Central Kitchen Lead
- Competitive salary
- Opportunity for advancement
- Training & development
Location: New York, NY 10011
Job Type: Full-time
Expected Hours: 36-40 per week
Salary Range: $25-$27
FLSA Status: Non-exempt
About Us
- Team Leadership: Directly manage Central Kitchen Cooks and Dishwashers, ensuring smooth and efficient shift operations
- Daily Operations: Oversee food prep, maintain kitchen workflow, and uphold top-tier food quality standards
- Staff Scheduling & Management: Create, adjust, and oversee shifts for Cooks and Dishwashers to ensure full coverage
- Receiving & Inventory Management: Oversee supplier deliveries, organize and track inventory, and ensure proper food storage
- Food Procurement & Ordering: Assist the Culinary Director in placing orders and managing food procurement to maintain adequate supplies
- Health & Safety Compliance: Ensure safe operation of the Central Kitchen and compliance with all NYC health and sanitation standards
- Kitchen Maintenance: Maintain a clean, organized, and safe workspace, ensuring proper sanitation and kitchen hygiene
- Performance & Quality Control: Motivate and drive kitchen staff to maintain efficiency, accuracy, and excellence in food preparation
- 2+ years of experience in a high-volume kitchen or commissary
- Proven leadership experience managing kitchen teams in a fast-paced environment
- Strong culinary background with hands-on experience in food prep, batch cooking, and kitchen operations
- Excellent organizational and multitasking skills to manage staff, inventory, and operations
- Comfortable working a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays
- Physically capable of lifting up to 50 lbs, standing for 10+ hours, and performing pushing, pulling, squatting, bending, and reaching
- General HACCP knowledge and ability to enforce food safety standards
- Strong English communication skills (oral & written)
- Experience with kitchen technology systems for ordering, scheduling, and inventory management
- Required Certifications: NYC Food Protection Certificate & NYC Food Handlers Certificate
- Degree in Culinary Arts or equivalent professional training
- Experience in food manufacturing, bulk prep, or high-volume commissary kitchens
- Prior food purchasing or inventory management experience
- Competitive salary with weekly pay
- Health & dental insurance (Eligibility after 90 days)
- Paid time off
- Free sandwich per shift
- Career advancement opportunities – work under classically trained chefs in a high-caliber kitchen
- Employee referral bonuses
- Shift-based schedule: Morning, evening, and weekend availability required
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Primary Location:
- 54 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10011
Reasonable Accommodations Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
At Counter Service, we’re building something new—rooted in the best parts of New York City’s iconic counter spots and driven by a belief that great food should be more accessible, more consistent, and more sustainable for the people who make it. Our chefs come from fine dining, but we’re not here to replicate that experience—we’re here to apply that craft to something more everyday: sandwiches.
Almost everything we serve is made in-house—roasted meats, scratch sauces, baked desserts. We’ve outfitted our kitchens with the tools and talent you’d expect in top-tier restaurants, but we’ve stripped away what doesn’t serve the mission. The result is a network of locations powered by serious chefs, delivering serious food—fast.
We’re also changing how the industry works. Our model is built to support better wages, more stability, and a kitchen culture that respects cooks as professionals. No tablecloths, no shortcuts. Just a smarter, more human way to run a restaurant—one damn good sandwich at a time.
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