Executive Chef

Executive Chef The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery | Charlotte, NC | Full-Time, Salaried

Position Summary The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) is looking for an Executive Chef to lead the kitchen at one of our high-volume Brauhaus locations in Charlotte. This is a hands-on leadership role for a chef who loves a busy line and also cares about the systems behind it: standard recipes, accurate costing, clean data, and a well-run, well-staffed kitchen.

Our kitchen serves a full-service Brauhaus dining room, an outdoor Biergarten with its own Garten Grille, and a busy private-events business. That ranges from a 20-person corporate dinner to a 225-guest buyout, plus concert nights, football Sundays, Mecktoberfest and our annual Christmas Market. On a big Saturday the kitchen feeds well over a thousand guests. The Executive Chef owns quality, consistency, food cost, food safety and the people who make it all happen, and works closely with our other OMB culinary teams so a guest gets the same great schnitzel and pretzel at every location.

What You Will Own Culinary Quality & Consistency

• Execute OMB’s German-inspired menu, our Brauhaus classics, seasonal features and festival menus, to a consistent written spec every service
• Run hourly line checks and enforce documented holding times, plating standards and portioning; anything out of standard gets pulled, not served
• Partner with OMB’s other Executive Chefs on menu development, test menus and specials, and keep one verified recipe per dish across locations
• Help build and launch a scratch BBQ/smoker program as an everyday menu feature Speed of Service
• Run the line and the KDS to hit ticket-time standards on every shift, including concert rushes and event-heavy nights
• Staff and set stations to the forecast and the event book, so rush periods are planned for and not just survived
• Make expo the control point: call 86s at the window before they reach a ticket, bump food as it goes, and keep the floor informed Food Cost & Kitchen Financials
• Own food cost to budget, as part of the location’s prime-cost target set with the General Manager
• Maintain accurate recipes, plate costs and menu-to-recipe links in xtraCHEF, and keep Toast menu items clean (one button per dish, no duplicates)
• Build and maintain order guides and pars; control portioning with the right tools (cheese, bacon, proteins); and make data-driven buy decisions such as pre-cut versus in-house prep
• Run accurate weekly inventory that reconciles to purchasing and the P&L; manage vendor relationships, pricing and product specs Food Safety, Allergens & Facilities
• Keep the kitchen inspection-ready every day, with a health-score target of 97 or higher; own temp logs, self-audits and corrective actions
• Maintain a current, accurate allergen matrix and make sure product substitutions and spec changes are reflected before they reach a guest
• Make sure every kitchen leader holds current ServSafe Manager certification and every team member is trained on food safety
• Own equipment care: preventive maintenance, prompt work orders with follow-through to close, and a nightly closing standard that passes walkthrough Private Events & Catering
• Execute BEOs flawlessly, from 20-guest dinners to 200-plus guest buyouts and holiday parties, using written prep sheets and a portion guide, checked at every shift change
• Partner with the event sales team on menus, counts and feasibility, and support large seasonal programs like the Christmas Market People & Culture
• Recruit, hire, train and retain a full culinary team of sous chefs, line, prep and dish; build a dependable bench so callouts don’t become a crisis
• Write schedules to the forecast and manage labor to plan; set clear attendance and call-out expectations and hold the team to them
• Lead a professional kitchen built on respect, discipline and teaching: clear communication, no yelling, and full adherence to OMB’s culinary conduct and uniform standards
• Develop sous chefs into future chefs, and recognize the cooks who raise the bar Communication & Partnership
• Work hand-in-glove with the General Manager and front-of-house leaders on guest feedback, service flow and events
• Complete the nightly culinary report accurately (staffing, ticket times, issues, comps and voids) and participate in weekly management meetings
• Bring problems forward early, with a proposed fix and a date

What Success Looks Like

In your first 90 days:

• Every menu item has a verified recipe, a cost and a correct Toast/xtraCHEF link, and the allergen matrix is current and signed off
• A stable, fully staffed schedule with a backup bench, and a callout process the team follows
• Daily line checks, temp logs and the closing standard are habits, not events

In your first year:

• Food cost at or better than budget, month after month, with numbers you can explain line by line
• Health inspection scores of 97+ and ticket times consistently inside standard, even on the biggest nights
• Strong guest reviews on food, a kitchen people want to work in, and at least one sous chef ready for promotion

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional culinary experience, including 3+ years as an Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine or equivalent in a high-volume, full-service operation
• Track record running a large kitchen across multiple outlets or service styles (dining room, outdoor or bar service, and private events or catering)
• Demonstrated ownership of food cost: recipe costing, inventory, ordering, vendor management, and reading a kitchen P&L
• Hands-on experience with a restaurant POS and kitchen display system and a costing/inventory platform (Toast and xtraCHEF strongly preferred)
• Current ServSafe Manager certification (or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire) and strong command of health code and allergen management
• Proven ability to hire, train and hold a team accountable, with a calm, professional leadership style under pressure
• Availability to work nights, weekends, holidays and peak events; this is a hands-on role and you will be on the line

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with German or Central European cuisine, scratch baking (pretzels, breads) or smoked meats/BBQ
• Background in a brewery, beer hall, multi-unit restaurant group or other environment where recipes are standardized across locations
• Experience leading large-scale banquet, catering or festival production
• Appreciation for craft beer and beer-and-food pairing
• Knowledge of the Charlotte food scene and local and regional sourcing

Reporting Reports to: General Manager Works closely with: COO, OMB’s Executive Chef team, front-of-house management, and private event sales Direct reports: Sous Chefs and the full culinary team (line, prep, dish)

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary, commensurate with experience
• Quarterly variable compensation tied to kitchen performance (food cost, health inspection and guest reviews)
• Comprehensive benefits package, paid time off and 401(k), with details shared with qualified candidates
• Employee dining and beer discounts, and the chance to grow with a company that is expanding

About The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Since 2009, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery has brewed authentic German-style beer in Charlotte, following the German Purity Law, with medals at the European Beer Star and the Great American Beer Festival to show for it. Our Brauhaus locations pair that beer with scratch German-inspired food, big biergartens and a calendar full of community events. With a third Brauhaus opening in Mount Holly in early 2027, we’re growing, and we’re looking for culinary leaders who want to grow with us. Prost!

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is an equal opportunity employer.