Summary / Objective

The Kitchen Manager is a hands-on leader responsible for the daily execution, organization, and culture of Santonia Cantina’s back-of-house operation. This role ensures that every dish is prepared safely, consistently, and according to Santonia’s recipes and standards while building a kitchen team that works with urgency, pride, accountability, and respect. The Kitchen Manager partners closely with the General Manager to deliver a welcoming, high-energy cantina experience rooted in the flavors and hospitality of the North Mexico–South Texas borderlands.

Essential Functions

• Lead the successful day-to-day operation of the kitchen, including prep, line execution, food production, sanitation, opening, and closing standards.

• Maintain Santonia’s food quality and consistency by actively monitoring recipes, portioning, temperatures, preparation methods, presentation, and ticket execution.

• Become thoroughly knowledgeable in Santonia recipes, prep procedures, station standards, and quality identifiers, and coach the team to execute them consistently.

• Protect food safety at all times, including proper receiving, storage, cooling, reheating, holding, labeling, allergy awareness, and sanitation practices.

• Conduct thorough line checks before and during service and immediately correct any food-quality, readiness, cleanliness, or safety issue.

• Build strong prep and production systems that support projected volume, minimize shortages, and reduce unnecessary waste.

• Manage weekly inventory, ordering, receiving, product rotation, and storage while working toward established food-cost and waste goals.

• Monitor yields, portion control, waste, and usage trends and communicate opportunities or concerns to the General Manager.

• Assess BOH staffing needs and participate in hiring team members who demonstrate hospitality, urgency, reliability, and pride in their work.

• Train, cross-train, coach, and develop BOH Team Members across prep, line, grill, fry, expo, dish, and other assigned stations.

• Organize, validate, and follow up on BOH training programs and ensure new team members are properly prepared before working independently.

• Set clear expectations for speed, accuracy, cleanliness, teamwork, and professionalism, and hold the team accountable in a respectful and consistent manner.

• Partner with the General Manager on BOH scheduling and labor deployment so the kitchen is appropriately staffed for business levels and special events.

• Ensure the BOH is correctly set up before every shift and fully cleaned, stocked, labeled, and broken down at the end of service.

• Lead or participate in pre-shift meetings and communicate menu notes, 86’d items, specials, reservations/events, safety reminders, and operational priorities.

• Work collaboratively with FOH leadership to support smooth ticket flow, accurate communication, guest recovery, and a unified Santonia experience.

• Support menu rollouts, recipe testing, seasonal changes, special events, and opening-period adjustments as directed by Santonia leadership.

• Maintain kitchen equipment and smallwares responsibly, report maintenance needs promptly, and help prevent avoidable damage or downtime.

• In partnership with Silver Ventures People & Culture, support team-member training, development, documentation, disciplinary action, and separation as necessary in accordance with company policies and applicable law.

• Model Santonia’s culture through calm leadership, ownership, curiosity, hospitality, and a willingness to work alongside the team wherever needed.

Required Education and Experience

• 2+ years of kitchen management or senior kitchen leadership experience in a high-volume restaurant environment.

• Strong working knowledge of kitchen stations and systems, including prep, line, grill, fry, expo, sanitation, and quality-control standards.

• Demonstrated ability to train, coach, organize, and lead a diverse BOH team.

• Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, allergy awareness, and safe food-handling practices; current manager-level food-safety certification preferred or ability to obtain as required.

• Experience with inventory, ordering, receiving, food-cost control, portion control, and waste management.

• Working knowledge of restaurant financial drivers; experience with food cost, labor, and P&L accountability is strongly preferred.

• Comfort using POS, inventory, scheduling, communication, and HR systems, with the ability to learn new restaurant software quickly.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively with both BOH and FOH leadership.

• Resourceful, organized, and steady under pressure, with strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

• Availability to work a flexible schedule including mornings, nights, weekends, holidays, and special events as business needs require.

• Ability to stand and work in a commercial kitchen environment for extended periods and lift up to 50 lbs.

• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus, but not required.

Santonia Culture

Santonia Cantina is committed to creating extraordinary hospitality experiences and a workplace where team members can learn, contribute, and flourish. We lead with respect, accountability, generosity, and shared pride in the experience we create together.