Line Cook – HopCat at Project BarFly in Kalamazoo, MI

We Don't Hire Line Cooks.

We Hire Kitchen Professionals.

At HopCat, we believe great restaurants are built by great people. We're looking for “A Players”—individuals who take pride in their craft, care about their teammates, and consistently deliver exceptional food under pressure.

Mission

Prepare safe, consistent, crave-worthy food with speed and precision while maintaining a clean, organized station and supporting a kitchen team that takes ownership of every plate.

What Success Looks Like

• Complete station setup with required product, tools, labels, and sanitation supplies before service.
• Prepare every item according to recipe, portion, presentation, temperature, and ticket-modification standards.
• Meet expected ticket times without sacrificing safety, accuracy, or food quality.
• Use cook-to-order and approved production practices to reduce overproduction, long hot-holding, waste, and variance.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and inspection-ready station throughout the shift.
• Communicate low product, equipment problems, ticket concerns, and food-quality issues early.
• Complete cooling, labeling, rotation, cleaning, and closing responsibilities accurately.

Core Competencies

The ideal candidate demonstrates the following:

Food-quality focus - Protects taste, temperature, portion, and presentation.

Urgency - Responds quickly while maintaining safety and quality.

Consistency - Produces the same standard on every shift.

Station organization - Maintains a clean, stocked, service-ready station.

Teamwork - Supports shared results beyond assigned tasks.

Communication - Demonstrates this behavior consistently during every shift.

Accountability - Owns responsibilities, standards, and mistakes.

Coachability - Receives feedback and applies it consistently.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare menu items using approved recipes and cooking procedures.
• Read tickets and execute modifications accurately.
• Follow FIFO, labeling, dating, holding, cooling, and allergen procedures.
• Monitor product levels and communicate needs before running out.
• Maintain equipment, utensils, floors, surfaces, and storage areas.
• Record waste and avoid unauthorized food consumption or take-home product.
• Assist other stations and complete assigned prep when business needs require.

Experience and Qualifications

• Previous line-cook or high-volume kitchen experience is preferred but not required.
• Ability to learn recipes, station procedures, equipment, and food-safety standards.
• Dependability and the ability to follow direction while working with urgency.
• Flexible availability, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Physical Requirements

• Stand and move throughout the shift.
• Lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Work safely around hot surfaces, fryers, sharp tools, steam, cleaning products, and changing temperatures.

Why Work at HopCat?

• Competitive pay appropriate to the position, including tips where applicable.
• Flexible scheduling and employee food discounts.
• Training, skill development, and opportunities for growth within HopCat and Project BarFly.
• A fast-paced, inclusive, and team-focused work environment.

If you are ready to take ownership of the Line Cook role and help create memorable HopCat experiences, we would love to meet you.

Apply today and start building your culinary career with HopCat.

BarFly is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We know that diverse, talented and dedicated individuals are critical to our success, so we look for veterans and people from various backgrounds not just because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's good for our business. We accept, celebrate and support the differences of people because it makes our team, the experience at our restaurants and the communities in which we operate better.