Kitchen Manager

About Us:

Life Alive aims to energize the vitality of all living beings and our planet. We make delicious, beautiful, plant-based food and beverages in a unique, quick service cafe, and are looking for dynamic, ambitious team members ready to jump in and grow. We value interconnectedness, participation, integrity, pleasure, and empathy - and most importantly, we value you for you. As we continue to expand, we are seeking a People and Culture Coordinator to play a crucial role in ensuring the efficient operation and growth of our restaurants.

Kitchen Managers at Life Alive must be passion driven leaders with a deep commitment to whole food integrity. We celebrate collaboration and organic, plant-based ingredients. We want each cafe to have a unique individual supporting the GM by leading the prep team to success.

Everyday Life Alive produces an expansive menu at high volume entirely from scratch using the highest quality, organic ingredients. Thousands of pounds of fresh produce are prepared daily alongside hand crafted sauces, soups, and broths. Little goes to waste, and that is important to us. The pace is quick and the standards are high. Kitchen Managers learn the full scope of prep and production and own quality control- they are fully engaged in touching, tasting, and course correcting to ensure each meal we serve reflects Life Alive’s celebration of whole food and vitality.

Our business is fostering vibrant teams and serving wonderful food in breathtaking spaces. It is essential that each cafe balances costs to keep our business sustainable and thriving. We see profits as a byproduct of making the right choices proactively and consistently. KMs work with Building community with engaged, mission-driven team members is essential to Life Alive. KMs hire, onboard, and oversee the prep team. They possess a high level of culinary skill and the ability to train and coach. They run joyful shifts and embody Life Alive’s culture and standards, serving as a model for the team members they lead.

• Staging, onboarding, and training and maintaining capable prep captains
• Developing Sages with high standards and desire to learn
• Use of prep path tool to track team progress
• Consistent coaching and development of team

Kitchen Managers take ownership of the prep and purchasing operation and own quality control- they are fully engaged in touching, tasting, and course correcting to ensure each meal we serve reflects Life Alive’s celebration of whole food and vitality.

• Checking all orders for freshness and quality
• Tasting scratch made sauces, soups and broths for flavor and consistency
• Use of Fabrication model to assure full stocking and proper prep each shift

Life Alive’s open kitchens and production lines are designed to execute exceptional volume with speed and integrity. Our facilities house top-of-the-line equipment and process thousands of dollars of quality product every day. Maintaining these spaces takes a keen eye for detail and dedication to standards and care. Every detail holds intention. Clean is clean, no exceptions. KMs learn and enforce cleaning systems, delegate tasks, and help GMs audit the environment regularly to ensure we are clean, prepared, and ready to receive our team, food, and guests.

• Upholding daily deep cleans with the prep team
• Training “clean as you go” style
• Adhering to food safety guidelines and auditing space regularly

Life Alive see’s profits as a byproduct of making the right decisions every day. Each shift the KM is responsible for managing our purchasing and labor in the back of house to assure we have the right amount of product and people, but never too much.

• Full grasp of sales forecasting (sales ledger) and labor budget
• Ownership of prep, dish, and sage schedule within labor template
• Developing team for efficiency to maintain operations within margins
• Adherence to purchase system and use of declining budget to inventory properly and stay fully stocked

If you have the will to learn and participate, the skills required of a KM, and the passion for community, food, and service our leader’s require, we hope you will apply to Life Alive

Requisite Experience

• 2 years of Kitchen Manager/Head Chef/Sous experience
• Experience leading a team (>5 people)
• Experience making schedules & using labor templates
• Kitchen experience 4+ years
• History of growth in position
• Keen Palate

Skills and Knowledge

• Independently motivated
• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Ability to manage through ambiguity
• Growth mindset orientated
• Ability to work 9+ hours on your feet multiple days a week
• Ability to lift up to 50lbs
• Keen eye for detail and quality
• Use of labor and food management systems
• Capable of running operations without supervision
• Cool and Calm Demeanor under pressure
• Able to troubleshoot and solve problems in the moment
• Solves problems and follows through until solved
• Demonstrated ability to train and grow leaders
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
• Interpersonal skills
• Team-building skills
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to coach and mentor others
• Ability to plan and prioritize workload

Perks & Benefits:

• Plentiful Food Discounts & Yoga Perks
• Flexible work schedule with the ability to split time working from home and in our cafés
• 401k and IRA, Life Alive matches 401k contributions at 100%, up to 3%
• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• Life Insurance, MetLaw, TeleDoc, Short Term & Long Term Disability, Mental Health Support via My Strength
• Parking and Transportation Reimbursement
• Paid time off:
• Vacation
• Sick Time
• Community

Life Alive is an equal-opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. We look forward to welcoming a dynamic leader who will contribute to our mission of energizing the vitality of all living beings and our planet through plant-based cuisine and sustainable practices.We strive to foster a community where all feel welcome, safe, and valued. We embrace all differences of age, sexual orientation, gender and its expression, race, culture and ethnicity, national origin, mental and physical health and ability, religious background, marital status, family structure, citizenship, education, and military or veterans’ status. Life Alive invites you to bring your whole self to work.