Kitchen Manager - Dallas

The Yay Company

Kitchen Manager — Dallas Market

Reports to: Operations Manager

Location: Dallas, TX

Type: Full-Time, Salaried

Role Overview

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.

Market Scope

Primary Hub Kitchen — Direct Management

• 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

• Two Additional Dallas Locations — Check-In Oversight

• 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

  Core Responsibilities

  Daily Kitchen Operations

• 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

  Labor & Scheduling

• 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

  Food Quality, Waste & Inventory

• 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

• Team Leadership

• 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

• Day in the Life / Week in the Life

  Daily — During Shift Hours

• 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

• Daily — End of Day Review

• Reviews the day through the ops dashboard and daily reports after service closes
• Sales vs. target: are all three Dallas locations hitting expected meal counts?
• Labor hours logged vs. budget: did the hub kitchen run over, and why?
• Waste reported by hub and additional locations: is it within acceptable range?
• Sends a brief end-of-day summary to the Operations Manager on any flagged items —

• labor overages, waste spikes, service misses, or school concerns

  Weekly — Ongoing Rhythm

• Inventory review: confirms hub kitchen has submitted accurate counts and pars are set

• for the following week

• Schedule audit: reviews Dallas hub schedule for the coming week to confirm labor hours

• are within budget and all roles are covered

• Check-ins with both additional location Lead Cooks: brief call or structured Slack review

• to surface any issues and align on the week ahead

• Waste debrief: reviews weekly waste totals across all three Dallas schools, identifies

• trends, and holds Lead Cooks accountable

• Weekly update to Operations Manager covering labor %, waste, meal counts, and

• operational flags

  What Success Looks Like

• The hub kitchen runs smoothly every service day — on time, on standard, no surprises
• Both additional Dallas locations are checked in with daily and any issues are surfaced

• early

• Labor stays at or below budget across all Dallas locations, every week
• Waste is tracked, understood, and trending down — root causes identified and

• addressed

• All three Dallas schools receive food on time, at temperature, and to Yay quality

• standards

• Lead Cooks at additional locations are supported, accountable, and growing in the role

• What We're Looking For

  2–4 years of experience in kitchen or food production operations — you know how to run

  a shift, lead a team, and keep a kitchen on track

  Hands-on cook and leader — you're comfortable working the line alongside your team

  and setting the standard through your own work

  Experience with batch production, food safety, and inventory management — FIFO,

  portioning discipline, and waste reduction are second nature

  Strong people skills — you've held people accountable, coached newer cooks, and built

  trust with a team

  Organized and dependable — you manage multiple moving pieces daily and nothing

  gets dropped

  Comfortable on the road — this role involves regular driving between Dallas locations;

  reliable transportation and a valid driver's license required

  ServSafe certification or willingness to obtain within 30 days of hire

  Must be based in Dallas or within commuting distance

  What We Offer

  $55,000 annual salary

  A high-growth, mission-driven company where your work directly impacts what kids eat

  every day

  A leadership team that values accountability, transparency, and operators who take pride

  in their craft

  Real career growth as we expand into new markets and build out our kitchen leadership

  team