Totum Market and Cafe is seeking a Food Service Manager to oversee the prepared foods, cafe production and back of house kitchen systems for our flagship Tampa location.
This role is designed for a chef operator who combines strong culinary instincts with operational discipline across inventory planning, labor management, forecasting and retail food production.
The Food Service Manager will be responsible for building a scalable prepared foods program spanning grab and go, deli, fresh prepared foods, cafe offerings, smoothies, juices and seasonal menu rotations aligned with a natural grocery environment.
This position works closely with store leadership and the grocery buying team to ensure efficient production, strong margins and high product quality.
Key Responsibilities
Oversee all back of house production including prep workflows, packaging systems and daily output scheduling across prepared foods stations
Align prepared foods production with store inventory to reduce shrink and improve margin performance
Maintain portion control standards, waste reduction systems and recipe costing discipline
Optimize back kitchen layout and workflow for efficient production in a compact footprint along with labor allocation.
Café Food and Beverage Integration
Oversee cafe food execution including smoothies, cold pressed juice program, baked goods, light cafe meals and prepared retail snacks
Train cafe staff on product knowledge and upselling
Coordinate production timing between kitchen and cafe teams
Inventory Planning and Forecasting
Manage ordering
Adjust output dynamically based on demand trends
Maintain strong inventory accuracy across perishables and production ingredients
Monitor food cost targets and contribution margins + work with management team
Food Safety and Compliance
Ensure compliance with Florida DBPR, FDACS and local health department standards
Maintain sanitation walkthrough routines and equipment cleaning schedules
Oversee labeling, storage, allergen handling, FIFO rotation and temperature controls
Team Leadership and Kitchen Culture
Recruit and develop the prepared foods and cafe production team
Build a structured staffing model aligned with production demand
Implement training systems for consistency across stations
Foster a collaborative kitchen culture balancing creativity and operational discipline
Menu Development and Innovation
Lead seasonal menu development across kitchen and cafe platforms
Monitor Tampa Bay food trends and competitor positioning
Collaborate with marketing on launches and product storytelling
Introduce limited time offerings tied to seasonal produce and local vendors
Requirements
Experience
Four to seven plus years in a culinary leadership role within grocery prepared foods, cafe production or fast casual scratch environments
Managing ordering
Managing labor scheduling and food cost targets
Producing grab and go retail food programs
Experience creating a food and beverage menu
Operating in a grocery environment strongly preferred
Launching or scaling a prepared foods program highly desirable
Certifications
ServSafe Manager Certification required
Florida DBPR Food Manager Certification required
Wine or beverage certification such as WSET or Cicerone is a plus
Skills
Strong production planning and kitchen workflow design
Retail food margin awareness
Menu costing and portion control discipline
Comfort forecasting demand and adjusting output
Cross functional collaboration with store leadership and buyers
Interest in seasonal sourcing and natural food systems
Benefits
Compensation
Base salary expected range $70,000 - $80,000
Performance bonus tied to food cost control, labor productivity, prepared foods sales growth and shrink reduction. 5-10% + benefits. (After baseline KPIs and metrics have been established)
Retention bonus available following twelve months of successful program execution