Director of Culinary
Reach Recruiting · Detroit, MI
Apply & track with Apply EdgeRather than operating a large corporate collection of identical concepts, the company has developed a portfolio of individual brands—each with its own identity, culinary point of view, and opportunity for continued growth.The Director of Culinary will report directly to the COO/Owner and serve as the senior culinary leader across the organization. This person will be responsible for establishing the culinary direction, leadership structure, systems, and operational discipline necessary to support a growing multi-brand, multi-unit restaurant company.We're looking for someone with serious culinary credibility who has evolved into a strategic leader.You have eaten in great restaurants around the world. You understand exceptional food, technique, ingredients, presentation, and hospitality. You know what excellence looks and tastes like—but you also understand that your job at this level isn't to personally create every dish or spend every service behind the line.Your responsibility is to see the bigger picture.You'll develop Executive Chefs and culinary leaders, establish scalable systems, strengthen financial performance, create accountability, protect the individual culinary identity of each concept, and provide the structure that allows talented chefs and restaurant teams to consistently execute at a high level.This is an opportunity for an experienced multi-unit culinary leader who wants the sophistication and resources of a structured organization without disappearing into a massive corporate hierarchy.
Benefits
Performance-based bonus opportunityEquity opportunityRelocation assistance available for the right candidateExecutive-level influence within a growing hospitality organizationDirect partnership with the COO/OwnerOpportunity to shape culinary strategy across multiple restaurant brandsSignificant opportunity to build and develop the culinary leadership teamLong-term growth opportunity as the restaurant portfolio expandsDay in the Life:Provide strategic culinary leadership across a growing portfolio of multiple restaurant brands and locationsEstablish and execute the company's overall culinary vision while protecting the unique identity of each individual conceptServe as a strategic partner to the COO/Owner on culinary operations, organizational growth, talent, financial performance, and future restaurant developmentLead, mentor, coach, and develop Executive Chefs and other senior culinary leaders across the organizationBuild a strong culinary leadership structure that creates accountability at the restaurant level without requiring constant corporate interventionRecruit exceptional culinary talent and develop a succession pipeline for future growthCreate clear expectations, performance standards, and development plans for culinary leadersEstablish scalable systems, processes, recipes, specifications, training tools, and operating standards across the portfolioEvaluate existing culinary systems and identify opportunities to improve consistency, efficiency, communication, and accountabilityBalance operational standardization with the creativity and individuality necessary for distinct restaurant concepts to thriveMaintain a regular presence in the restaurants while operating at the appropriate strategic level for a senior multi-unit leaderEvaluate food quality, execution, consistency, presentation, and overall culinary performance across every locationPartner with restaurant-level culinary teams on menu development, seasonal changes, product quality, sourcing, and executionBring a sophisticated understanding of global culinary trends, exceptional restaurants, ingredients, techniques, and guest expectations to the organizationChallenge culinary teams to continually evolve while ensuring innovation remains operationally and financially viableEstablish disciplined processes for recipe development, costing, testing, documentation, rollout, and trainingAnalyze food cost, labor, purchasing, inventory, waste, productivity, and other culinary performance metricsPartner with finance and operations leadership to establish budgets, forecasts, targets, and corrective action plansIdentify opportunities to leverage purchasing power and vendor relationships across the portfolio without compromising product qualityDevelop reporting and accountability systems that provide leadership with clear visibility into culinary performancePartner closely with Operations to ensure strong alignment between culinary execution and the overall guest experienceSupport new restaurant development, including concept planning, kitchen design, equipment, menu development, staffing, training, and opening executionBuild systems and infrastructure capable of supporting continued multi-unit growthRemain connected to what is happening inside the restaurants without allowing day-to-day tactical issues to consume the strategic responsibilities of the role
Requirements
Significant progressive culinary leadership experience within a sophisticated multi-unit restaurant or hospitality organizationStrong multi-unit experience within a structured corporate environment is requiredExperience overseeing multiple restaurant brands or concepts strongly preferredPrevious experience as a Director of Culinary, Corporate Executive Chef, Regional Culinary Director, VP of Culinary, or comparable senior culinary leaderDemonstrated ability to transition from restaurant-level execution into enterprise-level culinary strategyExceptional culinary foundation with a sophisticated understanding of technique, ingredients, menu development, presentation, and restaurant trendsExposure to Michelin-caliber, chef-driven, fine dining, luxury, or other highly regarded culinary environments strongly preferredBroad culinary perspective developed through exposure to exceptional restaurants, chefs, cuisines, and dining experiencesProven success hiring, mentoring, and developing Executive Chefs and senior culinary leadersStrong systems orientation with demonstrated success creating scalable processes and operational standardsAbility to lead multiple concepts without forcing each restaurant into the same culinary identity or operating modelStrong financial acumen with experience managing food cost, labor, purchasing, inventory, budgeting, forecasting, and profitabilityAbility to interpret financial and operational data and turn it into meaningful actionExperience developing and implementing recipe standards, costing systems, training programs, and quality-control processesExperience supporting new restaurant openings and growth initiatives preferredStrong organizational and project-management skillsExceptional communication skills with the ability to effectively partner with ownership, executive leadership, operations teams, and accomplished chefsConfident leadership presence without egoAbility to challenge and develop talented culinary professionals while earning their respectStrategic mindset with the discipline to remain focused on organization-wide priorities rather than becoming consumed by individual restaurant-level issuesHands-on enough to understand what is happening in the restaurants, but experienced enough to know when not to step in and do the team's job for themDetroit-based position; relocation assistance is availableThe Ideal CandidateYou started as a chef, but somewhere along the way you became a builder of chefs, teams, systems, and businesses.You've worked in structured, sophisticated restaurant organizations and understand why systems matter. But you don't want to spend the next chapter of your career overseeing dozens—or hundreds—of nearly identical restaurants inside a massive corporation.You want something more entrepreneurial.You want multiple brands, different culinary personalities, direct access to ownership, and enough complexity to make the work interesting. You want the opportunity to take everything you've learned in highly disciplined organizations and apply it to a growing hospitality company where your decisions can genuinely shape the future.Your culinary standards are high. You've worked around exceptional chefs and eaten in exceptional restaurants. You know the difference between food that is technically correct and food that is memorable.But you also know that being the best cook in the room is no longer your job.Your job is to hire great chefs, develop them, challenge them, give them the right systems and resources, and then create enough accountability and trust for them to lead their restaurants.You can walk into a kitchen and immediately recognize what needs attention—but you have the maturity not to spend the next four hours fixing it yourself.Instead, you ask: Why is this happening? What system is missing? Who owns it? How do we prevent it from happening again across the organization?