Benefits:

401(k) matching
Employee discounts
Paid time off
Training & development

General Manager – Kitchen Operations & Hospitality

Taste Buds Kitchen | Bellevue, WA

About the Role

Taste Buds Kitchen Bellevue is seeking an experienced, highly organized, and personable General Manager to lead the daily operations of our growing culinary entertainment studio.

We offer hands-on cooking classes, kids' camps, birthday parties, corporate team-building events, and private celebrations.

This is primarily an operations and people leadership role, not a culinary instructor position.

Our ideal candidate brings experience in kitchen management, hospitality operations, staff leadership, and business administration. You'll take ownership of our back-of-house operations, purchasing, inventory, staffing, training, event logistics, and overall guest experience.

You'll also have the opportunity to lead engaging, hands-on cooking classes and events, sharing your culinary knowledge and creating memorable experiences for guests of all ages.

We're looking for a proactive, resourceful leader who thrives in a small-business environment, enjoys working with people, and takes pride in running an efficient, organized, and successful operation.

Key Responsibilities

Kitchen & Back-of-House Operations

Oversee daily kitchen operations, food safety, sanitation, and facility readiness.
Manage grocery shopping, ingredient purchasing, inventory, and pantry organization.
Plan and coordinate food preparation for upcoming events.
Maintain efficient systems for ingredient storage, labeling, rotation, and waste reduction.
Ensure compliance with health department requirements and franchise standards.
Monitor kitchen equipment and coordinate maintenance.

Staff Management & Training

Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, and train culinary instructors, assistants, and hosts.
Manage employee scheduling, timekeeping, and labor budgets.
Coach, supervise, and evaluate staff performance.
Build a positive, reliable, and accountable team.
Ensure adequate staffing for events while controlling labor expenses.
Develop instructors and assistants who can confidently execute events independently.

Event Operations & Quality Control

Oversee the successful execution of cooking classes, camps, birthday parties, and corporate events.
Coordinate event preparation, staffing, setup, execution, and cleanup.
Ensure events begin and end on time and follow established Taste Buds Kitchen standards.
Maintain consistent quality and guest satisfaction across all programs.
Occasionally instruct hands-on cooking classes, camps, parties, and private events when operationally necessary.

Business & Administrative Management

Monitor food costs, labor expenses, purchasing, and operating efficiency.
Maintain employee schedules, shopping lists, inventory records, and operational systems.
Implement processes and checklists that improve productivity and consistency.
Track operational performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
Collaborate with the owner on business goals, sales initiatives, and profitability.

Hospitality & Guest Experience

Create a welcoming, energetic, and professional environment for guests of all ages.
Build strong relationships with clients, families, and community partners.
Support customer inquiries, private event coordination, and bookings.
Address guest concerns promptly and professionally.

Qualifications

3+ years of management experience in restaurant, hospitality, culinary, or event operations.
Demonstrated experience overseeing kitchen operations, inventory, food purchasing, and staff.
Proven ability to hire, train, schedule, and manage hourly employees.
Strong organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
Working knowledge of food safety regulations and commercial kitchen standards.
Excellent interpersonal skills and a warm, outgoing personality.
Comfortable using scheduling, inventory, and business management software.
Culinary experience is strongly preferred; professional chef credentials are not required.
Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends.

The Ideal Candidate

You are an organized, hands-on leader who loves hospitality, enjoys developing people, and knows how to keep a busy operation running smoothly.

You are comfortable managing budgets, grocery shopping, organizing a pantry, training employees, coordinating events, and jumping in wherever needed.

You understand how a kitchen operates, how to lead a team, and how to deliver an exceptional guest experience while keeping the business efficient and profitable.

Compensation: $28.00 - $33.00 per hour

About Us

Taste Buds Kitchen has taken the country by storm with a refreshingly simple concept. We provide culinary entertainment to kids, families and adults in a fun, beautiful and state-of-the art Kitchen Studio. Kids ages 2 to teen love our hands-on cooking classes, camps, birthday parties and field trips. Adults love our byob date night cooking classes, birthday parties, bachelorettes, showers and corporate events. Our innovative programs are as entertaining as they are educational. We always strive to engage and delight our guests.

Job Opportunities

We have incredible career opportunities in each of our growing Kitchen Studios nationwide, as well as our corporate office. Get involved in an exciting and growing company. We are always looking for dynamic talent to join our fun-loving and hard-working team! Perfect for culinary professionals, passionate foodies, teachers, managers, administrators, marketers and college and high school students alike.

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