JOB TODAY logo

Head chef jobs in New Jersey

Are you a business? Hire head chef candidates in NJ

  • Restaurant Manager
    Restaurant Manager
    15 hours ago
    $65000–$75000 yearly
    Full-time
    Hackensack

    JOB DESCRIPTION | RESTAURANT MANAGER FOH Are you ready to lead where every shift feels like a celebration? At Rosa Mexicano, we blend the vibrant spirit of Mexico with elevated dining and unforgettable hospitality. We're looking for a passionate, driven Operations Manager who believes great restaurants are built on people, pride, and performance. This is more than a management job — it's your chance take ownership of your business, lead a team with heart, and deliver Warm Latin Hospitality while maximizing results. Bring your leadership, hospitality instinct, and entrepreneurial mindset — we'll provide the platform and tools. WHY YOU'LL LOVE WORKING WITH US • A culture rooted in Passion, Respect, Integrity, Determination, Excellence, • Real ownership mentality — lead your restaurant like it's your own, • Strong bonus potential tied to sales, guest experience, and profitability, • Dining discounts for you (and your favorite people!), • Health & commuter benefits, • Career growth across our Rosa Mexicano family WHAT YOU'LL DO Lead With Hospitality • Create regular guests — you are the tone-setter for Warm Latin Hospitality, • Coach your team to anticipate guest needs and create unforgettable moments, • Handle guest feedback with care, urgency, and grace, • Ensure our brand story — from Chef Josefina Howard's legacy to our tableside guacamole — is alive in every shift Own Your Business • Drive sales through smart floor leadership, upselling culture, and local store marketing, • Manage labor, scheduling, and productivity to hit financial targets, • Monitor PMIX, check averages, and guest counts to grow revenue, • Control costs while protecting quality Build & Develop Your Team • Recruit, hire, and train FOH team members with RM standards, • Lead inspiring pre-shifts and ongoing training, • Coach Salesmanship daily, • Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, and celebration, • Recognize great performance — because appreciation drives retention Execute With Excellence • Maintain service steps, sanitation standards, and DOH compliance, • Ensure clean, organized dining rooms and bars — never walk past a napkin, • Communicate constantly with BOH and bar teams, • Protect brand standards for food, beverage, and presentation, • Lead responsible alcohol service Skills & Qualifications • 2+ years restaurant management experience preferred, • Strong knowledge of restaurant financials (labor %, COGS, PMIX, P&L basics), • Excellent communication and leadership skills, • Comfortable in a fast-paced, high-energy environment, • Experience with POS & scheduling systems (Toast, Harri/7Shifts, Restaurant365 a plus), • Flexible schedule — evenings, weekends, holidays, • Ability to stand/walk for extended periods, • Ability to lift up to 40 lbs, • Comfortable working in both dining room and bar environments Benefits • Competitive salary + performance bonus, • Health, dental, vision options, • Paid time off, • Dining discounts, • Career growth opportunities across Rosa Mexicano

    Easy apply
  • Team Member
    Team Member
    24 hours ago
    $16.5–$19 hourly
    Part-time
    Ocean Township

