Kitchen Manager Location TBD at Spinato’s Pizzeria Tempe, AZ

Spinato's Pizzeria has been a cherished dining destination since 1974, when Ken and Elaine Spinato opened their first restaurant after relocating from Chicago to Phoenix. Starting with a dream to bring authentic Italian flavors to their new community, they built a family-centric atmosphere where guests are treated like members of the Spinato family. This commitment to quality, genuine recipes, and exceptional guest experiences has allowed Spinato's to grow steadily through word-of-mouth over the past four decades. Today, Spinato's Pizzeria continues to uphold its tradition of delivering outstanding food and hospitable service, maintaining a warm and inviting environment that makes every visitor feel at home.

Spinato's Pizzeria is currently seeking a dedicated full-time Kitchen Manager to join their team in Tempe, AZ. This pivotal role involves overseeing the kitchen operations with hands-on leadership, ensuring that food preparation meets the highest standards, and mentoring staff to foster both professional growth and operational excellence. The Kitchen Manager will be responsible for developing and managing staff schedules, maintaining inventory controls, and closely monitoring food and labor costs to optimize efficiency and profitability. An essential part of this role is upholding kitchen sanitation and safety standards, with a focus on compliance and fostering a culture of cleanliness and safety.

This position requires the Kitchen Manager to engage directly in daily food preparation and coordinate with various kitchen roles to guarantee smooth service delivery. Managing prep production levels and adjusting pars are integral duties to maintain the balance between meeting customer demand and minimizing waste. The Kitchen Manager also plays a critical role in hiring decisions, including conducting second interviews alongside the General Manager to select the best candidates who embody Spinato's values and commitment to excellence.

The ideal candidate will bring at least two years of restaurant management or supervisory experience and possess or be willing to obtain a Serv-Safe certification. Leadership skills are essential, including the ability to train and develop assistant kitchen managers and front-of-house staff to strengthen team performance. Strong knowledge of food cost control, labor management, and profitability metrics such as PNL statements is expected to guide operational decisions effectively.

Spinato's values a positive, even-tempered leader with excellent communication skills who can maintain composure under pressure and ensures a pleasant atmosphere for guests and staff alike. The candidate must have the capacity to lift up to 50 lbs, demonstrate strong attention to detail, and possess self-motivation, organization, and a passion for quality. The role includes participation in head of house meetings to align on direction and goals, managing evaluations, and addressing any disciplinary matters with fairness and professionalism.

This Kitchen Manager role offers 12 weeks of comprehensive on-the-job training to equip the new hire with the knowledge and skills necessary for success. The work environment at Spinato's Pizzeria is casual yet professional, emphasizing teamwork and a family-style approach to customer service and operations. Spinato's is an equal opportunity employer using E-Verify and requires all candidates to pass a drug test, underscoring their commitment to a safe and trustworthy workplace. This role is an excellent opportunity for an experienced professional eager to contribute to a well-loved local pizzeria that values tradition, authenticity, and community engagement.