Executive Chef, 550 Madison at Gracious Hospitality Management in 550

Job Summary:

The Executive Chef for 550 Madison (“EC”) is responsible for ensuring excellence in culinary operations, execution, and quality control. This role oversees all aspects of 550 culinary programming, including team development, culinary operations, and maintaining the highest standards of safety, sanitation, and quality. The EC also manages BOH facilities, fosters staff morale, and upholds the financial health and profitability of all Gracious Hospitality Management (“GHM”) properties. Additionally, they ensure guests experience pristine restaurants and execute menu programming that aligns with GHM’s high standards.

Essential Job Duties & Responsibilities:

Job duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Key Responsibilities:

• Support world-class teams, including hiring and retaining top talent, with the goal of enabling those teams to create amazing customer experiences.
• Create systems, processes and standards to improve culinary operations and business performance across the portfolio as we continue to grow in size, complexity and geography.
• Relentlessly and creatively focus on improving the customer dining experience across the portfolio.
• Be a strong and visible leadership presence throughout the business. Lead through support, mentorship and by example.

Culinary Operations:

• Collaborates with Simon Kim and David Shim to make strategic decisions for 550’s culinary program, promoting the brand, maximizing profitability, and upholding the highest service standards.
• Responsible for developing and implementing new menu items in accordance with local and seasonal ingredients. Collaborates with the R&D Chef to recipe test and execute SOPs.
• Collaborates with internal and external chefs to develop menu specials for in-house and external events.
• Regularly inspects and audits culinary operations, implementing sustainable, systematic improvements across all 550 properties.
• Establishes structured communication updates on 550’s culinary activities, reporting to the VP of Operations on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.
• Ensures all culinary team members are well-educated on products and services.
• Maintains strict adherence to company recipes and procedures, ensuring the highest quality products are served.
• Directly manages each 550’s property’s Chef de Cuisine (CDC), providing clear and effective direction.
• Facilitates efficient and effective communication between and across departments at GHM and the restaurant level.
• Promotes and enforces safe work habits through training, education, and daily oversight, identifying and addressing potential safety hazards. Ensures proper documentation, investigation, and resolution of safety incidents.
• Establishes internal systems to uphold Department of Health standards, working with 550 GMs and CDCs to correct violations and implement long-term compliance measures.
• Ensures all required food service licenses and permits are obtained, maintained, and properly displayed in accordance with federal, state, and city regulations.
• Plays a key role in planning and executing new location openings, ensuring alignment with timelines, budgets, and operational requirements in collaboration with the VP of Operations.
• Enforces grooming and uniform standards, ensuring all staff maintain a professional appearance.
• Supports Marketing and PR teams in product launches, activations, and brand initiatives.
• Plans, staffs, and executes culinary activations for partnership and off-site events.
• Acts as the ambassador and “face” of the 550 brand.
• Works closely with the Director of Operations to ensure seamless kitchen-to-dining room execution at all properties.
• Participates in community events and contributes to achieving the company’s corporate social responsibility goals.

Finance & Purchasing

• Oversees and is accountable for the profitability of the culinary program across all 550 properties.
• Develops, maintains, and utilizes daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual budgets, along with financial reporting tools.
• Trains the culinary team to understand financial goals and tools, driving results through their engagement.
• Identifies areas of excess cost and collaborates with culinary teams to maximize profitability through a strategic, organized approach.
• Establishes and enforces waste prevention standards, including proper product handling and yield maximization.
• Sets pay scales for all culinary hourly positions.
• Ensures compliance with ordering, receiving, and invoicing procedures, promptly addressing and correcting discrepancies.
• Cultivates positive, professional relationships with vendors, ensuring productive on-site interactions with the culinary team.
• Approves kitchen equipment investments, upgrades, and modifications to the line.
• Monitors beef price indexes across all markets where 550 operates and adjusts menu pricing accordingly.
• Directs 550 Chefs to regularly update theoretical costing for all menus, including regular, holiday, and event offerings.