    Summary At NAYA, we're on an exciting journey - growing fast, sharing authentic, fresh and nutritious Middle Eastern flavors, and building a team that grows right along with us. We are looking for experienced, passionate Team Members to grow with us! At NAYA, your development is our priority — we train, mentor, and promote from within because we believe our people are the heart of our success. If you're a natural leader who loves great food, thrives in a team environment, and is excited to build your future with a brand on the rise, we want to meet you! If you're ready to lead with heart, inspire others, and be part of something bigger, NAYA is the place to make it happen. Reports to: General Manager You will love working at NAYA We believe great people deserve great rewards. NAYA offers a comprehensive and people-focused benefits package designed to support you at work and beyond, including: • Competitive pay to recognize your impact, • Medical, dental, and vision insurance to keep you healthy and thriving, • Commuter benefits to make life easier, • Employee discounts and free NAYA meals — because we believe in enjoying what we serve, • Growth opportunities at every level — we invest in developing leaders from within, • More on the way! At NAYA, you'll find more than a job — you'll find a community that values you, supports your goals, and celebrates your success. How You'll Impact The Team Member plays a key role in NAYA's restaurant operations, trained to work across all stations, from front-of-house service to back-of-house preparation. Team Members provide outstanding customer service while ensuring store standards of cleanliness, organization, and quality. Responsibilities include preparing food, working on the service line, cooking on the grill, and setting up and stocking stations. Team Members collaborate with the team to prepare menu items and maintain a smooth, efficient service experience. What You'll Do Food Preparation & Production • Prepare daily production items in cooperation with kitchen staff., • Ensure food products are prepped correctly, following recipes and Naya's standards., • Follow recipes and portion control standards to maintain consistency and quality., • Wash dishes and tools used during food prep., • Minimize waste and assist with inventory counts. Kitchen Organization & Maintenance • Receive, disinfect, store, and organize deliveries following FIFO and best storage practices., • Maintain proper storage temperatures and rotation procedures per DOH regulations., • Clean and sanitize kitchen equipment, tools, and workstations thoroughly and on schedule., • Keep floors in work areas clean, dry, and free of debris., • Ensure a sanitary, clean, and safe kitchen environment, maintaining all equipment and utensils. Customer Service • Provide timely and courteous service to guests in alignment with Naya's policies and procedures. * Display thorough knowledge of menu items, including beverages, and adhere to legal alcohol service requirements., • Greet guests, take orders, and expedite as needed, ensuring accuracy and satisfaction., • Ring orders into the POS system accurately and collect payments., • Assist customers with making change, as applicable., • Follow cash handling procedures, turning in accurate amounts daily. Front-of-House & Station Management • Maintain a clean, stocked, and organized workstation at the start of each shift., • Stock cashier stations with necessary items, including paper goods and ice water., • Change trash bags, wipe tables, and counters, and pack sauce sides and pita bread., • Turn on displays and play music as part of daily setup., • Follow the proper cash handling procedures and rings up items correctly, • Complete all side work and cleaning tasks to Naya's standards, including setting up sanitizing pails. Teamwork & Communication • Support and assist team members as needed., • Communicate issues and ideas to the Chef or Director of Operations., • Participate in training and development of new employees to uphold Naya's service standards. Compliance & Professionalism • Adhere to sanitation standards and company policies on scheduling, clocking in/out, uniforms, and grooming., • Attend company meetings and training sessions as required., • Exhibit a friendly, positive, and helpful attitude at all times., • Carry out additional duties as assigned by management. Who You Are • 1+ year experience as a restaurant team member at similar caliber concept, • The ability to lift at least 50 pounds on a regular basis., • The ability to bend, stoop, stand and perform extensive walking for 8 to 10 hours a day., • Excellent communicator in written and verbal formats., • Communicates information effectively and efficiently., • Completed the Train the Trainer course., • Maintain a friendly, helpful and positive attitude always., • Polished personal presentation; grooming meets Naya standards, as outlined by Employee Handbook, • The ability to withstand exposure to high volume of business and the movement, noise and temperature extremes associated with a busy restaurant., • Ability to perform essential job functions under pressure, maintain professionalism when working under stress., • Ability to work nights, weekends and holidays, and variable schedule, per the needs of the business., • Attends mandatory meetings., • Adherence to company, state, and county sanitation standards., • Strict adherence to posted schedule and clock in/out at times., • Perform all other related and compatible duties as assigned by the Management Team.

    Easy apply
  • Back of House Manager
    Back of House Manager
    3 days ago
    $55000–$65000 yearly
    Full-time
    Summit

    Pay: $55,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year Job description: Do you love Mexican food? Well, we do too! We founded Tacoria as a way of bringing the authentic tastes, vibrant colors, rich culture, and warm hospitality of Mexico to our local community. Our food is made fresh daily, and our ingredients come straight from local farms. (For more on our story, visit our website: www.tacoria.com.) Due to our current growth and expansion, we currently have several Kitchen Manager positions available at our restaurant in Edgewater. If you have experience managing and motivating a team of line cooks, enjoy working in a fast-paced and fun environment, and want to join a rapidly growing company with massive potential, then we want to hear from you. What will you be doing? • Managing a team of up to kitchen staff, including line chefs, • Ensuring the quality and consistency of our food, • Scheduling, supervising, and providing culinary training to the team, • Rolling out menu and recipe changes and ensuring staff is trained and well versed with our menu, • Maintaining equipment, • Ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations and participating in audits and inspections, • Monitoring food costs What skills do you bring to the table? • Previous experience working in a fast-paced environment, • One (1) year of previous restaurant experience (preferred), • Demonstrated ability to lead and supervise a team (1 year preferred), • Excellent communication skills, • Bilingual in Spanish is a PLUS What else do you need? • US work authorization (required), • High school or equivalent (GED), • Culinary education or mentorship (preferred), • Serve Safe certification (preferred), • Flexibility and an open schedule to allows you to cover shifts as needed, • Reliable transportation to get you to work, • Ability to work an 8 hour shift, which may include weekends What do we offer? • Salary of $55,000 - $65,000 per year (depending on your experience), • Benefits & Perks including:, • Flexible schedule, • Health insurance, • Paid time off, • Paid training, • Free shift meals and discounts on your day off! This Job Is Ideal for Someone Who Is: • Dependable -- more reliable than spontaneous, • People-oriented -- enjoys interacting with people and working on group projects, • Adaptable/flexible -- enjoys doing work that requires frequent shifts in direction, • Detail-oriented -- would rather focus on the details of work than the bigger picture, • Achievement-oriented -- enjoys taking on challenges, even if they might fail, • Autonomous/Independent -- enjoys working with little direction, • High stress tolerance -- thrives in a high-pressure environment If you’d like to be part of a friendly and challenging (yet fun) environment, with potential for growth, then come join us as a Kitchen Manager. Help us share our culinary expertise with our customers while providing them with a taste of Mexican culture. Become part of our story! While COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted in NJ, we are dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of both our employees and our customers. We have sanitizing, disinfecting, and cleaning procedures in place and we require our employees to: • Continue to wear personal protective equipment (provided), • Allow for temperature screenings Visit us at our Company's website: tacoria.com Job Type: Full-time Benefits: • Employee discount, • Health insurance, • Paid time off, • Paid training Shift: • Day shift, • Evening shift, • Night shift Work Location: In person

