SUMMARY:
The Students' Union's food service, licensed venues, catering, and event operations across the Waterloo and Brantford campuses include Wilf's Restaurant & Bar and The Turret in Waterloo, and Golden Grounds Coffee House and The Belmont in Brantford. The Kitchen Manager (Waterloo) is a senior leader who oversees the comprehensive operational and administrative portfolio of the kitchen within the Hospitality Services department for the Students’ Union. Reporting to the Director, Business Operations, your focus will be in areas such as creating and maintaining a student focused food program, helping the department to contribute positively to the financial picture of the organization, upholding sector wide best practices and acting as a direct resource when liaising with the University and external partners. The incumbent will be highly motivated to work in a fast-paced environment, have a passion for teaching and positively enabling teams, be extremely well organized, detail-oriented, have strong interpersonal skills and excellent time management skills. The specific functions of the Kitchen Manager Waterloo encompass a wide variety of roles and responsibilities. It is important to note that not all functions and duties are contained within this definition, and the position itself will be ever changing and adaptive. Nevertheless, roles and responsibilities allocated to the position include, but are not limited to the following:
OPERATIONS & COMPLIANCE
Operate in accordance with the Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles, by-laws and policies of the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union and ensure that all programming functions are compliant with such;
Follow, implement, evaluate and ensure compliance with all Health and Safety policies and procedures as outlined by the Students’ Union and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) of Ontario and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS);
Remain well versed in events, policies, procedures, risk management requirements and legal requirements to ensure best practices, and aid in the development and implementation of such to ensure compliance with operating policies and procedures; Remain up to date with industry trends within similar environments to ensure best practices are upheld;
Support department initiatives and strategies, as prescribed by the Executive Leadership team, and/or as delegated by the Director, Business Operations; and
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Ensure the kitchen is maintained to the highest standards of cleanliness, sanitation, organization, and food safety at all times, with immediate correction of any deficiencies and consistent compliance with all established standards and procedures.
GUEST EXPERIENCE & VENUE OPERATIONS
Maintain a professional working relationship, including open and honest communication, with all internal and external members and partners to ensure positive and successful maintenance of the Students’ Union and Wilf’s brand, as well as to support the student experience related strategies and functions as it pertains to food service;
Develop and maintain positive relationships with external vendors to maximize food service potential;
Ensure all Students’ Union assets, property and resources, including kitchen and catering equipment, are properly handled and maintained;
Assist the Director, Business Operations in developing, and achieving, goals as they pertain to food service and catering;
Liaise with all pertinent external inspection agencies;
Oversee the completion of monthly back-of-house inventory, investigate any variances in inventory levels and sales velocity, and ensure the integrity of inventory counts;
Ensure control systems are in place to verify the accuracy of deliveries and to safeguard our food chain from supplier to table;
Develop and maintain standards for food safety, quality and delivery, including but not limited to: delivery times, spec sheets, recipes cards, buying guides, par levels, and comprehensive enablement tools;
Develop and maintain innovative menu options for the with a focus on ease of execution, affordability, and variety (includes but are not limited to: the Wilf’s menu, Wilf’s feature menu and catering menus);
Recommend specials, loss leaders, and innovative deals to drive incremental traffic into Wilf’s;
Develop and maintain food safety systems, including but not limited to, temperature logs and dishwasher logs; and
Develop and maintain food control communication systems, including but not limited to, waste logs, outage reports, and prep lists.
STAFFING & LEADERSHIP
Provide support for human resource functions including, but not limited to hiring, training, payroll and performance evaluations;
Develop and maintain a comprehensive on-boarding program for each kitchen role;
Manage and support the Kitchen Lead Hand Waterloo, as well as Back of House Shift Lead(s); and
Lead a team of up to 50 part-time student staff with a focus on training, development, enablement, and performance management.
FINANCIAL & ADMINSTRATIVE
Assist in the maintenance of physical and electronic files according to department specific guidelines;
Provide analysis as required towards the development of annual budgets;
Develop and maintain food costs that align with budgetary guidelines and constraints using established food inventory systems, and where appropriate make recommendations for improvement;
Ensure all invoices pertaining to back-of-house expenses are processed accurately in accordance with the Finance department’s procedures;
Conduct regular pricing audits to ensure menu items are correctly priced to achieve budgetary targets; and
Manage labour costs for both the full- and part-time back-of-house staff through effective scheduling that adheres to the established budget targets while maintaining exceptional service delivery.
OTHER DUTIES
Be present in the kitchen and actively lead the kitchen team, at minimum, during core business hours and during any training periods;
Ensure successful execution of catering functions on both campuses; and
Any other duties as assigned by the Director, Business Operations.
WORKING CONDITIONS
The Students’ Union operates on both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses, this position is based in Waterloo with the expectation of occasional travel to the Brantford campus in support of catering functions;
Work will mainly be completed standing and moving around the establishment, or seated at a desk, using a computer;
Potential exposure to mental health crises and personal disclosures of violence/harassment;
The following physical activities are required as a major job function within this position:
Walking and standing
Carry and transport objects of various sizes up to a maximum of 50 lbs;
Pushing or pulling contents that weigh a maximum of 75 lbs; and
Stretching, reaching, bending, stooping, crouching and/or kneeling for short periods of time.
TIME COMMITMENT
Full-time position, with the expectation to work 40 hours per week;
Traditional hours of operation for both Wilf’s Restaurant & Bar and The Turret are 8:00am to 12:00am, Monday to Saturday; and Due to the nature of the hospitality services industry, it should be noted that hours may vary, often being irregular, working hours will reflect the busiest business periods and be mutually agreed upon with the Director, Business Operations.
Advanced Food Safety, Occupational Health & Safety, Standard First Aid and CPR (can be acquired after starting the position) LOCATION: Based in Waterloo with the expectation of occasion travel to other campuses to assist in Catering functions.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please send your resume to and in the subject line indicate that it is for the "Kitchen Manager Position". No cover letter required.
For questions about the role, reach out to our Director, Business Operations Tara Robinson at [email protected]
For questions about how to apply or accommodations in the process, reach out to Kelly Lee - Director, Member Services at [email protected]
Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union does not use AI Technology in our recruitment process. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Thank you for your interest in applying with the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union.
Pay: $52,000.00-$63,206.33 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Vision care
Work Location: In person
