Zingerman’s Roadhouse Head Chef at Zingerman's – Ann Arbor, Michigan

Compensation: $85,000 - $95,000 Annual (plus benefits)

A rare opportunity to step into the lead role of the kitchen of the country’s most compelling restaurants. This will be only the third person to fill this position in 23 years.

Over its nearly 23 years in business now, the Roadhouse has established itself as a very special place, a spot that locals come to a couple times a week (or more) and that out-of-towners wait weeks to come to have an exceptional meal. The Roadhouse menu, some of which changes daily, has been curated over the years to reflect many of the most remarkable traditional American foods. There are dozens of long time favorites, destination dishes and regional specialties. At the same time, there are hundreds of other traditional American dishes that we have yet to introduce. The head chef has the benefit of both honoring the restaurant’s long-time specials, and also studying regional cuisine to find new dishes to introduce from the pages of American culinary history.

While the news is filled with stories of abusive kitchens, our commitment is to do the exact opposite—here, Dignity, not Drama, is the essence of what we are working so hard to create. Dignity for each other, dignity towards the food, towards our suppliers, the community and, of course, our customers. Whoever takes this position will be accepting the challenge of taking an already high level of dignity, higher still, in the process, setting an example of what is possible for the entire industry. And doing it in a non hierarchical way, using Open Book Management, Servant leadership and Stewardship.

Like, say, Chez Pansse, the Roadhouse is a restaurant where the quality of the ingredients and sourcing drives the menu. While other restaurants can complicate dishes to impress, we work to impress by letting the flavor of our raw materials shine though with compelling clarity. The deep study that the chef and culinary team do makes that work possible.

With all that in mind, the Roadhouse is also a very busy restaurant. When we feel down after a slow dinner shift, we remind ourselves that our “slow” is often “other people’s busy.” The head chef needs to lead the kitchen team into cooking full flavored traditional food, three meals a day, seven days a week!

For more on what we do please see our Statement of Beliefs, our 2032 Zingerman’s vision and our 2028 Roadhouse vision, as well as the book Building a Great Business, and the pamphlet ‘A Revolution of Dignity in the Twenty-First Century Work.'

Performance Expectations:

The Head Chef is responsible for every aspect of the guest's food experience. The Sous Chefs and BOH supervisors report directly to the Managing Partner.

• Is responsible for the development and management of the Sous Chefs and Kitchen Supervisors
• Hires and oversees training and performance reviews for all back of house staff, following the principles of Servant Leadership, Stewardship and Zingerman's Entrepreneurial Approach.
• Schedules back of house staff.
• Develops new menu items, under direction of Managing Partner, and documents recipes and procedures.
• Ensures that all food meets quality and presentation standards.
• Cooks sauces and meats according to Zingerman's Roadhouse standards.
• Resolves any customer complaints that are "passed up" from staff or asks for help from a Managing Partner.
• Knows many regulars by name and knows their dining preferences.
• Orders and oversees inventory of everything except office supplies, retail goods and liquor.
• Regularly teaches staff classes, including Welcome to the Roadhouse, Back of House Orientation, and Basic Food Safety.
• Completes Training Passport within the stated timeframes and continues to live the Training Compact.
• Fosters an effective weekly DOR huddles with staff.
• Establishes and maintains good communication and a positive working relationship with the Managing Partner, Restaurant Manager and front of house staff.
• Serv-Safe certified

Success Patterns:

The ideal candidate for this position:

• Has 3-5 years of experience as Head chef, Chef de Cuisine or Executive Sous chef or a combination there of
• Has a solid record of success in a kitchen management role within a high-end restaurant service environment
• Provides leadership that inspires teamwork, generates energy, enthusiasm, and drives results
• Has successfully done budgeting and forecasting and has a history of delivering on those forecasted results
• Has a reputation for excellent relations with customers, vendors, and FOH staff
• Has the ability to design, implement, and to continuously improve the systems and procedures that lead to success
• Has experience in the training and development of staff members
• Is self-directed and able to work independently, as well as be an integral member of the Roadhouse management team
• Has successfully managed labor and food cost budgets and otherwise contributed to the financial success of the organization
• Has the ability to deliver the Zingerman's Experience to every guest of Zingerman's Roadhouse
• Has worked as a head chef in restaurants with daily changing menus
• Demonstrates a passion for working with and learning about food
• Is known for running an exceedingly clean kitchen and the Health Department inspections are with-out critical violations regularly

Desired Personal Characteristics:

• Management style consistent with Zingerman's Guiding Principles
• Collaborative leader
• Passionate about great food and great service
• Detail oriented and follows through on results consistently
• Comfortable following established systems or solving problems on the fly, depending on the situation
• Can handle complexity and paradox
• Works effectively and efficiently under extremely stressful conditions, as well as when things are calm
• Inspires co-workers and entire staff to work effectively as a team

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to stand and walk for long periods of time during service
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds
• Must be able to work a variety and duration of hours/shifts