- Gym Workouts
- Martial Arts
- Team Sports
- Dancing
- Writing and Storytelling
- TTRPGs
- Art and Music
John Powell
Oxford
Summary
As a strong leader with a dedicated "lead from the front" attitude I strive to see the very best in people and mold any team I work with into their best selves. With a history in full service restaurants, high capacity "quick service" restaurants and retail management I am more than comfortable in stressful situations and enjoy problem solving. While I am looking for new work experience outside of the Food Service Industry I believe many of the skills I've acquired over the years transfer beautifully across many industries.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Retail Sous-Chef
Chartwells Higher Dining Services
08.2025 - 09.2025
- Prevented cross-contamination from utensils, surfaces, and pans when cooking and plating meals for food allergy sufferers.
- Planned and directed high-volume food preparation in fast-paced environment.
- Trained kitchen staff to perform various preparation tasks under pressure.
- Worked closely with front-of-house staff to facilitate excellent customer service.
- Oversaw scheduling, inventory management, and supply ordering to maintain fully stocked kitchen.
- Coordinated with team members to prepare orders on time.
- Traveled between multiple store locations to ensure that food quality and safety procedures are being followed accurately.
- Managed multiple teams of cooks and FOH between multiple restaurants.
- Worked closely with High Management to coordinated events in locations I worked with.
- Worked with the MenuWorks system to design recipes and menus for multiple locations.
- Trained and managed kitchen personnel and supervised related culinary activity.
- Monitored food production to verify quality and consistency.
Retail Coordinator
Chartwells Higher Dining Services
04.2025 - 08.2025
- Set and updated weekly work schedules to meet coverage demands by considering factors like expected customer levels, planned promotions and individual employee strengths.
- Kept close eye on department employees and customers to assess theft risks and maintain loss prevention goals.
- Examined incoming inventory, merchandised shelves and prevented shrinkage.
- Promoted business' development by building and maintaining relationships with new clients.
- Researched issues to obtain appropriate answers to customer inquiries.
- Maintained clean, adequately stocked, and organized store by streamlining daily operations and introducing new procedures.
- Walked through department multiple times each shift to evaluate and correct issues such as cleaning and stock replenishment needs.
- Decreased inventory shrinkage, drive-off and daily cash discrepancies by closely monitoring daily operations.
- Volunteered for extra shifts during holidays and other busy periods to alleviate staffing shortages.
- Implemented daily operating procedures to keep store clean, adequately stocked, and well-organized.
- Educated staff on strategies for handling difficult customers and challenging situations.
- Reduced expenses by renegotiating vendor contracts to eliminate waste and boost cost savings
- Managed 20+ associates over multiple shifts ranging from 6am to 10 pm.
- Built schedules and managed labor cost in a manner that saw the business making money over an extended period of time.
Supervisor
Chartwells Higher Dining Services
11.2024 - 04.2025
- Applied strong leadership talents and problem-solving skills to maintain team efficiency and organize workflows.
- Conducted regular reviews of operations and identified areas for improvement.
- Developed effective improvement plans in alignment with goals and specifications.
- Provided reporting for forecast analysis and ad-hoc reporting in support of decision-making.
- Frequently inspected production area to verify proper equipment operation.
- Maintained overall safe work environment with employee training programs and enforcement of safety procedures.
- Created and managed project plans, timelines and budgets.
- Managed the schedules of 15-20 workers across multiple shifts.
- Accurately counted thousands of dollars worth of inventory.
Line Cook
Pivot
08.2024 - 11.2024
- Followed restaurant stock management schedule to monitor product freshness and rotate out old products.
- Maintained well-stocked stations with supplies and spices for maximum productivity.
- Grilled meats and seafood to customer specifications.
- Prepared food items such as meats, poultry, and fish for frying purposes.
- Prepared multiple orders simultaneously during peak periods with high accuracy rate, maximizing customer satisfaction, and repeat business.
- Instructed new staff in proper food preparation, storage, use of kitchen equipment and sanitation.
