Kitchen Manager / Head Chef

Augie s Chicago Lincoln Park

Augie s Chicago is looking for an experienced, hands-on Kitchen Manager / Head Chef to take ownership of our entire back-of-house operation.

We are a busy neighborhood bar and restaurant in Lincoln Park serving pizzas, smash burgers, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and more. We are looking for a strong leader who can manage the kitchen from top to bottom staffing, scheduling, training, food quality, prep, inventory, ordering, cleanliness, organization, and day-to-day execution.

This is not a position for someone who wants to simply oversee the kitchen from the sidelines. We need a hands-on leader who is comfortable working alongside the team, jumping on a station when needed, holding employees accountable, and creating a kitchen that is organized, consistent, efficient, and professional.

• Manage the entire back-of-house operation and kitchen staff
  
• Hire, train, develop, schedule, and manage BOH employees
  
• Build and maintain a dependable, professional kitchen team
  
• Establish clear expectations, responsibilities, and standards for all kitchen employees
  
• Hold staff accountable for attendance, performance, cleanliness, behavior, and food quality
  
• Work the line and assist wherever needed during busy services
  
• Ensure consistent execution, portioning, presentation, and quality of all menu items
  
• Maintain standardized recipes, prep procedures, and kitchen systems
  
• Manage food prep and ensure stations are properly stocked for service
  
• Handle food ordering, receiving, inventory, and proper product rotation
  
• Monitor food costs, waste, portion control, and overall kitchen efficiency
  
• Create and manage BOH schedules while maintaining appropriate labor levels
  
• Maintain a clean, organized, and sanitary kitchen at all times
  
• Ensure compliance with all food safety, sanitation, and health department requirements
  
• Properly train support staff and food runners on their responsibilities within the kitchen
  
• Communicate effectively with ownership and front-of-house management
  
• Identify problems before they become larger issues and take initiative to solve them
  
• Help maintain and improve kitchen systems as the business continues to grow
  

• Previous experience as a Kitchen Manager, Head Chef, Sous Chef, or similar BOH leadership role
  
• Strong leadership and people-management skills
  
• Ability to manage and motivate a diverse kitchen team
  
• Hands-on management style and willingness to work alongside staff
  
• Strong organizational and communication skills
  
• Experience with scheduling, ordering, inventory, food cost, and labor management
  
• Ability to maintain high standards in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
  
• Strong understanding of food safety and sanitation
  
• Dependable, professional, and accountable
  
• Someone who takes ownership of the kitchen rather than waiting to be told what needs to be done
  
• Pizza experience
  

We are looking for someone who wants to run the kitchen as if it were their own. You should take pride in building a strong team, maintaining an organized kitchen, controlling costs, and putting out consistently great food.

Our ownership team is very involved and supportive, but we are looking for a Kitchen Manager who can independently manage the day-to-day BOH operation and bring issues and solutions to ownership when necessary.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced kitchen leader who wants stability, autonomy, and the opportunity to make a real impact on a growing neighborhood restaurant.