Executive Chef & Managing Partner

Who We Are

Restaurant 1796 is a live-fire restaurant located on the grounds of The Myrtles in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Our kitchen is centered around the wood-burning hearth and a commitment to thoughtful, ingredient-driven food, refined technique, and genuine hospitality.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for an Executive Chef & Managing Partner to take operational ownership of Restaurant 1796.

This person is the leader of the restaurant. They are responsible for the food, the team, the culture, the guest experience, and the financial performance of the business. We want someone who thinks beyond tonight's service and is constantly asking how we can make the restaurant better.

When the restaurant is running well, this person should be working on the business — developing the team, improving systems, managing costs, planning menus, creating programming, recruiting talent, and finding opportunities for growth. When there are holes, this person should be willing and able to work in the business and lead from the floor or kitchen.

We are looking for someone who takes ownership. Someone who sees a problem and fixes it, develops people instead of simply managing them, holds a high standard without needing ownership to enforce it, and understands that a great restaurant has to be both creatively exciting and financially successful.

This is a hands-on leadership position with the expectation of approximately 45–55 hours per week.

What You’ll Do

• Own the day-to-day operations and overall performance of Restaurant 1796 and all culinary related projects on The Myrtles property.

• Work closely with The Myrtles GM to ensure smooth property wide culinary execution and operations, including Elta Coffee and the overnight guest experience.

• Lead the culinary direction of the restaurant and maintain a clear point of view for the food and menu.

• Be operationally involved in the restaurant wherever and whenever needed.

• Lead menu development, seasonal changes, specials, and culinary programming.

• Maintain a consistently high standard for food quality, execution, presentation, cleanliness, and organization.

• Recruit, hire, train, develop, and retain a strong culinary and management team.

• Develop leaders within the restaurant and create clear accountability among management.

• Build systems that allow the restaurant to operate successfully without relying on one person to solve every problem.

• Foster a positive, professional, and productive culture built around hospitality, teamwork, accountability, and growth.

• Work closely with front-of-house leadership to ensure the restaurant operates as one team and delivers a consistent guest experience.

• Monitor and analyze financial performance, including sales, labor, food cost, purchasing, inventory, waste, and other controllable expenses.

• Understand the Restaurant 1796 P&L and take responsibility for meeting established financial goals.

• Manage food and labor costs while protecting the quality of the restaurant and guest experience.

• Maintain accurate recipe costing, inventory controls, ordering systems, and pars.

• Review sales and product mix to understand what is working and where opportunities exist.

• Create and maintain SOPs for kitchen operations, prep, recipes, service, ordering, inventory, cleanliness, and food safety.

• Become proficient in and oversee the systems used to operate the restaurant, including Toast, MarginEdge, Resy, Sling, and other company platforms.

• Lead weekly management meetings and communicate priorities, goals, challenges, and results clearly to the team.

• Work with ownership to establish budgets, goals, and priorities for the restaurant.

• Oversee preventative maintenance and ensure kitchen equipment and facilities are properly maintained.

• Oversee and execute private dinners, wine dinners, guest chef dinners, festivals, and other special events.

• Participate in the creative development of programming and experiences that drive traffic and keep Restaurant 1796 relevant.

• Build relationships with farmers, purveyors, vendors, chefs, and members of the local community.

• Stay engaged with the industry and bring new ideas, products, techniques, and talent to the restaurant.

• Be present with guests and take ownership of guest feedback, concerns, and opportunities to create memorable experiences.

• Protect and strengthen the reputation of Restaurant 1796 and Blue House Hospitality.

What We Expect From Our Managing Partner

The Managing Partner title is intentional.

We want this person to approach Restaurant 1796 as if it were their own restaurant. That means knowing the numbers, knowing the people, knowing the guests, knowing where we are succeeding, and knowing where we need to improve.

You should be able to walk into the restaurant and know whether the standards are being met. You should know whether labor is on target, whether food cost is where it needs to be, whether the team is properly staffed, whether the kitchen is organized, and whether our guests are receiving the experience we promised them.

We do not expect the Managing Partner to personally do everything. We expect them to build a team, create systems, set expectations, and hold people accountable so that everything gets done well.

Ultimately, this person is responsible for the success of Restaurant 1796.

Who You Are

• You have significant culinary leadership experience in chef-driven, high-quality restaurants.

• You are a strong chef, but you also think like an operator.

• You understand restaurant financials and know how your decisions affect profitability.

• You know how to manage food cost, labor, purchasing, inventory, and waste.

• You are comfortable reading and understanding a P&L.

• You have experience developing, costing, and executing menus.

• You know how to recruit good people and, more importantly, how to develop and retain them.

• You hold high standards and communicate those standards clearly.

• You are organized and understand the importance of systems and follow-through.

• You are comfortable having difficult conversations and holding people accountable.

• You lead from the front and are willing to jump in when the restaurant needs you.

• You are creative, curious, and excited about continuing to evolve the restaurant.

• You care deeply about hospitality and understand that the guest experience extends beyond the food.

• You want responsibility and autonomy and are comfortable being accountable for results.

Schedule

This is a full-time position, averaging approximately 45–55 hours per week.

The Managing Partner is expected to build their schedule around the needs of the restaurant and be present for key services, busy periods, special events, and times when their leadership is needed most.

We believe strong leadership means building a restaurant that does not require its Executive Chef to work 70+ hours every week. This person should build and develop a management team that allows the restaurant to operate at a high level while maintaining a sustainable leadership schedule.

Requirements

• Previous Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, Culinary Director, or comparable senior culinary leadership experience.

• Strong knowledge of restaurant operations, food and beverage, purchasing, inventory, labor management, and cost control.

• Experience managing and developing both hourly employees and managers.

• Strong financial acumen and ability to analyze sales, labor, food cost, and operating results.

• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.

• Knowledge of health, sanitation, and food safety requirements.

• Louisiana Food Manager Certification or ability to obtain certification.

• Ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events as required.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive salary + performance/profit-sharing opportunity

• Health insurance offered through BlueCross BlueShield with a 50% company contribution.

• Simple IRA with a 3% company match.

• Quarterly performance/profit-sharing opportunity.

• 30% team discount at Blue House Hospitality businesses.

• Opportunity to have meaningful autonomy and influence over the future of Restaurant 1796.