Regional Director of Culinary

The Regional Chef holds the standard for every kitchen in an assigned region and develops the Chefs who run them. This is a hands-on leadership role spent in restaurants: auditing, coaching, teaching, and cooking alongside teams. The Regional Chef partners with the region’s Area Director to build the strongest, most consistent group of restaurants in the company, and works with the VP of Culinary to develop the systems and processes that make excellence repeatable.

Menu development and kitchen design are owned by the VP of Culinary. The Regional Chef’s job is to make sure what has been built is executed the same way in every restaurant, every shift, and that the people running those kitchens keep getting better.

Hold the Standard

• Ensure every kitchen executes TFT recipes, plating, portioning, and prep exactly as documented — no local variations.
• Conduct regular kitchen audits; document findings and close gaps with the Chef and GM on agreed timelines.
• Hold kitchens accountable to line checks, prep sheets, par and order guides, and recipe documentation — completed daily and actually used.
• Own regional readiness for food safety and sanitation: TFT standards, health department requirements, and third-party audits.
• Lead regional rollout of new menu items as directed by the VP of Culinary; validate execution in every store.

Coach, Train, and Develop

• Own the growth of every Chef and Sous Chef in the region; keep a live development plan and bench assessment for each kitchen.
• Deliver the TFT chef training and development program, including new-Chef onboarding and the chef-in-development track.
• Coach on the floor — station setup, prep execution, time and motion, and running a great shift — by working alongside teams during service.
• Build the Sous-to-Chef pipeline so every kitchen has a ready successor; flag succession risk early.
• Partner with GMs and the Area Director on Chef performance, coaching, corrective action, and recognition; assist in recruiting and selecting Chefs.

Teach the Numbers

• Teach every Chef to read and act on food cost, actual vs. theoretical variance, waste, inventory, and labor hours to plan.
• Review weekly variance with each Chef; identify the drivers and coach fixes at the station level.
• Own regional food cost and BOH labor against target; hold Chefs accountable for their portion of the result.
• Verify inventory counts, receiving, rotation, and ordering discipline; correct over- and under-ordering and product substitution.

Partner and Lead

• Build a true partnership with the region’s Area Director — one plan, one set of priorities, one standard for every restaurant in the region.
• Be the visible, trusted culinary leader in the region: in the restaurants, on the line when needed, known by every BOH team member.
• Help develop new systems and processes with the VP of Culinary; pilot them in the region, gather feedback, and make them stick.
• Work with the other Regional Chefs to keep one standard across all TFT locations.
• Fill in as a Chef at a location when needed.

Measures of Success

• Kitchen audit and food safety results across the region
• Regional food cost, BOH labor, and variance against target
• Line check, prep sheet, and order guide completion and accuracy
• Chef retention, promotions from within, and bench readiness
• In-spec, on-time rollout of new menu items in every store

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressive culinary leadership, including 2+ years as a Chef in a high-volume scratch kitchen; multi-unit experience strongly preferred.
• Proven record of developing cooks into Sous Chefs and Sous Chefs into Chefs.
• Working command of kitchen financials and the ability to teach them.
• ServSafe Manager (or equivalent) certification required.
• Strong communicator across all levels; organized, results-driven, and able to manage multiple restaurants and priorities.
• Comfortable with Restaurant365 or similar back-office systems.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle; travel throughout the region 90% of the work week, including some nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Able to stand for extended periods, lift up to 50lbs, and work in a hot, fast-paced kitchen.

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The Friendly Toast is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.