Culinary Area Manager
About The Position
At Michigan's Adventure, we create fun-filled memories that last a lifetime. From immersive attractions to memorable dining experiences, our park brings together excitement, connection, and tradition for families and guests. The Culinary Area Manager oversees all front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) operations for catering and associate dining across the park. This key operations leader is responsible for delivering exceptional culinary experiences in a high-volume environment, including company picnics, school group picnics, and daily associate dining operations. This role leads, develops, and inspires FOH and BOH teams while driving operational excellence, food quality, and guest satisfaction. The Culinary Area Manager partners closely with Marketing, Events & Execution, and Group Sales teams to plan and execute successful events and dining programs that exceed guest expectations. The position also ensures strong financial performance, food safety compliance, and a positive, high-performing team culture. In addition to the Catering and Associate Dining operations, the Culinary Area Manager also works in a support capacity for all of the amusement and water park's Food & Beverage operations through a Manager on Duty (MOD) Program, menu planning, and safety & sanitation capacity.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or related field and/or extensive experience in high-volume food service, catering, or multi-unit restaurant operations.
- Proven leadership experience managing both FOH and BOH teams.
- Strong financial acumen with experience managing labor, food cost, and operating budgets.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume, and seasonal environment with a flexible and demanding schedule.
Nice To Haves
- Demonstrated ability to execute large-scale catering operations and events is preferred.
- ServSafe or equivalent food safety certification preferred.
Responsibilities
- Keeps Food & Beverage Manager informed of all major developments within culinary, catering, and associate dining operations.
- Owns Guest Experience across all touchpoints, from event planning through culinary, execution, and service.
- Leads all FOH and BOH teams for catering and associate dining operations, ensuring alignment, accountability, and consistent delivery of high-quality food and service standards.
- Oversees catering operations for high-volume events including company picnics, school group outings, and special park events.
- Partners with Marketing, Events & Execution, and Group Sales teams to develop, plan, and execute group dining experiences that drive attendance and guest satisfaction.
- Leads menu development for catering and associate dining, ensuring variety, quality, innovation, and operational efficiency.
- Manages labor, cost of goods, and operating expenses to meet financial targets while maintaining quality standards.
- Ensures all food safety, sanitation, and health regulations are consistently met or exceeded.
- Creates and maintains an efficient, safe, and positive work environment that promotes teamwork, accountability, and associate engagement.
- Ensures staffing levels are appropriate-recruits, hires, trains, schedules, and evaluates assigned staff.
- Initiates corrective and continuous improvement actions to enhance operational performance and guest satisfaction.
- Prepares operating budgets and forecasts and ensures adherence.
- Maintains appropriate channels of communication with leadership, staff, and park guests.
- Prepares and implements Standard Operating Procedures to ensure alignment between Food & Beverage teams and other departments.
- Ensures compliance with all governmental, corporate, and divisional policies and procedures.
- Partners with other division leaders in Human Resources, Finance, Operations, and Maintenance to elevate culinary offerings and the overall guest and associate experience.
- Performs other duties as may be assigned by the Food & Beverage Manager
- Drives a relentless focus on delivering high-quality culinary experiences that delight guests and create lasting memories.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