    Immediate start!
    Easy apply
  • Line Cook Position
    Line Cook Position
    11 days ago
    Full-time
    Springfield/Belmont, Newark

    Newark Food Factory, powered by Ideal Institute of Technology, is seeking a dependable and motivated Line Cook to join our culinary team. The Line Cook will prepare high-quality meals, maintain a clean and organized workstation, and support catering, special events, takeout, delivery, and culinary training activities. Key Responsibilities • Prepare and cook food according to recipes, portion standards, and instructions from the Head Chef., • Set up and stock assigned cooking stations before each shift., • Assist with catering orders, private events, takeout, and delivery preparation., • Follow proper food-handling, sanitation, and temperature-control procedures., • Maintain a clean and organized kitchen, including equipment, workstations, and storage areas., • Label, date, rotate, and properly store food products., • Monitor inventory and report low-stock items to the Head Chef., • Assist with receiving and storing food deliveries., • Minimize food waste and use ingredients responsibly., • Follow all Newark Food Factory safety policies and kitchen procedures., • Work cooperatively with chefs, kitchen staff, students, and event personnel., • Complete opening and closing duties as assigned., • Perform additional kitchen-related responsibilities when needed. Qualifications • Previous line cook, prep cook, restaurant, catering, or commercial kitchen experience is preferred., • Basic knowledge of food preparation and kitchen safety., • Ability to follow recipes and verbal instructions., • Strong attendance, punctuality, and teamwork skills., • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment., • Willingness to learn and accept feedback., • ServSafe Food Handler or ServSafe Manager certification is preferred or must be obtained within the required timeframe., • Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Physical Requirements • Ability to stand for extended periods., • Ability to lift and carry up to 40 pounds., • Ability to work around hot equipment, sharp utensils, and refrigerated areas., • Ability to bend, reach, and perform repetitive kitchen tasks safely. Schedule Flexible availability may be required, including weekdays, evenings, weekends, and special events. About Newark Food Factory Newark Food Factory is a state-of-the-art commissary and teaching kitchen powered by Ideal Institute of Technology. We support culinary training, food entrepreneurship, catering, private chef experiences, multicultural cuisine, and community events. Newark Food Factory is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

    Immediate start!
    Easy apply
  • Food Truck Chef
    Food Truck Chef
    2 months ago
    $2500–$4000 monthly
    Full-time
    Carlstadt

    Overview We're seeking an experienced, high-energy Food Truck Chef to lead daily kitchen operations and deliver consistently delicious, high-quality meals to our customers. This role is perfect for a chef who thrives in a fast-paced, mobile environment - someone who can manage prep efficiently, maintain tight food/safety standards, and create menu items that cater to our established clientele. In this position, you'll oversee cooking and line service during service hours, ensure smooth workflow in a limited space, and help maintain our signature flavors - from prep to plating and serving. You'll also collaborate with the team on menu execution, ingredient sourcing, and day-to-day improvements to operations. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase your culinary expertise with a constantly growing and expanding culinary group. Cowbella's Sizzlin' Street Food is parked at Bolero Snort Brewery and Tasting Room in Carlstadt, NJ. Duties • Prepare and cook a variety of menu items with precision, ensuring consistent quality and presentation., • Oversee daily kitchen operations, including inventory control, food safety compliance, and equipment maintenance., • Lead and supervise a small team of kitchen staff, fostering a collaborative and motivated work environment., • Manage food production schedules to meet customer demand during peak hours and special events., • Plan menus that incorporate fresh ingredients, dietary considerations, and innovative flavor combinations., • Ensure proper food handling procedures are followed to uphold hygiene standards and safety regulations., • Coordinate with vendors for timely procurement of ingredients and supplies, maintaining optimal inventory levels. Skills • Some culinary experience with a strong love in food preparation, cooking, and kitchen management., • Proven supervising experience in fast-paced restaurant or catering environments., • Knowledge of dietary restrictions and ability to adapt recipes accordingly., • Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage teams effectively and maintain high morale., • Experience in inventory management, food safety protocols, and food service management practices., • Excellent organizational skills for menu planning, shift management, and ensuring smooth daily operations.

    Immediate start!
    Easy apply
1