Samuel Watson
El Reno,OK
Summary
A seasoned Kitchen Manager with a proven track record at Pour Choices Bar & Grill, I excel in multitasking and fostering team collaboration. Leveraging skills in inventory management and staff training, I've significantly enhanced kitchen efficiency and reduced waste, achieving notable improvements in food safety compliance and customer satisfaction.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Kitchen Manager
Pour Choices Bar & Grill
08.2024 - 10.2024
- Maintained a clean and safe work environment, adhering to all health department regulations and guidelines.
- Scheduled and received food and beverage deliveries, adhering to food cost and budget.
- Checked and tested foods to verify quality and temperature.
- Mentored and trained new team members, fostering a positive culture of teamwork and collaboration within the kitchen staff.
- Conducted daily checks of refrigerators and freezers to verify proper food storage, container labeling, and surface cleaning.
- Reduced food waste by closely monitoring inventory levels and implementing proper food storage techniques.
Maintenance Technician
BSR Trust LLC.
02.2022 - 08.2024
- Operated varied hand and power tools to complete repairs.
- Used problem-solving skills to alleviate issues efficiently with minimal supervision.
- Troubleshot equipment breakdowns and performed preventive maintenance.
- Followed work orders and specifications for machine and equipment replacement, repair, or maintenance.
General Manager
Caseys General Stores Inc
04.2019 - 02.2022
- Managed budget implementations, employee reviews, training, schedules, and contract negotiations.
- Managed a diverse team of professionals, fostering a positive work environment and high employee satisfaction.
- Developed and implemented strategies to increase sales and profitability.
- Cultivated strong relationships with clients, vendors, and partners to ensure long-term success and loyalty.
- Monitored financial performance, set budgets and controlled expenses to provide financial stability and long-term organizational growth.
- Managed budget development, forecasting, and financial reporting processes to track progress towards organizational objectives accurately.
- Maximized efficiency by coaching and mentoring personnel on management principles, industry practices, company procedures, and technology systems.
- Drove year-over-year business growth while leading operations, strategic vision, and long-range planning.
Kitchen Manager
Brickhouse Pub & Grill
08.2017 - 04.2019
- Maintained a clean and safe work environment, adhering to all health department regulations and guidelines.
- Scheduled and received food and beverage deliveries, adhering to food cost and budget.
- Checked and tested foods to verify quality and temperature.
- Mentored and trained new team members, fostering a positive culture of teamwork and collaboration within the kitchen staff.
- Conducted daily checks of refrigerators and freezers to verify proper food storage, container labeling, and surface cleaning.
- Reduced food waste by closely monitoring inventory levels and implementing proper food storage techniques.
- Collaborated with front-of-house staff to ensure seamless communication between the kitchen team and service areas for optimal guest experiences.
- Delivered in-depth training to workers in food preparation and customer-facing roles to promote strong team performance.
- Consistently met or exceeded local health department inspection requirements through diligent adherence to safety protocols and maintaining thorough documentation records.
- Improved kitchen efficiency by implementing streamlined processes and optimizing staff scheduling.
- Delegated food preparation duties down to cooks and followed up with cooks to verify proper preparation and production of meals.
- Developed and implemented kitchen policies and procedures to establish clear guidelines for kitchen operations and comply with regulations.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction with attentiveness to dietary restrictions and allergen concerns in menu offerings.
Kitchen Manager
The Page Bistro
08.2016 - 08.2017
- Maintained a clean and safe work environment, adhering to all health department regulations and guidelines.
- Scheduled and received food and beverage deliveries, adhering to food cost and budget.
- Checked and tested foods to verify quality and temperature.
- Mentored and trained new team members, fostering a positive culture of teamwork and collaboration within the kitchen staff.
- Conducted daily checks of refrigerators and freezers to verify proper food storage, container labeling, and surface cleaning.
- Reduced food waste by closely monitoring inventory levels and implementing proper food storage techniques.
- Collaborated with front-of-house staff to ensure seamless communication between the kitchen team and service areas for optimal guest experiences.
- Delivered in-depth training to workers in food preparation and customer-facing roles to promote strong team performance.
- Consistently met or exceeded local health department inspection requirements through diligent adherence to safety protocols and maintaining thorough documentation records.
- Improved kitchen efficiency by implementing streamlined processes and optimizing staff scheduling.
- Delegated food preparation duties down to cooks and followed up with cooks to verify proper preparation and production of meals.
- Developed and implemented kitchen policies and procedures to establish clear guidelines for kitchen operations and comply with regulations.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction with attentiveness to dietary restrictions and allergen concerns in menu offerings.
- Achieved rapid ticket times during peak service hours by effectively managing workflow distribution across various stations.
- Implemented and maintained food safety and sanitation standards to establish safe handling and preparation of food.
- Developed kitchen staff through training, disciplinary action, and performance reviews.
- Contributed to a positive workplace culture by actively engaging with staff members, promoting open communication channels, and demonstrating support for ongoing professional development opportunities.
- Reviewed and analyzed kitchen performance to verify gaps and observe continuous improvement.
- Increased overall profitability with effective budget management, including cost control strategies for purchasing and labor expenses.
- Designed and maintained menus to offer variety of high quality and consistency of dishes.
- Developed and maintained professional relationships with suppliers to acquire high-quality ingredients and products with reasonable prices.