- Wrapped up and stored unused food in appropriate containers and placed in refrigerator to avoid spoilage.
- Operated varied kitchen equipment, observing operation guidelines to avoid accidents and prevent malfunctions.
Line Cook/Kitchen Manager
Athenian Grill
08.2023 - 03.2024
- Implemented effective waste reduction strategies, minimizing food costs and supporting sustainable practices.
- Assisted with inventory by tracking supplies and accurately ordering things when needed.
- Kept track of employee schedules and assisted with employee conflicts such as time off requests.
- Aided in the design of new items and seasonings for the existing menus.
- Worked all positions for multiple restaurants under the Athenian Grill "umbrella"; Pulleys, Red Zone, Maple-street, and Bell Tower.
- specifically managed both Pulleys and Red Zone at the same time along with another manager in each location.
Fresh Food Associate & Seasonal Labor
Walmart
05.2021 - 07.2023
- Assisted customers with their inquiries, offering personalized recommendations for optimal service experience.
- Efficiently restocked produce section during busy hours, minimizing disruptions to customer shopping experiences.
- Conducted regular inventory checks, identifying discrepancies and replenishing stock as needed.
- Categorized items properly on shelves to facilitate easy navigation for customers while shopping.
- Working in the lawn and garden section I built many displays, such as Grills, Lawn Furniture, and bicycles.
- Regularly loaded 100's of pounds worth of gardening equipment such as mulch and or lawn mowers.
Line Cook
Jonesy's
09.2019 - 04.2021
- Prepared identical dishes numerous times daily with consistent care, attention to detail and quality.
- Prepared items like bacon ahead of time to promote efficiency in dish garnishing
- Prepared food items to meet recipes, portioning, cooking and waste control guidelines.
- Checked each food item for freshness and provided feedback to kitchen supervisor for removal.
- Fried, grilled and baked foods such as chicken, steak and fish.
- Grilled meats and seafood to customer specifications.
- Followed restaurant stock management schedule to monitor product freshness and rotate out old products.
- Received food orders from cashiers and cooked items quickly to complete entire order together and serve hot.
Education
High School Diploma -
Connersville Sr High School
05.2021
Culinary Arts - Culinary Arts
White Water Career Center
05.2020
Skills
- Food rotation
- Recipe Creation
- Food Presentation
- Institutional and Batch Cooking
- Sanitization
- Food safety
- Kitchen and Retail Management
- Labor manipulation
- Microsoft Office expertise
- Employee Training
- Event planning
- Disciplinary actions and coaching
- Inventory management
Accomplishments
- While managing the restaurant Pulley Diner as a Retail Co-ord for Chartwells Higher Education I was able to create a positive labor projection that was sustained for multiple weeks with no loss of productivity or morale from staff.
- During my management of Pulley Diner I retrained a large portion of the staff and received many accolades over my quick prep times.
- I created an environment in Pulley Diner that encouraged camaraderie and team work, resulting a healthy work environment that people genuinely enjoyed.
- I was promote to Retail Sous-Chef in less than 1 year. A position that was explicitly created for me and with my talents in mind. During that time I served as the youngest member of the higher retail management team.
- Used Microsoft Excel to develop inventory tracking spreadsheets.
Certification
- ServSafe - Kitchen Management and Food Handler.
Interests
Timeline
Retail Sous-Chef
Chartwells Higher Dining Services
08.2025 - 09.2025
Retail Coordinator
Chartwells Higher Dining Services
04.2025 - 08.2025
Supervisor
Chartwells Higher Dining Services
11.2024 - 04.2025
Line Cook
Pivot
08.2024 - 11.2024
Line Cook/Kitchen Manager
Athenian Grill
08.2023 - 03.2024
Fresh Food Associate & Seasonal Labor
Walmart
05.2021 - 07.2023
Line Cook
Jonesy's
09.2019 - 04.2021
Culinary Arts - Culinary Arts
White Water Career Center
High School Diploma -
Connersville Sr High School