Role Purpose

The Kitchen Manager is the key role in the successful operation of the shop. They support the General Manager by managing the kitchen and the team within their shop.

 They are accountable for people, hospitality, quality, and profitability within their shop. This role manages the kitchen through constant MBWA [manage by walking around] and ensure itsu produces beautiful food according to the itsu standards and in line with the business needs.

 Their performance is measured against the KPls and their job description responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Back of House [BOHi team, including Fish Pro, Hot Pro, Fish Star and sections to deliver beautiful food within itsu standards.
• Organise & deliver engaging, informative, and energising team briefs, ensuring they have clearly communicated any comms being shared and the team fully understand their duties for the day.
• Manage all team members to support and encourage our sustainability policies.
• Manage the implementation of itsu policies, uniform, staff food, lateness and sickness processes, report and take the appropriate action when this is not happening.
• Ensure that all members of the team are dealt with fairly, consistently and in line with itsu People guidelines and that any performance concerns are managed in a fair and timely manner.
• Manage any team performance issues by following itsu people guidelines seeking help if needed from manager or people partner.
• Lead the team, through praise and coaching, always encouraging an inclusive atmosphere.
• Manage the training of team members, using the correct training approach and developing member of their team through to a successful graduation.
• Ensure teamwork and professional communication always happen between the Front and Back of House teams.
• Build and lead a capable and confident Back of House [BOHi team focusing on cross training to support succession planning.
• Identify specific training needs and implement training, on-going coaching, and support for all team members.
• Conduct regular l-2-ls and performance reviews.
• Support their Operations Manager and General Manager in further growth of the company by optimising resources and succession planning.
• Ensure handovers between the morning and evening shifts are carried out thoroughly.

Hospitality 

• Lead the team to achieve a successful mystery shopper visit every week, whilst actively finding solutions to improve the shop score.
• Responsible for ensuring that evenings in their shop have the same focus on hospitality and availability as the rest of the day in line with itsu standards.
• Role model and manage a customer first mindset.
• Manage great execution of product and marketing launches to have maximum impact.
• Continually refer to and encourage the use of the Back of House [BOH] 'manage by walking around' [MBWAl card whilst on shift.
• Manage & lead their team to know and follow itsu's 6 hospitality steps.
• Respond appropriately and in a timely manner to all customer questions and complaints, [AFP, AFB & accident ... ] and asks for help when needed.
• Be responsible for the cleanliness and upkeep of all Back of House [BOH] areas.
• Manage the Back of House [BOH] team to respond, immediately, to service bell when required. Display and manage a great knowledge of itsu products and brand

 Quality 

• Responsible for and lead the team to ensure food quality is in line with our correct to recipe [CTR] process.
• Manage the BOH team to adhere to all itsu standards following the How to books.
• Responsible for first in first out [FIFO] standards and for ensuring no out of date [OOD] products are on sale and are removed at end of day.
• Ensure the food displays are immaculate, as per How To and planograms.
• Manage all aspects of Back of House [food, health, and safety in accordance with the Law & itsu standards.
• Ensure Due Diligence Diary [DOD] checks are completed accurately & are actioned.
• Manage any quality issue following guidelines in accordance with procedure and reject products if needed.
• Lead and champion the 5-Food Safety Focuses [SFSF] and 5-Food Quality Focuses [SFOF] to ensure a 5 stars EHO is achieved.
• Can confidently answer all EHO questions and knows the process if they receive a visit.
• Manage the process of products transfers between shops to ensure they are performed safely and accurately as per How To.
• Manage and maintain correct uniform and PPE standards for themselves and their team. Manage any Food, Health and Safety issues following the correct procedure.
• Ensure the most updated How-to books are used at all times.
• Manage all 20-minute standards and ensure they are followed at the front and back of house. Maintain an immaculately clean and safe Back of House [BOH] by following cleaning around the clock [CATC] and cleaning as you go [CAYG] cleaning processes.
• Ensure the fish is safe to eat and bones are managed.
• Manage Team Members accidents by following the correct procedures. 
• Ensure the Back of House equipment is cleaned and operated as per ‘How To’

 Profitability 

• Manage all productions to ensure availability according to their shops forecast.
• Manage production levels to maintain availability throughout the day to maximise sales potential whilst balancing waste levels.
• Own and manage the shop production report and any relevant system.
• Review production regularly, making justified changes.
• Responsible for ordering ingredients & ensure correct stock levels to meet production needs whilst minimising the need for stock transfers in line with sales forecast.
• Manage all made to sell ingredients to ensure they are at optimum quality by ordering efficiently.
• Complete regular analysis of relevant reports that can help drive a productive & effective kitchen.
• Manage financial and administration procedures, throughout the shop.
• Manage previous weeks stock takes to reduce future issues.
• Responsible for shop stock control, stock count and administration.
• Manage the correct stock levels of made to sell and Back of House [BOH] packaging, including chemicals and janitorial, are being ordered to achieve 700% availability.
• Manage & action any maintenance issues are promptly to minimise the effect on the business.
• Record and manage waste of all relevant types.
• Manage the principle of Aces in Places.
• Display a thorough understanding of all Back of House [BOH] operations.
• Review and drive the Back of House [BOH] operation to ensure maximum profitability is balanced with a fantastic customer experience.
• Manage the productivity of the team in relevant sections by using the productivity guidelines to motivate the team while never compromising on standards.
• Notify manager of changes needed to the rota to maximise productivity while not compromising quality.
• Drive the kitchen KPls through building a knowledgeable and confident team.

Key Relationships

Customers, Itsu Team Members, Restaurant General Manager, Operations Manager, Stakeholders 

Qualifications & Experience

• Proven experience as a Kitchen Manager or similar role in the food and beverage industry for at least 2 years.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse team.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage financial aspects of a restaurant's operations.
• Knowledge of Kitchen management software and point-of-sale systems.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.

Personal Characteristics

• Communication through clear, honest, and enthusiastic style, that instils confidence and ensures everyone is aware of their responsibilities throughout the store.
• Attention to detail, understanding small but critical details.
• Lead by example, you understand all roles within the store and feel comfortable turning your hand to them.
• Team-oriented, working together as a team, seamlessly, is a priority. You are focused on high­ quality customer experience, taking accountability for your teams, building trust and reliability.
• Passionate, about your shop, your role, and your team.
• Entrepreneurial focus on hospitality, you remain calm and collected, whilst thinking outside the box to prioritise the customer experience and journey.
• People focused, being open to listen, collaborate, give and receive feedback to your team and the wider business in a professional manner.

Framework

Full UK driving licence with flexibility and ability to travel to any store or offices within the Scoffs Group.