Staff Management:

• Serves as a role model for outstanding service, continuously elevating standards and embodying culinary excellence.
• Provides strategic direction, mentoring, and support to property CDCs.
• Fosters a positive work environment that encourages team input, building morale and team spirit.
• Monitors, coaches, and motivates the culinary team to uphold company service standards.
• Hires, trains, supervises, manages, and evaluates all salaried culinary team members. Conducts service audits, provides feedback, and ensures disciplinary actions align with employment laws to minimize company risk.
• Advises property CDCs on staffing needs and oversees postings for open culinary positions.
• Collaborates with management to develop and execute ongoing staff training and development programs.
• Coaches and counsels chefs to improve performance, documenting development plans as needed. Approves all employee separations.
• Establishes and oversees the performance review process for culinary employees, delivering reviews to all direct reports.
• Manages staffing levels, oversees job postings, interviews candidates, and provides final approval for new chef hires.
• Resolves team member and customer conflicts through company complaint procedures, serving as the final escalation point before P&C counsel.
• Assists in training Front of House staff on menu and food knowledge.
• Approves weekly schedules for salaried chefs and audits hourly schedules regularly.
• Maintains open communication with all property culinary teams, ensuring consistent pre-shifts, chef-manager meetings, and training sessions.
• Ensures all new hires receive thorough training on kitchen expectations, recipes, product quality, and dish presentation.
• Oversees the performance review process for all culinary employees and delivers reviews to all chefs.

Standards:

• Upholds GHM's mission to delight our customers.
• Consistently performs actions that positively impact the customer experience, and identifies opportunities to delight in all planning and processes.
• Display knowledge of the 550 brand, culture, and product.
• Demonstrate the Company’s core values of people, learning, culture, relationships, sustainability and stewardship.
• Maintain professional and respectful behavior when in contact with guests, management, and teammates.
• Present a polished personal appearance, adhering to company grooming standards outlined in the Employee Handbook.
• Adhere to all company policies and procedures outlined in handbooks, manuals, and other company documents.
• Attend and participate in all scheduled meetings, training sessions, and continuing education activities.
• Take care of all company property.
• Maintain safety, cleanliness, and sanitation standards.
• Comply with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Qualifications:

• Must have the ability to read, speak, understand, follow written directions, and verbal instructions in English.
• Must be reachable by email and able to communicate via phone as well.
• Communicates information effectively and efficiently.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Possesses a positive, results-oriented, team-player mentality.
• Ability to perform job duties and responsibilities well and maintain professionalism and composure under pressure and in a high-paced and at times stressful environment.
• Ability to under pressure and maintain professionalism when working under stress.
• Knowledge of workplace safety procedures and local Department of Health standards.
• Food Handler’s Certification or the ability to obtain in accordance with federal, state, or local regulations and/or Company policy.
• Able to work a flexible schedule in order to accommodate business levels (weekend, nights, and holiday availability required). We will endeavor to provide reasonable accommodations for sincerely held religious beliefs.
• Familiarity with restaurant management software such as point of sales, reservations management, inventory management, Microsoft Office, and Google Workspace.
• Working understanding of human resource principles, practices, and procedures.
• Ability to execute steps of service in adherence with company policy.
• Demonstrates positive leadership characteristics and supervisory skills, which inspire team members to meet and exceed standards.
• Ability to effectively train others.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
• Ability to exercise tact, courtesy, and ethics when dealing with vendors, co-workers, and customers.
• Ability to maintain a positive working relationship with all third-party vendors.
• Degree in Hospitality, Culinary Management, or similar subject preferred.
• Ability to execute recipes and service in adherence with company policy.
• Excellent knife-handling skills and understanding of various cooking techniques, ingredients, equipment, and procedures.
• Familiarity with Korean cuisine.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential job duties and responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform those essential functions.

While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:

• Exert well-paced mobility for periods of up to 12 hours per day and at least 60 hours per week.
• Lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Frequently stand, walk, reach, bend, stoop, push, pull, and kneel.
• Frequently utilize the stairs, often while lifting and carrying heavy items.
• Occasionally crouch and climb.
• Be exposed to hazards including, but not limited to, burns, cuts, scrapes, and frequent exposure of hands to water.
• Withstand fluctuations in temperature within the work environment, from high heat to below freezing.
• Handle heavy equipment and machinery.
• Required to travel to visit vendors, work events, perform R&D, or support different company locations.