Sous Chef
Gunny's is building a community-focused, hospitality-driven neighborhood restaurant and bar where guests and team members feel welcomed, respected, and taken care of.
We are seeking a Sous Chef to support the Executive Chef and help lead back-of-house operations. Thisrole is responsible for assisting with prep, ordering, menu execution, food quality, kitchen organization, team communication, sanitation standards, and daily service.
The Sous Chef works closely with the Executive Chef, ownership, and the back-of-house team to execute the chef's vision, maintain consistency, support training, reduce waste, and help create a professional, functional, and respectful kitchen environment.
Position Summary
The Sous Chef assists the Executive Chef with all areas of back-of-house operations, including food preparation, service execution, ordering, inventory, prep planning, recipe execution, sanitation, staff training, and BOH communication.
This is a hands-on leadership role in an active restaurant kitchen. The Sous Chef is expected to lead by example, support the team during service, maintain kitchen standards, and help ensure that food is prepared safely, consistently, and according to Gunny's expectations.
Key Responsibilities
Food and Kitchen Operations
- Assist the Executive Chef with executing the menu, seasonal updates, specials, private events, and other food programming.
- Support menu development, recipe testing, menu costing, and planning as assigned by the Executive Chef.
- Prepare, cook, and plate menu items according to recipes, portions, timing, and presentation standards.
- Help ensure staff are trained and capable of executing all menu items consistently.
- Maintain standards for food quality, plating, preparation, cooking techniques, timing, and station setup.
- Assist with recipe documentation, prep lists, pars, item profiles, allergen notes, and cooking techniques for staff reference.
- Monitor product quality, quantities, prep needs, and station readiness.
- Maintain knowledge of product mix, item movement, and usage patterns to support ordering and prep planning.
- Minimize waste, spoilage, overproduction, and product loss.
- Fill into line, prep, dish, expo, receiving, cleaning, or other BOH positions as needed.
Ordering, Inventory, and Cost Control
- Assist the Executive Chef with ordering, inventory, vendor communication, and product receiving.
- Help ensure appropriate ordering practices are followed and product levels are based on usage, pars, sales volume, and business needs.
- Support efforts to obtain appropriate product pricing without compromising quality.
- Help prevent over-ordering, product waste, and unnecessary loss.
- Assist with inventory counts and maintaining accurate inventory records as assigned.
- Communicate product shortages, vendor issues, quality concerns, pricing changes, invoice discrepancies, or ordering needs to the Executive Chef or ownership.
- Support labor cost control through efficient prep planning, cross-training, station organization, and appropriate communication with leadership.
Health, Sanitation, and Safety
- Help ensure the kitchen, prep areas, dish areas, storage areas, equipment, and BOH spaces comply with applicable health, sanitation, and safety requirements.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe working environment.
- Follow and help enforce food safety procedures, including proper labeling, dating, storage, FIFO, temperature control, handwashing, glove use, sanitation, and cross-contamination prevention.
- Maintain standards for hygiene, uniforms, and kitchen appearance.
- Assist with daily, weekly, monthly, and deep-cleaning tasks.
- Report equipment issues, maintenance needs, pest concerns, refrigeration concerns, leaks, safety hazards, or facility concerns promptly.
- Support a professional environment where team members can work safely, respectfully, and effectively.
Team Leadership and Communication
- Act as a liaison between the Executive Chef and BOH staff to support clear communication and consistent execution.
- Train, coach, and support BOH staff on recipes, prep standards, station setup, cooking techniques, plating, sanitation, allergens, and service expectations.
- Help maintain a professional, accountable, and team-driven kitchen culture.
- Communicate clearly and professionally with BOH staff, FOH staff, leadership, vendors, and guests when applicable.
- Support strong communication between BOH, FOH, bar, and management teams.
- Assist with identifying training needs, performance concerns, staffing concerns, or operational issues.
- Assist with employee coaching, documentation, and corrective action in partnership with the Executive Chef, ownership, and HR/admin leadership.
- Escalate serious employee concerns, harassment concerns, safety issues, disciplinary matters, or compliance concerns to the Executive Chef or ownership promptly.
Administrative Support
- Assist the Executive Chef with schedules, prep lists, ordering notes, inventory records, cleaning schedules, recipe documentation, allergen information, and BOH communication as assigned.
- Communicate end-of-shift updates, prep needs, station issues, ordering needs, maintenance needs, staffing notes, and cleaning concerns to the Executive Chef or appropriate leadership.
- Support ownership and leadership with reasonable tasks that fall within the scope of the Sous Chef role.
Qualifications
- At least two years of restaurant kitchen leadership, sous chef, lead line cook, kitchen supervisor, or comparable experience preferred.
- Strong cooking, prep, sanitation, organization, and kitchen communication skills.
- Ability to lead by example and support team members during prep and service.
- Strong attention to detail, consistency, food quality, and cleanliness.
- Ability to work independently while supporting the larger BOH team.
- Ability to communicate clearly and professionally.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced restaurant kitchen environment, with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Experience with Toast POS, inventory systems, ordering platforms, or comparable restaurant technology preferred.
- Food Protection Manager certification, ServSafe Manager certification, or equivalent certification required or obtainable by the deadline set by company policy and applicable law.
- Allergen awareness training and other food safety training may be required by company policy and applicable law.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, special events, and high-volume service periods as needed.
Physical Requirements
- This position requires the ability to perform duties in an active restaurant kitchen environment, with or without reasonable accommodation.
- The role may require standing and walking for extended periods of time, bending, reaching, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, working near hot equipment, working in refrigerated areas, using knives and kitchen equipment, moving through wet or narrow spaces, and lifting or carrying items as needed.
Benefits and Perks
- Competitive compensation package.
- Health insurance and benefits eligibility for qualifying employees, subject to plan terms and company policy.
- Dining discounts.
- Professional development and growth opportunities.
- Opportunity to help build a strong kitchen team, service culture, and neighborhood restaurant from the ground up.
Equal Opportunity Statement
- House of Gunny LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, availability, performance, business needs, and other lawful factors.
- House of Gunny LLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship status, work authorization status, order of protection status, arrest record, conviction record, family responsibilities, reproductive health decisions, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Reasonable accommodations may be available for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities, pregnancy-related needs, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other legally protected needs, unless doing so would create an undue hardship.
Compensation Details
Compensation: Salary ($60,000.00 - $70,