Upper Crust Food Service isn’t just looking for an Executive Chef; we’re looking for a culinary architect to lead a premier, multi-unit dining program. This role is designed for a visionary leader who can balance the complexities of high-volume residential dining with the high-stakes environment of collegiate athletics and large-scale catering. You will oversee a comprehensive portfolio for a campus community of over 500+ daily diners. Focused on culinary excellence, sustainability, and technology integration, our program delivers full-service cafés, catering, and retail designed to enhance the campus life culture.
Key Responsibilities
This role includes a broad range of operational, culinary, and leadership duties:
- Direct daily operations across residential dining and high-volume catering services, including large-scale events (500+ meals daily and events up to 1,200 guests).
- Design and implement seasonal, rotating menus that support local sourcing and “Seattle-Grown” or sustainability-focused initiatives.
- Lead culinary innovation and support campus-wide food strategy, including recipe development and trend integration.
- Manage multi-unit financial performance, including P&L responsibility, food and labor cost control, inventory management, and budget compliance.
- Oversee quality assurance across all units to ensure consistent food quality, presentation, and guest experience.
- Lead and develop a team of associates and kitchen leadership, including mentoring, training, and building leadership pipelines.
- Drive employee engagement, inclusion, and retention through proactive team culture-building and communication.
- Support regional or zone-wide operational initiatives and ensure alignment across multiple service locations.
Health & Safety Compliance
- Ensure full compliance with food safety, workplace safety, and sanitation standards across all units.
- Maintain ServSafe Manager certification standards and uphold HACCP-based food safety systems.
- Oversee allergen management protocols to ensure safe service for all guests.
- Maintain consistently high health inspection scores (“Gold Standard” level expectations).
- Ensure compliance with all local, regional, and institutional food service regulations.
- Promote a strong safety culture through ongoing training, monitoring, and accountability practices.
Technical Expertise
- Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, and multi-unit P&L oversight.
- Proficiency with reporting and productivity tools for tracking food cost, labor cost, and operational metrics.
- Working knowledge of Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides) for communication, reporting, and planning.
- Culinary expertise in high-volume food production, catering operations, and menu engineering.
- Experience with inventory systems, cost control systems, and operational analytics platforms.
- Understanding of modern culinary trends, sustainability practices, and large-scale institutional food service operations.
Why Join Upper Crust Food Service?
We offer a competitive compensation package, including comprehensive benefits and the opportunity to lead a flagship account within the Seattle collegiate landscape. Ready to lead the next era of campus dining?
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- Life Insurance/ AD
- Disability Insurance
- Retirement Plan
- Paid Time Off
- Holiday Time Off (varies by site/state)
- Associate Shopping Program
- Health and Wellness Programs
- Discount Marketplace
- Pet Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
- Paid Parental Leave
- Personal Leave
Apply today to join a team dedicated to culinary excellence and student success.