- Created and deployed successful strategies to boost restaurant performance, streamline food prep processes and reduce waste.
- Calculated prices of ingredients to monitor food costs and control expenses.
- Fostered a collaborative working environment among diverse teams of chefs, line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, and other support staff.
- Developed strong vendor relationships for consistent delivery of high-quality ingredients at competitive prices.
- Facilitated special event catering coordination, ensuring timely preparation of high-quality dishes while adhering to client specifications.
- Developed creative daily specials using seasonal ingredients, incorporating fresh flavors into the menu rotation while minimizing costs associated with excess inventory stockpiling.
General Manager
Loves Country Store
07.2014 - 08.2016
- Managed budget implementations, employee reviews, training, schedules, and contract negotiations.
- Managed a diverse team of professionals, fostering a positive work environment and high employee satisfaction.
- Developed and implemented strategies to increase sales and profitability.
- Cultivated strong relationships with clients, vendors, and partners to ensure long-term success and loyalty.
- Monitored financial performance, set budgets and controlled expenses to provide financial stability and long-term organizational growth.
- Managed budget development, forecasting, and financial reporting processes to track progress towards organizational objectives accurately.
- Maximized efficiency by coaching and mentoring personnel on management principles, industry practices, company procedures, and technology systems.
- Drove year-over-year business growth while leading operations, strategic vision, and long-range planning.
- Formulated policies and procedures to streamline operations.
- Implemented operational strategies and effectively built customer and employee loyalty.
- Implemented effective cost-saving measures to reduce overhead expenses without compromising quality or service.
- Managed budget implementations, employee evaluations, and contract details.
- Increased overall company efficiency by streamlining operations and implementing innovative managerial strategies.
- Established comprehensive employee training programs to develop skills, improve productivity, and maintain compliance with industry regulations.
- Directed comprehensive sales efforts to exceed revenue targets consistently while maintaining customer satisfaction levels.
- Maximized operational excellence mentoring personnel on management principles, industry practices, and company procedures.
- Developed and executed strategic plans for business growth and expansion, resulting in increased market share.
- Implemented robust inventory management systems to optimize stock levels and minimize waste/costs associated with excess product storage.
- Championed continuous improvement initiatives that enhanced operational performance across all departments.
Assistant Manager
Panera Bread
04.2001 - 07.2014
- Supervised day-to-day operations to meet performance, quality and service expectations.
- Maintained a clean, safe, and organized store environment to enhance the customer experience.
- Developed strong working relationships with staff, fostering a positive work environment.
- Monitored cash intake and deposit records, increasing accuracy, and reducing discrepancies.
- Oversaw daily cash reconciliations, ensuring accurate financial reporting and minimizing discrepancies.
- Improved customer satisfaction by addressing and resolving complaints promptly.
- Offered hands-on assistance to customers, assessing needs, and maintaining current knowledge of consumer preferences.
- Completed regular inventory counts to verify stock levels, address discrepancies, and forecast future needs.
- Managed inventory levels to minimize stockouts while reducing overhead costs.
- Mentored junior staff members in their professional development by offering guidance/support in their assigned roles.
Education
N/A - Graphic And Digital Design
University of Central Oklahoma
Edmond, OKSkills
- Multitasking and organization
- Customer service
- Food safety
- Inventory management
- Food preparation
- Staff supervision
- Staff training and development
- Kitchen management
- Inventory control
- Attention to detail
- Waste reduction
- Problem-solving
- Safe food handling
- Kitchen equipment operation and maintenance
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Ordering supplies
- Staff management
- Vendor relations
- Operations management
- Team collaboration and leadership
- Sanitation standards
- Health code compliance
- Food production management
- Recipes and menu planning
- Product rotation
- Supply ordering
- Food and beverage management
- Order accuracy
- Kitchen equipment maintenance
- Inventory coordination
- Food safety compliance
- Goal setting
- Menu development
- Order delivery practices
- Employee scheduling
- Food plating and presentation
- Productivity improvement
- High volume dining
- Kitchen staff coordination
- Staff coaching
- ServSafe certification
- Cost control
- Health inspections
- Flexible schedule
- Shift scheduling
- Expediting orders
- Policy and procedure enforcement
- Sanitation
- Portion control
- Motivational style
- Conflict resolution
- Scheduling
- Purchasing
- Recipe creation
- Quality assurance
- Cost controls
- Verbal and written communication
- Vendor relationship management
- Performance monitoring
- BOH operations
- Scheduling coordination
- Equipment maintenance
- Resource allocation
Accomplishments
Maintained the best service times and customer satisfaction ratings at every Panera Bread I worked at. Received several company commendations for excellence in service through the years with Panera Bread.
Timeline
Kitchen Manager
Pour Choices Bar & Grill
08.2024 - 10.2024
Maintenance Technician
BSR Trust LLC.
02.2022 - 08.2024
General Manager
Caseys General Stores Inc
04.2019 - 02.2022
Kitchen Manager
Brickhouse Pub & Grill
08.2017 - 04.2019
Kitchen Manager
The Page Bistro
08.2016 - 08.2017
General Manager
Loves Country Store
07.2014 - 08.2016
Assistant Manager
Panera Bread
04.2001 - 07.2014
N/A - Graphic And Digital Design
University of Central Oklahoma
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