Kitchen Lead / Sous Chef -- Partner Opportunity

About us

A prime-neighborhood, longstanding, and profitable Asian fast-casual restaurant. We deliver fast, consistent service and approachable, ingredient-driven dishes in a friendly, high-traffic setting. We value operational excellence, predictable unit economics, and a team-first culture.

Role summary

There is no Head Chef — the Kitchen Lead / Sous Chef will be the senior kitchen leader, run the kitchen day-to-day, and manage the restaurant alongside the owner. You’ll own service execution, hiring & training, inventory and vendor coordination, food-cost and labor targets, plus operational decisions and guest-experience follow-ups with the owner. Exceptional performers will be considered for a documented partner opportunity (salary + profit share + equity vesting).

We’re prioritizing candidates with strong Asian cuisine experience — hands-on knowledge of ramen/bowl formats, wok/stir techniques, sauces/condiments, and high-volume execution.

Key responsibilities

• Run every service: lead the line, manage tickets, and own plating & timing standards for bowl-based and quick-serve formats.

• Build and maintain station checklists, recipes, and portion controls — including broths, sauces, and noodle/rice timing.

• Hire, train, schedule, mentor, and evaluate back-of-house staff; manage shift performance and discipline.

• Own ordering, receiving, inventory counts, and vendor relationships — including specialty Asian ingredients.

• Track and hit food-cost and labor targets; propose and implement efficiency improvements.

• Manage day-to-day restaurant operations with the owner: P&L input, scheduling, supplier negotiations, quality control, and vendor relationships.

• Lead R&D for specials rooted in Asian techniques and document SOPs for consistent scaling.

• Handle guest/service issues professionally and follow up with the owner on escalations and local outreach.

• Ensure food safety, sanitation, and compliance standards are met.

Required qualifications — Asian cuisine emphasized

• 3+ years stable kitchen experience; 1+ year leading a station or acting as senior line lead.

• Hands-on experience in Asian cuisine (ramen/bowls, wok/stir-fry, dumplings/bao, broths, sauces, pickles/ferments).

• Proven ability to run full service independently in a fast-casual, high-volume setting.

• Strong chef skills, timing, consistency, and assembly/plating for bowl formats.

• Experience with ordering/inventory and basic food-costing for specialty ingredients.

• Food safety certification preferred (ServSafe or equivalent) or willingness to obtain.

• Clear communicator, coachable, reliable, and comfortable with nights & weekends.

Nice to have

• Direct experience in ramen, rice/bowl concepts, pan-Asian fast-casual, or similar formats.

• Familiarity with Asian suppliers and packaging for high-quality takeaway.

• Experience with fermentation, stock/broth scaling, or sauce development.

• Bilingual (English + Chinese/Korean/Japanese) helpful for suppliers/team but not required.

• POS/inventory tools experience (Toast, MarketMan, SimpleOrder).

Benefits (Immediate / Ongoing)

• Profit sharing & equity (partner path — profit-share during vesting + equity grant on a vesting schedule).

• Paid time off (PTO)

• Health insurance

• Dental insurance

• Vision insurance

• Life insurance

• Employee meal & employee discount

• Employee referral bonus