Kitchen Director

Chick-fil-A Fort Union | Full-Time

Pay: $18-$25 / hour, based on experience

Closed every Sunday

Run the kitchen like you own it.

The back of house is where the guest experience is either won or lost, and it doesn't run itself. We're looking for the person who owns it.

As Kitchen Director, everything behind the line is yours. The team, the food, the equipment, the product on the shelf, and the standards that hold it all together. You'll lead and develop a kitchen team, set the pace during peak, and build the systems that make the right thing happen whether you're standing there or not.

This is a leadership role, not a cooking job. If a fry drops late, if a case of chicken goes missing, if a new team member still isn't confident on breading in week three, that's yours to fix.

What You'll Own

The Food

Quality, temperature, and hold times are the standard and you protect them without being asked. Product goes out right the first time or it doesn't go out. You taste, you check, you correct on the spot instead of tomorrow.

The Speed

You set the kitchen up to win before the rush, not during it. Stations stocked, prep ahead, people in position early. When the board stacks up you find the bottleneck in seconds and relieve it, and you know the difference between running fast and running frantic.

The Team

You put aces in their places. You build a kitchen bench deep enough that no station depends on one person. You coach in the moment, encouragement and correction both, and you do it with respect. You'll grow team members into trainers and trainers into leaders, and you'll be part of why they stay.

Food Safety

Time and temperature, sanitation, allergen handling, and cleaning standards are non-negotiable. You lead the daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning system and you verify the work. "I did it" is not verification. You're the reason a surprise audit is a normal day.

The Product and the Cost

Deliveries, receiving, inventory, and prep are your chain to manage. You'll set par levels off real sales projections, place accurate orders, count what's on hand, control waste, and know your food cost. Product doesn't get lost, stockouts don't happen, and nobody makes an emergency supply run because a count was skipped.

The Equipment

Preventative maintenance, cleaning procedures, and calibration happen on schedule. You catch small issues before they become a fryer down at 12:15 on a Friday.

What "Owning It" Looks Like Here

• You lead the kitchen huddle before every rush so the team knows exactly what winning looks like

• You inspect what you expect, every time you delegate it

• You train in the slow moments instead of complaining about them

• You bring "2-second improvements" instead of problems without plans

• You're a boss first and a friend second, and the team respects you more for it

• You leave a real end-of-shift note: the wins, the misses, and what the next leader needs to know

• Your numbers move because you moved them, not because the week was busy

Who Thrives in This Role

People who like being counted on. People who'd rather be busy than bored. People who can stay calm and clear when the drive-thru is stacked, the fryer just went down, and two team members called out.

You should be comfortable holding a standard with people you genuinely like. The best Kitchen Directors we've seen are demanding and warm at the same time.

What You Bring

Required

• 18 or older

• Available for a flexible schedule including early mornings, nights, weekends, and holidays

• Able to stand for extended periods, work in a hot kitchen environment, and lift up to 50 lbs

• A track record of showing up on time and following through

• Comfortable with basic numbers: counts, par levels, waste, and food cost

Strongly Preferred

• 2+ years leading a kitchen, a back of house team, or a production team in any industry

• Experience with inventory, ordering, or vendor deliveries

• ServSafe or food handler certification (we'll help you get it if you don't have it)

Also Welcome

If you've led people well somewhere else, manufacturing, warehouse, military, retail, anywhere with real accountability, and you're willing to learn the food side fast, we want to talk to you. We hire for character and coachability first and we train the rest.

What You Get

• Sundays off. Always. No exceptions, no negotiating

• Scholarships up to $25,000 through Chick-fil-A's Remarkable Futures program, plus tuition discounts at 100+ colleges

• Free meals on every shift

• Health insurance

• Paid time off

• 401(k)

• A real leadership pathway. Directors here have room to grow into senior leadership and, for the right person, toward Operator selection. We promote from within and we invest in people who want to keep going

The Practical Details

• Location: Chick-fil-A Fort Union

• Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Saturday, with a mix of opening and closing leadership shifts

• Reports to: Restaurant Director / Operations Leadership

• Leads: Kitchen team members, kitchen shift leaders, and trainers

Your First 90 Days

• Days 1–30: Learn every kitchen position well enough to run it and teach it. Know your team by name and know what each person is good at.

• Days 31–60: Own food safety and the cleaning system end to end. Take over daily counts and prep planning.

• Days 61–90: Own ordering and par levels off real projections. Name your kitchen bench and start building your next two leaders.

Ready?

Apply now. If your application looks like a fit, we'll reach out within a few days to set up a conversation. We move fast for the right people.

About Us

Chick-fil-A started in 1946 with one man, a small diner in Atlanta, and a conviction that a business should be measured by how it treats people. Eighty years later, that's still the point. The food gets the attention. The culture behind the counter is why people stay.

Murray and Fort Union are locally owned and operated, which means we're not a corporate call center. We know our team by name and we hire for character first. For some people this is a first real leadership role. For others it's a career. Both are welcome here, and both get developed.

And we've been closed on Sundays since day one, so every person on our team has a guaranteed day to rest, be with family, and worship if they choose.

Chick-fil-A Murray and Chick-fil-A Fort Union are independently owned and operated franchises and equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.