Multi-Unit Culinary & Hospitality Executive
Resume:
LR
CONTACT
Houston, TX
**************@******.***
linkedin.com/in/cheflukerogers
BY THE NUMBERS
$F&B 100M BUSINESS LED AT RELIANT
PARK
$EBITDA 3.DELIVERED 34M · 16.7% MARGIN
+EBITDA 5 MARGIN pts GAIN, $19M
PORTFOLIO
7RESTAURANTS FOUNDED &
OPERATED
36 30% LABOR COST · FOOD 27 24%
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Executive Chef (CEC)
American Culinary Federation
Certified Sommelier
Court of Master Sommeliers,
Americas
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Six Sigma Global Institute
HACCP Manager (CFSHM) ·
ServSafe Manager · TABC
LANGUAGES
English — native
Spanish — professional
working
LUKE MULTI-UNIT CULINARY ROGERS & HOSPITALITY EXECUTIVE · CEC · MBA CANDIDATE Culinary and operations executive who builds the systems that make large, complex food and beverage businesses predictable. Currently leads culinary across a $100M sports and entertainment operation at Reliant Park — Houston Texans game days, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, concerts, conventions, and premium hospitality. Track record of full P&L ownership at scale, from a seven-restaurant platform delivering 16.7% EBITDA margins to multi-market openings from concept through stabilization. Classically trained through Michelin-starred kitchens; now focused on menu architecture, cost discipline, and repeatable execution that holds regardless of who is on the line. EXPERIENCE
District Executive Chef Aramark Sports + Entertainment — Houston Texans JUN 2025 – PRESENT
Reliant Park: Houston Texans · Harris County · Houston Rodeo · Legends Global — Houston, TX
— Lead culinary across multiple venues and business units in a $100M annual food and beverage operation.
— Exceeded fiscal year 2025 financial goals by 10% — owning food cost, labor, inventory, purchasing, and overall financial performance district-wide.
— Direct menu development, food quality, culinary standards, and operational execution across the district.
— Led the team through 10 Texans home games per season and 21 consecutive days of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, plus concerts, conventions, and special events.
— Lead a roster of 234 culinary and stewarding employees — staffing, training, and leadership development — partnering with operations and hospitality leadership to deliver premium guest experiences.
Director of Culinary BR Hospitality Group DEC 2022 – MAR 2025 Dallas, TX
— Founded and led a multi-concept platform of 7 restaurants generating ~$20M annual revenue with ~140 employees — full ownership of strategy, operations, growth, and financial performance.
— Delivered ~$3.34M EBITDA at a 16.7% margin (27.0% COGS · 29.0% labor · 6.3% occupancy · 21.0% OpEx).
— Built a commissary-backed operating model that centralized production, cut kitchen complexity and capital intensity, and improved consistency across concepts.
— Owned new builds and construction; secured bank financing and produced investor materials, managing to optimal DSCR and debt yield.
— Earned placement among the best restaurants in Dallas (Dallas Observer); positioned the platform for value realization through strategic sales and real estate profit. Multi-Unit Director of Culinary Cathedral Italian Bistro FEB 2020 – JAN 2023 Plano, TX
— Led a diversified $19M portfolio — a $10M upscale steakhouse, $5M quick-service concept, and $4M catering division — across dining, delivery, and corporate channels with a team of 100.
— Improved EBITDA margin by 5 points through tighter labor controls, purchasing discipline, menu optimization, and operating-system standardization.
— Managed new builds, concept development, investor and bank materials, HACCP systems, hiring, and opening execution.
LUKE ROGERS — PAGE 2
EDUCATION
Texas McCombs School of
Business
MBA Candidate · 2023–2027
The University of Texas at Austin
Harvard Business School
Online
CLIMB Executive Leadership
Credential · Completed Feb 2026
Columbia Southern University
BBA, Business / Organizational
Leadership · 2016–2018
L'Ecole Culinaire — Vatterott
College
AA, Restaurant / Food Services
Management · 2010–2012
HONORS & AWARDS
Best Chef Texas — Honoree
James Beard Foundation · 2020
Chef of the Year, Texas
World Food Championships ·
2019
Iron Fork Competition —
Winner
World Food Championships
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
March of Dimes Dallas — Chef
Chair, Fundraising Board
KidLinks — Chef Chair,
Symphony of Chefs
DIFFA Dallas — Event Chef
Mammogram Poster Girls,
Dallas — Chef Chair
Executive Chef Savor In Klyde Warren Park MAR 2018 – NOV 2020 Dallas, TX
— Directed the relaunch of a prominent downtown Dallas restaurant generating ~$7M annually at a ~$70 average check.
— Stabilized the business through stronger menu architecture, kitchen execution, labor management, and service alignment through a critical relaunch period. Executive Chef Doc B's Fresh Kitchen OCT 2016 – JUL 2018 Dallas · Fort Worth · Austin, TX
— Opening culinary leader for 3 restaurant launches, building the operating foundations for market entry and scalable growth.
— Supported openings reaching ~$120K weekly sales in Austin, $100K in Fort Worth, and
$60K in Dallas at a ~$30 check.
— Established repeatable systems for scratch-kitchen execution, training, prep discipline, labor deployment, and quality control.
Executive Chef Sofitel Philadelphia Hotel APR 2015 – OCT 2016 Philadelphia, PA
— Directed culinary and F&B execution for an $8M luxury hotel operation — restaurants, lounges, banquets, and high-profile events.
— Led a 40+ person culinary team, strengthening execution, cost discipline, banquet performance, and guest-experience standards.
Executive Chef — Traveling Interim (Contract) HEI Hotels & Resorts JUL 2013 – AUG 2015
Washington, DC
— Cut labor cost from 36% to 30% and food cost from 27% to 24% while rebuilding menus, staffing, and prep standards.
— Instituted a scratch kitchen and created the daily operating toolkit — cost sheets, thaw lists, order guides, and prep lists — so the line ran without direct supervision.
— Built a hiring pipeline through Le Cordon Bleu Dallas and developed stewards into skilled prep cooks, raising bench strength and retention.
FOUNDATIONS
Commis Chef (Stage) Minibar by José Andrés 2013 – 2014 Washington, DC — two Michelin stars
— Trained under the head chef, formerly of Noma, in one of the most technically demanding kitchens in the country.
Commis Chef (Stage) Ristorante Vespasia di Palazzo Seneca 2012 Norcia, Umbria, Italy — Michelin-starred
— Cooked with the team during the Michelin evaluation in which the restaurant earned its second star.
Contact this candidate