Executive Chef MultiUnit Culinary Leader

Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe is a prominent café and bakery establishment operating multiple locations across Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC area, including Tysons Bakery, Ballston Café, and National Landing Café. Renowned for its commitment to quality and innovation, Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe serves a diverse customer base seeking high-quality food products and exceptional culinary experiences in a fast-casual setting. As the company expands rapidly, it remains dedicated to maintaining its brand integrity, excellent food standards, and a supportive work environment that fosters creativity, operational efficiency, and team development.

The Executive Chef position at Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe is a multifaceted leadership role that extends beyond traditional kitchen duties to encompass multi-unit culinary management, systems development, and team leadership. This is a full-time role offering a competitive base salary ranging from $70,000 to $90,000, complemented by a performance-based bonus structure with on-target earnings between $80,000 and $110,000. The Executive Chef will oversee culinary execution across all café locations and the central commissary operation, responsible for driving food quality, consistency, cost control, and menu innovation. Acting as the culinary standard-bearer, this role demands a strategic leader who can build scalable processes and ensure flawless execution in both kitchen operations and catering support.

The Executive Chef will collaborate closely with ownership and restaurant managers to align culinary strategies with broader business goals, enabling sustainable growth and operational excellence. Core responsibilities include maintaining absolute consistency in recipes, presentation, and quality across all venues; conducting regular site visits and audits; developing and documenting standard operating procedures for all kitchen activities; and managing food costs and vendor relationships. A critical element of the role is the ability to lead menu development efforts, balancing creativity with operational simplicity while supporting seasonal updates, limited-time offers, catering menus, and retail product expansion.

Beyond operational responsibilities, the Executive Chef will play a key role in team leadership by hiring, training, and developing kitchen leaders and cultivating a culture of discipline, pride, and accountability. The role requires a proactive approach to food safety and compliance, ensuring all kitchens meet or exceed health department standards and maintain impeccable cleanliness and organization. Success in this position is measured by consistent guest satisfaction, efficient and orderly kitchen environments, controlled food costs, seamless opening of new locations with plug-and-play systems, and continuous innovation that does not disrupt operational flow.

This role is ideal for a culinary professional with 7 to 10 plus years of experience in multi-unit or commissary-driven concepts, preferably with high-volume production environments and familiarity with Restaurant 365 accounting and inventory systems. The ideal candidate must combine culinary excellence with a deep understanding of food cost management, labor efficiency, and scalable kitchen systems. The right Executive Chef will be operator-first, standards-driven, a builder of sustainable systems, a dedicated coach, and calm under pressure with a strong ownership mindset. This position offers a growth path to senior culinary leadership roles such as VP of Culinary or Culinary Director and includes a competitive benefits package featuring health insurance, 401k, paid time off, and more. Joining Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe means becoming an integral part of a growing company where your culinary vision and leadership will shape the future of a dynamic and expanding business.