Kitchen Manager

Kitchen Manager La Lupita Taco & Mezcal (Design District)

Full-time Salaried $75,000 + performance bonus 1201 Oak Lawn Ave, Dallas, TX 75207

About us

La Lupita Taco & Mezcal was born in Los Cabos and opened in Dallas's Design District. The kitchen is chef-driven and ingredient-honest: native heirloom corn, masa nixtamalized in house every day, trompo al pastor, live-fire technique. The bar runs mezcal, tequila, sotol and raicilla forward, with a Latin American wine list anchored by Mexican producers. Live music daily.

The role

We're hiring a Kitchen Manager to run the back of house at our Dallas flagship. This is a hands-on, lead-from-the-line job. The Corporate Chef owns the menu and creative direction. You own its execution, the team that delivers it, and the systems that keep it consistent and profitable.

What you'll own

• Plate-by-plate execution to spec. You taste, touch and inspect every service, and you hold the pass through peak.
  
• Daily prep, line setup, station readiness, service and close. You run pre-shift and set the tempo.
  
• Hiring, training, scheduling and developing the BOH team, including cross-training so there's real bench depth.
  
• Food cost, ordering, receiving, vendors, par levels and waste. You hit COGS and labor targets and can show the math.
  
• Texas Food Establishment Rules compliance, temperature logs, allergen protocols, and a kitchen that's inspection-ready any day of the week.
  
• Protecting the signature programs: nixtamal and masa, al pastor, milpa-driven dishes, live fire.
  

What we're looking for

• 3 to 5+ years managing back of house (Kitchen Manager, Sous Chef or equivalent) in a high-volume, chef-driven, full-service restaurant
  
• Demonstrated ownership of food and labor cost
  
• Texas Certified Food Manager certification, or the ability to get it before your start date
  
• Functional Spanish to lead the kitchen team. Fully bilingual is a strong plus.
  
• Open availability including nights, weekends and holidays
  

Nice to have: experience in a polished-casual or upscale systems-driven group, familiarity with Mexican cuisine or live-fire cooking, and any history opening or scaling new locations.

Why this one

Consistency is the product here, and the person who owns it is on the line, not in the office. We want high standards and low ego.