Executive Chef – Premier Upscale-Casual Restaurant
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Presented by: Tom Bull, Gecko Hospitality
An acclaimed, chef-driven restaurant group with a significant following in major U.S. cities is seeking a visionary Executive Chef to lead the culinary operations of its high-volume Virginia Beach location. We are a growth-oriented company committed to culinary innovation and operational excellence. This is a career-defining opportunity for a leader dedicated to creating exceptional food and mentoring a world-class kitchen team.
The ideal candidate will be an experienced Executive Chef, or a highly accomplished Chef de Cuisine ready for the next step, with a proven history in scratch-kitchen environments generating $6M-$8M in annual sales.
Key Responsibilities

• Lead all back-of-house (BOH) operations, upholding the highest standards of food quality, consistency, and kitchen execution.

• Directly influence culinary P&L, managing food costs, BOH labor targets, inventory, and strategic vendor relationships to achieve financial goals.

• Mentor and develop a large culinary team of approximately 100 staff members through a team of sous chefs and supervisors.

• Drive menu engineering and seasonal menu development, creating compelling dishes that align with our brand and drive sales.

• Partner with the General Manager and front-of-house leadership to ensure a unified and exceptional guest experience.

• Implement and enforce rigorous food safety, sanitation, and all health department compliance standards.

• Oversee all culinary training programs, ensuring the team is expertly skilled in recipe execution and technique.

• Required: Current or recent experience as an Executive Chef or senior culinary leader (e.g., Chef de Cuisine) in a high-volume, upscale-casual, or chef-driven restaurant.

• Required: Verifiable experience in a culinary leadership role within an operation generating annual sales of at least $6 million.

• Demonstrated success in building and leading high-performing kitchen teams in a scratch-cooking environment.

• A proven track record of using menu strategy to build sales and enhance the guest experience.

• Preferred: Experience with new restaurant openings is a significant asset.

• A competitive base salary in the $100,000 range, commensurate with experience.

• A comprehensive, top-tier benefits package.

• Performance-based bonus potential.

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO).

• Realistic and tangible opportunities for career advancement within our expanding company.