Head-Culinary Operations, Quality & Cost Control

Position: Head – Culinary Operations, Quality & Cost Control

Salary- INR 60,000 to INR 70,000 Per Month

Department: Culinary / Operations

Location: Mahalaxmi, Mumbai

Reporting To: Senior Management / Directors

Experience: 8+ years in Culinary / Food & Beverage Operations, preferably with multi-unit or large-scale hospitality experience

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Head – Culinary Operations, Quality & Cost Control to lead and oversee culinary operations across multiple outlets and food service operations.

The role will be responsible for ensuring consistent food quality, operational excellence, menu standardisation, food safety, cost efficiency, procurement controls, production planning and kitchen performance across the organisation.

The ideal candidate should have strong experience in managing large culinary teams, multi-unit operations, high-volume food production, menu engineering, food cost optimisation and food safety systems.

Key Responsibilities

1. Culinary Operations

* Provide strategic leadership for all culinary operations across outlets, restaurants, banquets, catering and centralised food production.

* Establish and maintain standardised culinary processes across all locations.

* Ensure consistency in taste, presentation, portioning, recipes and overall food quality.

* Develop and implement kitchen SOPs, production standards and operational guidelines.

* Monitor kitchen productivity, manpower utilisation and production planning.

* Drive operational excellence and identify opportunities to improve kitchen efficiency.

2. Menu Development & Engineering

* Lead menu development, menu trials and periodic menu reviews.

* Develop menus based on customer preferences, market trends and business requirements.

* Conduct menu engineering to balance guest satisfaction, food quality and profitability.

* Standardise recipes, portion sizes, yields and plating standards.

* Ensure proper recipe costing and contribution-margin evaluation before menu launches.

* Work closely with operations and management teams on new concepts, seasonal menus and promotions.

3. Food Cost & Cost Control

* Take overall ownership of food cost management and culinary cost efficiency.

* Monitor food cost percentages across all outlets and identify deviations.

* Implement recipe costing, yield management, portion control and wastage-control systems.

* Analyse consumption patterns, variance reports and kitchen-related MIS.

* Identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary food and operational costs without compromising quality.

* Work closely with Finance and Operations teams to improve profitability.

* Establish benchmarks and accountability for food cost and kitchen expenses.

4. Procurement & Vendor Management

* Work closely with Procurement and Finance teams for effective sourcing of food and kitchen-related requirements.

* Establish quality specifications for raw materials and critical ingredients.

* Support vendor evaluation, product trials and quality assessment.

* Monitor procurement practices to ensure optimum quality and commercial value.

* Identify alternate products/vendors where required without compromising standards.

* Ensure standardised specifications across locations.

5. Quality Assurance & Food Safety

* Establish and maintain high standards of food quality, hygiene and kitchen discipline.

* Ensure compliance with FSSAI, HACCP and applicable food safety requirements.

* Implement food safety systems, allergen management, food defence and hygiene protocols.

* Conduct regular kitchen audits and corrective-action reviews.

* Monitor food handling, storage, temperature control, receiving and production practices.

* Ensure readiness for internal, statutory and external audits.

* Build a strong food safety and quality culture across all culinary teams.

The candidate's existing profile specifically demonstrates FSSAI/HACCP implementation, food safety systems and audit leadership.

6. Inventory & Wastage Management

* Establish effective inventory-control systems across kitchens and production units.

* Monitor stock movement, consumption, wastage and variance.

* Drive reduction in food wastage through improved forecasting and production planning.

* Ensure proper FIFO/FEFO practices and storage standards.

* Review kitchen inventory reports and take corrective action on abnormal variances.

7. Multi-Unit Culinary Leadership

* Provide leadership and guidance to Executive Chefs, Sous Chefs, Kitchen Managers and culinary teams.

* Conduct regular operational reviews with culinary heads.

* Establish performance standards and KPIs for culinary teams.

* Identify training and development requirements.

* Build a strong leadership pipeline and develop future culinary leaders.

* Ensure consistent standards across all locations.

8. New Outlet / Project Support

* Lead culinary planning for new outlet openings, expansions and new food concepts.

* Support kitchen layout planning, equipment selection and commissioning.

* Develop kitchen SOPs, menus, recipes and production systems before opening.

* Assist with culinary recruitment, training and operational readiness.

* Conduct pre-opening trials and ensure smooth transition into operations.

His experience includes participation in three hotel pre-openings involving kitchen planning, recruitment, SOPs, equipment commissioning, menu engineering, procurement and operational readiness.

9. Performance Monitoring & Reporting

* Develop and monitor culinary KPIs covering:

* Food Cost %

* Food Wastage

* Recipe Compliance

* Quality Scores

* Audit Scores

* Inventory Variance

* Kitchen Productivity

* Guest Feedback

* Menu Profitability

* Prepare periodic MIS and management reports.

* Identify operational gaps and present corrective action plans to senior management.

Key Deliverables

* Consistent food quality across all locations

* Improved food cost and profitability

* Reduction in food wastage and inventory variance

* Standardised recipes, portions and production processes

* Strong food safety and hygiene compliance

* Improved kitchen productivity

* Effective procurement and vendor controls

* Successful implementation of new menus and culinary concepts

* Development of strong culinary leadership teams

Candidate Profile

* 8+ years of progressive experience in culinary / food & beverage operations.

* Strong experience in multi-unit, hotel, restaurant, catering or large-scale food production operations.

* Proven experience managing senior culinary teams.

* Strong understanding of food costing, menu engineering, procurement and inventory management.

* Strong knowledge of FSSAI, HACCP and food safety standards.

* Experience in audits, quality assurance and compliance.

* Strong commercial understanding with the ability to connect culinary decisions with profitability.

* Excellent leadership, communication and team-management skills.

* Hospitality / Hotel Management / Culinary qualification preferred.

Preferred Certifications

* FOSTAC / Food Safety Certification

* HACCP Certification

* Culinary Management / Hotel Management qualification

Why This Role Matters

The Head – Culinary Operations, Quality & Cost Control will act as the central culinary authority of the organisation, ensuring that growth across multiple locations does not compromise food quality, consistency, safety or profitability.

The position will bridge the gap between Culinary, Operations, Procurement, Finance and Quality, creating a commercially disciplined and standardised culinary function.