Kitchen Manager - Baking, Sandwich & Cake Production

Job Description Job Description

We are seeking a hands-on Kitchen Manager to lead back-of-house operations for a high-volume bakery and café concept in Springfield, VA. This role will oversee daily kitchen production, team leadership, food quality, and operational execution across baking, sandwich, and cake production.

The ideal candidate has strong BOH leadership experience and is comfortable working in an early-morning production environment. Experience with commercial baking, pastry, bakery-café, or high-volume food production is highly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily BOH operations across bake, sandwich, and cake production
• Supervise and develop a BOH team of approximately 9 employees
• Oversee daily production schedules, prep, quality, and product consistency
• Ensure products are prepared according to established recipes and standards
• Manage food inventory, ordering, storage, and waste control
• Maintain food safety, sanitation, and cleanliness standards
• Monitor labor and production efficiency
• Train, coach, and hold kitchen team members accountable
• Coordinate production with FOH leadership to ensure smooth café operations
• Support baking and learn all BOH production areas as needed
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, quality, and operational efficiency
• Maintain a positive, team-oriented kitchen culture

Qualifications

• 3+ years of BOH, kitchen, bakery, or food production experience
• Previous Kitchen Manager, Kitchen Lead, Sous Chef, Bakery Manager, or similar leadership experience preferred
• Strong baking and/or bakery production experience required
• Ability to lead a team in a fast-paced production environment
• Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, inventory, and production controls
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Hands-on leadership style with strong attention to detail
• Ability to work early morning shifts; Bake and Sandwich teams begin around 4:00 AM, while Cake production begins around 6:00 AM
• Flexible to support other shifts and BOH departments as business needs require

Company Description

The Restaurant Zone is a leading hospitality recruitment agency specializing in connecting top-tier talent with restaurants, hotels, and hospitality groups across the United States. We partner with growing brands and established operators to deliver high-quality candidates for management, executive, and specialized roles. Our team combines industry expertise, a vast candidate network, and a results-driven approach to help businesses build strong, reliable teams. At The Restaurant Zone, we focus on speed, quality, and long-term fit-ensuring both clients and candidates succeed.

Company Description The Restaurant Zone is a leading hospitality recruitment agency specializing in connecting top-tier talent with restaurants, hotels, and hospitality groups across the United States. We partner with growing brands and established operators to deliver high-quality candidates for management, executive, and specialized roles. Our team combines industry expertise, a vast candidate network, and a results-driven approach to help businesses build strong, reliable teams. At The Restaurant Zone, we focus on speed, quality, and long-term fit-ensuring both clients and candidates succeed.