KITCHEN Manager
Pick & Cheese – Shaver Food Hall | New York, NY
ABOUT PICK & CHEESE Pick & Cheese is the world’s first cheese conveyor belt restaurant — a fun and innovative dining experience celebrating American cheese's best. With curated pairings, signature small plates, and a playful approach to hospitality, we make great cheese accessible, exciting, and slightly unexpected.
Now part of Shaver Food Hall, one of New York City’s most dynamic food, beverage, and entertainment destinations, Pick & Cheese continues to push the boundaries of creativity, connection, and culinary craftsmanship.
Compensation
THE ROLE
As Kitchen Manager, you will oversee daily back-of-house operations, ensuring consistency, quality, and efficiency in every service. You’ll also lead and inspire your kitchen team in driving performance and profitability, and maintain the high culinary and safety standards that define Pick & Cheese and Shaver Food Hall.
This role requires a balance of leadership, organization, and a genuine love for hospitality and craft. You’ll be hands-on during service, working alongside the team to deliver dishes that embody our mission — celebrating small producer American cheese with precision, passion, and pride.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Business & Finance
· Attend bi-weekly meeting with Senior Leadership
· Hit expected GP targets, aiming to exceed where possible
· Approve invoices and keep track of credit notes and returns
· Control food purchases and stock levels, produce and manage production
· Undertaking monthly food inventories
· Coordinate BOH staff, ensuring food preparation is economical, technically correct, and within budgeted staff costs
· Managing and motivating the BOH team, checking in periodically with each team member, and facilitating annual BOH appraisals
· Ensure that the correct uniform is worn throughout the BOH team, and that standards of personal hygiene and presentation are maintained to the restaurant and statutory requirements
· Create and maintain a positive, calm working environment
· Create and maintain a high level of cooperation between all staff members and teams
· Identify training needs within the BOH team, implementing training and professional development opportunities
· Delegate duties accordingly and efficiently to the BOH team
· Monitor staff turnover and manage recruitment of new staff, ensuring new starters are fully inducted
· Encourage the development of the Culture of Cheese
· Implement incentives for staff aimed at achieving high food service and H&S standards, and encouraging healthy competition/camaraderie
Leadership
· Promote a positive attitude and team ethos, including ‘lead by example’, setting the standard and encouraging mutual respect
· Inspire and motivate the team to achieve 5* standards, as well as sales and profit goals
· Praise, recognizing, and rewarding good performance
· Train and develop the team to ensure food service is to specifications, and to ensure service is as smooth and continuous as possible
· Deal with poor performance through informal reprimands and, where necessary, escalate to the General Manager, and/or HR
· Diffuse tense situations between staff members
· Encourage staff to be proactive in problem-solving, and work on their own initiative
Food Service
· Maintain an in-depth, up-to-date working knowledge of menu items, specials, and ingredients, and explain these to other staff members as necessary
· Prepare and serve dishes across our menu to a high standard, as per Company recipes
· Continuously develop knowledge of British cheese, including provenance, milk treatment, rennet type, and proper care of produce
· Be aware of allergy information across all menu items, and be able to provide recommendations regarding this
· Implementing par levels for belt items specific to service day and time
· Develop recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that ensure consistently high quality and minimize food costs
· Develop and maintain existing policies and procedures to measure and enhance quality, including Company recipes
· Implement and monitor portion control for all items served, updating when required
· Maintain rigorous standards of hygiene, cleanliness, and safety always
· Establish controls to minimize food wastage
· Liaise with suppliers to source produce, monitoring quality and price continually
Health & Safety
· Ensure rigorous standards of hygiene, cleanliness, and safety are maintained throughout the restaurant.
· Participating in HACCP and ensuring all H&S policies and practices are adhered to
· Ensure all H&S records are always accurate and up to date.
· Ensure all staff have the required food hygiene and health & safety training.
· Establish a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule for all kitchen areas and equipment, arranging necessary repairs.
· Encourage safe work habits and a safe working environment at all times.
· Familiarize yourself with all relevant equipment, including procedures for use and safety, as well as proper care and maintenance.
· Highlight any issues concerning maintenance of H&S (bad practice, equipment faults, etc.) to senior staff promptly
QUALIFICATIONS
· 2 year+ supervisor experience
· Responsible, reliable and organized
· Ability to and experience in leading a team
· Basic wine knowledge, good general food and beverage knowledge (cheese knowledge a bonus but not essential)
· Superior customer service skills
· Thrives in a busy, fast-paced working environment
· Keen to learn whilst working, with a passion for good produce
· Hard working, with a proactive attitude, and uses their own initiative.
THE GOOD STUFF
· Medical insurance is available for hourly team members, averaging 30+ hours per week within 90 days (or at the next open enrollment).
· 401(k) eligibility after one year for individuals 21+.
Why Join Us? At Pick & Cheese, every dish tells a story — one of craftsmanship, community, and care. As Kitchen Manager, you’ll help lead that story daily, inspiring your team and creating memorable experiences for every guest who sits at our conveyor belt.
We participate in the E-Verify program. As part of our commitment to maintaining a legal workforce, we verify the employment eligibility of all new hires through E-Verify.