain inventory par levels
• Complete daily and weekly inventory counts
• Review ICV reports to ensure inventory accuracy
• Schedule the kitchen team to support business needs while managing labor effectively
• Coordinate kitchen support for catering and special events

Keeping Safety First

• Promote a culture where safety comes first for every teammate
• Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, and health regulations
• Maintain a clean, organized, and inspection-ready kitchen
• Reinforce safe food handling and proper equipment usage

Driving Restaurant Success

• Review kitchen performance, food costs, purchasing, inventory, and labor
• Assist with payroll review and operational reporting
• Support opening and closing procedures
• Partner with restaurant leadership to achieve financial, operational, teammate, and guest experience goals
• Look for opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, and consistency every day

You're a Great Fit If You...

• Lead by example and enjoy developing others
• Stay calm and organized in a fast-paced environment
• Take pride in delivering consistent, high-quality food
• Balance quality, speed, and cost without compromising standards
• Communicate clearly and build strong relationships with your team
• Believe great kitchens are built through teamwork and accountability

What You'll Bring

• 3-5 years of kitchen management or culinary leadership experience, preferably in a full-service restaurant
• Strong knowledge of food preparation, food safety, sanitation, and kitchen operations
• Experience managing inventory, food costs, ordering, and labor
• Ability to coach, motivate, and develop kitchen teams
• Experience maintaining recipes, portion control, and quality standards
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays based on business needs
• Ability to lift, bend, reach, and stand for extended periods throughout a shift
• Must be at least 21 years old
• Food Handler Certification required within 30 days of hire
• Safety shoes required within 30 days of hire

What to Expect

• Full-time leadership role in one of our Chicagoland restaurants
• A fast-paced environment where every day brings something different
• Exposure to hot kitchen equipment, walk-in coolers, and varying temperatures
• Frequent handling of common food allergens, including milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, and other ingredients used in our kitchens
• A collaborative team that supports one another while delivering an exceptional guest experience

Why Home Run Inn?

We're more than a pizza company-we're neighbors serving neighbors.

For four generations, we've built our business around people. We care deeply about our teammates because we know they're the reason families continue making Home Run Inn part of their traditions.

When you join our team, you'll find:

• A family-owned company with nearly 100 years of Chicago history
• Leaders who genuinely care about your growth
• Opportunities to make a real impact on your restaurant and team
• A culture built around connection, support, and continuous improvement
• Best & Brightest and Most Loved Workplace recognition
• Plenty of reasons to celebrate the little wins along the way
• Time to recharge with Paid Time Off, Paid Sick Personal Time, and Paid Holidays
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance options, plus supplemental coverage
• Paid Parental Leave to support your growing family
• A 401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching opportunities
• Free household access to 24/7 on-demand virtual healthcare
• Discounts on safety shoes, travel, entertainment, and more
• Access to all the pizza your heart desires! (Well, almost.)

Our Values

Family - We show up for one another and succeed together.

Pride - We set high standards because our teammates and guests deserve our best.

Grit - We keep learning, improving, and finding better ways to do things.

Courage - We own our mistakes, speak honestly, and grow from every experience.

Purpose - To give people home runs in their day.

Ready to Join the Team?

Lead the Team Behind Every Great Pizza.

If you're passionate about developing people, maintaining exceptional quality, and creating memorable guest experiences, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and help us give people more Home Runs in their day-one great meal, one great team, and one great shift at a time.

Home Run Inn is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome.

#HomeRunInn

Salary Description

$25-$28/hr