Vice President, Culinary Operations

A great experience starts with you!

Join our team to help create and develop the future of live entertainment and sports in Orange County!

Once you've had a chance to explore our current open positions, apply to the ones you feel best suit you, as an applicant, you can always see your application status in your profile.

Job Title:Vice President, Culinary Operations

Pay Details:The annual base salary range for this position in California is $200,000 to $250,000 per year. The starting pay for the successful candidate depends on various job-related factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, education/training, internal value, peer equity, external market demands, and organizational considerations.

Company:Anaheim Arena Management, LLC (F&B)

Location(s):ACC

The Vice President, Culinary Operations adds value to the Honda Center’s business and the quality of our guests’ experience by developing a broad range of menus, operational systems, and brand standards that deliver and ensure best-in-class quality, performance, and service throughout the Honda Center arena. In curating quality, we are focused on the quality of product, quality of execution, and quality of workplace culture. In driving performance, we are focused on business performance and financial results. In providing service, we are focused both on guest service and service in support of our associates, peers, and fellow stakeholders. Across OCVIBE and the Honda Center, it is our mantra that we will win through cultivating extraordinary guest experiences, which leave our guests wanting to return again and again.

Brand and Portfolio Management

This position is responsible for developing and refining our portfolio of food and beverage concepts, offerings, and products from a culinary, service, and product perspective. They are the champion for delivering best-in-class food and beverage service across the Honda Center and for driving guest satisfaction with respect to both product and service throughout the Honda Center.

This role is responsible for determining the proper mix of concepts and menus to deploy across our arena to maximize both guest satisfaction and business value (revenue and profitability). Product innovation, concept innovation, and brand management capabilities are all key to this role. Concept development, kitchen design, and product development are key capabilities to be leveraged by this position.

People & Culture

Culture and quality of communication are important principles within our organization. As we develop OCVIBE and the Honda Center into the most unique and compelling mixed-use district in the country, our goal is to become the best place to work in Southern California. One way that we will achieve this goal is by investing in our people and empowering them to create the kind of memorable experiences that our guests will feel compelled to come back for. Collaboration and strong communication skills will be vital to success in this role. This role will work hand in hand with other leaders within sales, marketing, finance, and operations, and must be able to articulate and advance both strategic plans and operational standards across a group of diverse stakeholders. The ability to manage via influence and negotiation rather than via fiat is imperative to success in this role.

Business Performance

The successful leader in this role must develop and maintain a financially informed view of the business as a whole and its constituent parts. As the business evolves or changes, this role must proactively take steps to optimize business performance by finding ways to grow incremental revenues and control both labor and cost of goods (COGS). It is important for the leader in this role to be comfortable tracking, reporting on, and forecasting the business with the appropriate array of financial metrics. Operationally, this role is responsible for defining, implementing, and maintaining the standard operating procedures and brand standards that are needed to ensure consistency of execution throughout the business, as well as predictable and well managed financial performance. This role is also responsible for the training, implementation, and maintaining of these standards across the business.

Quality

This role is the champion for quality throughout our hospitality business. They must have a strong penchant for detail and the ability to drive and deliver consistency and quality of execution through various tools and approaches. This must be true with respect to both quality of product and quality of service. The leader in this role must have a passion for service, which extends to both guest service and their service to their associates, peers, and fellow stakeholders. This role must always be a champion for the quality of our workplace culture. This role leads by example and champions our company’s mission, vision, and values at all times.

This role owns recipe, menu, and product development, as well as production planning, quality assurance, inventory management, waste management, as well as the broader spectrum of duties related to procurement and supply chain management. This role is responsible for the selection of the appropriate vendors, the maintenance and review of contracts (in partnership with Legal and Procurement), and for ensuring that our supply chain remains safe and effective. A passion for innovation and ongoing improvement is central to this role.

Safety is a core value within our organization, and thus, this role is responsible for ensuring that all proper steps are taken to ensure proper food safety as well as guest and worker safety standards are upheld at all times.

Responsibilities

Create and develop successful Food & Beverage concepts for a broad spectrum of demographics and outlet types (i.e., restaurants, clubs, concessions, luxury suites, and special events)

Recruit best-in-class culinary leadership and ensure that new hires are properly onboarded and trained

Provide leadership to the Executive Chefs, Sous-Chefs, and the overall organization

Ensure each area has measurable planning objectives and clearly delineated standard operating procedures

Develop clear and actionable roles and responsibilities, including ownership and accountability for each direct report

Provide training and mentorship across the Culinary team towards strong personal and team performance, as well as future growth opportunities

Educate the organization towards a better understanding of the culinary space and implications on business wants/needs

Ensure that all businesses and venues have clearly delineated standard operating procedures and brand standards (recipes, product specifications, etc.)

Develop brand and operational standards and training processes to optimize Food & Beverage delivery, consistency, service, and presentation at each outlet within the arena

In collaboration with other departmental leadership, direct and oversee the financial success of all outlets by taking ownership of Food & Beverage revenue goals, managing expenses, controlling labor costs, and optimizing guest satisfaction scores

Develop and maintain relationships with Food & Beverage vendors, monitor purchases made at all outlets, and confirm that negotiated prices are honored

Lead kitchen design and equipment selection, maintenance, and upkeep

Oversee menu development for restaurants, clubs, concessions, luxury suites and events

Lead recipe costing and inventory management processes

Manage waste, yield, and profitability

Oversee, maintain, and ensure compliance with all Food & Beverage Standard Operating Procedures, inclusive of the employee handbook, Food & Beverage cost controls, operational controls, health department initiatives, sanitation, liquor control/laws, productivity, and food production standards

Collaborate on the development and implementation of Food & Beverage-related elements within the annual business plan and budget to include concept development, concept repositioning, and rebranding efforts

Conduct consistent and documented property inspections to gauge operational performance and cleanliness in compliance with corporate, local, and national regulations and requirements

Skills

10+ years of experience overseeing multi-unit F&B operations

A mix of full-service restaurant, arena and/or other entertainment venue, and hotel experience highly preferred

Robust P&L management capabilities, including strong inventory and COGs management experience.

Occasional travel to other properties and arenas occasionally required

Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with focused attention on the guest experience

Able to provide leadership and direction contributing to the success of the organization through engaging, developing, and mentoring both individuals and teams

Able to actively influence and drive collaboration with individuals or groups at various levels within and outside of the organization

Excellent organizational skills

Able to function under time constraints and deadlines with sharp attention to detail

In-depth knowledge of all disciplines within Food & Beverage operations, including but not limited to branding-strategy implementation, sourcing, distribution, cost controls, and regulatory standards/compliance across all outlets

Able to effectively achieve business unit goals and objectives by implementing strategic and operational plans, budgets, and best practices, then monitoring and evaluating results

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Education - Bachelor's Degree

Experience Required – 10+

This position is on-site

JM2024

Our Commitment:

We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and team members without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, parental status, military service, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws. We are firm believers that diversity and inclusion among our team members are critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

Thanks for your interest in becoming part of the team.

R-2024-216