Sous Chef

North Bethesda, MD, USA|

Job Overview

Compensation

Salary

Range $55,000.00 - $75,000.00

Benefits

competitive salary

Quarterly bonus

Paid Time Off

401(k)

Medical insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life insurance

Accident protection

critical illness insurance

Domestic Partner Benefits

Restaurant Discounts

Employee assistance program

Job Description

Summer House North Bethesda is a distinguished branch of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, known for delivering a California-inspired, chef-driven dining experience that emphasizes fresh, sustainable ingredients sourced locally. The restaurant prides itself on providing a menu rich in vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, catering to a wide range of dietary preferences and promoting healthy, delicious meals prepared with great care and culinary expertise. As part of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, Summer House North Bethesda benefits from being part of a larger organization renowned for its culinary innovation, strong commitment to diversity, and a Culture of Caring that supports employee growth and well-being.

The Sous Chef role at Summer House North Bethesda is a critical leadership position within the kitchen team. This full-time opportunity offers a competitive salary range between $55,000 and $75,000 per year, with additional benefits including quarterly bonuses, paid time off, and comprehensive insurance plans. The Sous Chef plays an essential part in the operational success and culinary excellence of the restaurant by managing back-of-house activities and ensuring a seamless kitchen workflow. This position requires a minimum of two years of sous chef experience in a full-service restaurant environment, demonstrating strong leadership skills and the ability to effectively manage kitchen staff.

In the role of Sous Chef, you will be responsible for running back-of-house shifts, which includes overseeing food preparation, cooking operations, and ensuring stock levels of ingredients and supplies. You will lead pre-shift meetings, conduct line and temperature checks, and collaborate with management and chefs to update and maintain recipe books accurately. Maintaining consistency in food quality and presentation is paramount, involving regular line checks and quality control measures throughout each shift.

Additionally, the Sous Chef will be tasked with purchasing and ordering supplies necessary for kitchen operations, managing food cost controls, and communicating clearly between front-of-house and back-of-house teams to handle food production timing and special guest requests. Leadership responsibilities extend to hiring, onboarding, training, supervising, and developing the kitchen team, all while fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment. This role demands adaptability to work varied shifts, including early mornings, late nights, weekends, and the flexibility to travel between sites if required.

Summer House North Bethesda emphasizes a culture that values mental health and wellness, supported by an employee assistance program, and provides numerous benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance, life and accident protection, domestic partner benefits, and substantial restaurant discounts. Working with Lettuce Entertain You means joining a dynamic, culinary-driven company that nurtures diverse talents and unique perspectives, encouraging career-long learning and development. If you are passionate about culinary leadership and ready to contribute to an inclusive and innovative restaurant environment, this Sous Chef position is an excellent opportunity to advance your career.

Job Requirements

Minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent
2 years of sous chef experience in a full-service restaurant
Strong leadership and team management skills
Excellent communication abilities
Ability to work flexible hours including early mornings, late nights, weekends, and holidays
Ability to lift and move moderate weights up to 50 pounds
Knowledge of food safety and sanitation standards
Ability to multitask and work effectively in a fast-paced environment

Job Qualifications

2-3 years of sous chef experience in a full-service restaurant
Ability to lead and manage the kitchen staff

Job Duties

Run BOH shifts and ensure effective and efficient BOH shifts and operations including food prep and cooking, ensure adequate inventory levels of food and supplies, and supervise the kitchen, dish and all other BOH teams
Lead BOH pre-shift meetings and participating in line, temp and cooler checks and food tastings for the shift
Partner with GM and/or designated managers/chefs to regularly review and maintain recipe books
Perform regular line checks throughout the day to ensure quality of all menu items
Purchase and order food product and supplies for the restaurant including daily product order
Assist with tracking and controlling food cost
Ensure effective communication of food production and timing issues, needs, and special requests between front of house (FOH) and BOH
Partner with GM and management team to interview, hire, onboard, train, supervise and develop all BOH employees and teams as needed
Model and promote teamwork across all teams
Use tact and good judgment when dealing with challenges pertaining to guests, vendors and employees, and respond with patience and courtesy
Work a variety of days and shifts (including early mornings, late nights and weekends) at multiple sites with or without overnight travel, as needed
Move and lift up to 10 pounds, frequently move and/or lift up to 25 pounds, occasionally move and/or lift up to 50 pounds