One Haus Hospitality

DIRECTOR OF CULINARY

Location: Dallas, Texas, with ~20–25% travel

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer, with a dotted line to the Chief Creative Officer

Compensation: $125,000-$150,000

Status: Full-Time, Salaried, Exempt

About the Company

A chef-founded, Texas-based multi-unit, multi-concept restaurant group with a portfolio spanning steakhouse, seafood, neighborhood American, pizza, burgers, and a Baja-inspired cantina. Each restaurant has its own distinct personality, built around immersive, design-driven spaces, scratch cooking, and genuine, fun hospitality. Backed by a growing hospitality platform, the group is expanding into new markets and building out a dedicated executive culinary function to support that growth.

Position Summary

The Director of Culinary is a hands-on, in-restaurant executive role accountable for the creativity, quality, and profitability of every dish across the company-operated portfolio. Part culinary creator, part systems builder, part programming lead, and part operator, this role owns food cost, BOH labor, pre-opening kitchen budgets, and the revenue the culinary program generates. The right person is as comfortable working the pass during a wine dinner as building an opening budget or sitting at the executive table, and wants to build chefs, not just dishes.

Key Responsibilities

Culinary Content & R&D

• Lead culinary development for core and seasonal menus, aligned with the creative direction set by the Chief Creative Officer
• Build the R&D pipeline, including templates, costing tools, and tasting cadence, that empowers unit Executive Chefs to develop and pitch their own dishes
• Own final tasting and quality sign-off on every dish before launch
• Lead menu engineering, recipe standardization, plating specs, and technical documentation that feed the training system

Culinary Programming & Off-Premise Revenue

• Develop and lead the culinary programming calendar, including wine dinners, happy hours, and themed events
• Own concept, menu, pricing, and execution for every event, with event-level P&L accountability
• Lead holiday to-go programming as a recurring revenue initiative
• Build repeatable programming playbooks that can be adapted across markets

New Restaurant Openings

• Own the pre-opening kitchen capital budget, including OSE and equipment, for every new location
• Select and source china, glassware, flatware, and smallwares, balancing presentation, cost, and durability
• Provide menu and workflow input on kitchen design and opening timelines

Kitchen Operations & P&L

• Own food COGS, BOH labor, and kitchen operating supplies across the portfolio
• Set and enforce inventory standards, including par levels, ordering discipline, and waste tracking

Purchasing & Vendor Management

• Set product specifications for every core ingredient category
• Lead vendor negotiations and leverage growing volume for better pricing and terms
• Hold vendors accountable to spec and maintain backup sourcing for critical products

Training & Chef Development

• Directly manage and develop Executive Chefs at each company-operated location
• Lead hands-on BOH training and culinary onboarding in partnership with the training team
• Lead by example on the line during menu launches, events, and openings

Executive Partnership

• Serve as the senior culinary voice on the leadership team
• Partner with marketing, beverage, training, and service leaders so every launch is aligned and ready

Qualifications

• 8+ years in senior culinary leadership (Executive Chef or above) in a multi-unit environment, including direct P&L ownership
• Proven track record managing food cost, BOH labor, and kitchen budgets to target
• New restaurant opening experience, including capital budgeting, OSE, and equipment specification
• Experience creating revenue-generating culinary programming such as wine dinners, chef’s tables, or ticketed events
• Strong menu development and R&D leadership, with a history of developing other chefs
• Vendor negotiation and product specification experience in a multi-unit setting
• Holiday to-go program experience and partnership with a creative or brand leader a plus
• Formal culinary education preferred; equivalent experience strongly considered
• Willingness to travel approximately 20–25%

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.