Work and Live at Georgia's Only Backcountry Inn on the doorstep of the Appalachian Trail!

‘The Inn’

Len Foote Hike Inn is a LEED certified Georgia State Park facility nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains of Chattahoochee National Forest, located 5-miles by trail north of Amicalola Falls State Park and 4.4-miles from Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. 

Len Foote Hike Inn, a unique backcountry lodge in Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia, is focused on providing guests with a high quality experience. We are seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Kitchen Manager to join our small team.

The Hike Inn makes it easy for people to enjoy the peace and beauty of the outdoors in a natural, backpacking-inspired setting. We offer overnight guests home cooked, southern-influenced meals, served family-style. Sustainability is important to our operations and is part of our mission. We emphasize zero food waste with guests and plan meals to generate as little waste as possible and compost all food scraps. As a nonprofit, we seek to inspire a love of the outdoors in everyone who visits, and uphold our mission of “Protecting Georgia’s natural resources through education and recreation.”

From experienced Appalachian Trail “thru-hikers” to the novice first timer - whether families, couples, or individuals - our guests enjoy a unique getaway stay at the Hike Inn. Open year round, the Hike Inn offers distinctive guest experiences in a beautiful backcountry wilderness setting. All guests hike in on a rolling five-mile trail traversing forested ridges and clear mountain streams of Amicalola Falls State Park and Chattahoochee National Forest. After a few hours in nature, hikers are welcomed with a friendly smile and provided comfortable lodging in an enchanting environment. Simple bunk rooms with fresh linens, hot showers, delicious home-cooked meals, a fun community atmosphere, and engaging educational programs provide satisfying touches of comfort and inspiration. The Hike Inn is well-known for providing exceptional guest services and welcoming hospitality.

Guests are offered a relaxing atmosphere and an interesting facility tour focusing on the history and sustainability initiatives of the inn before being served a hearty dinner. After dinner evening programs offer a deeper exploration into various subjects from thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail to the flora, fauna and history of the region. The community room is a guest favorite, providing a fun place to play board games, do jigsaw puzzles, play music and connect with others. During clear weather, star gazing in the night sky and watching the sunrise over the mountains offer beautiful moments of quiet reflection. A nourishing, hot breakfast sets up our guests for another great day outside on the trail. Changes in weather and seasons offer adventure, diversity and beauty.

Serving as a beloved wilderness retreat and learning resource center for 28 years, a visit to the Hike Inn inspires a love for hiking, nature and environmental stewardship. It is a special opportunity for guests to slow down, unplug, connect with nature, family and friends, learn something new, and refresh their spirits.  We take great pride in providing this exceptional experience.

Kitchen Manager Position Summary:

The Hike Inn is accepting applications for a Kitchen Manager for a year round, full time permanent position. As the Hike Inn is in a remote location, the position of Kitchen Manager requires the employee to ‘Live on Site’. A comfortable private room in shared housing and meals are provided. We are seeking an outstanding professional with well-balanced kitchen, management, and customer service experience capable of expertly leading our small kitchen team.

The Kitchen Manager is responsible for the daily operations of the kitchen and provides professional leadership to kitchen personnel. The Kitchen Manager ensures that all recipes, preparations, and presentations meet Hike Inn specifications and commitment to quality and meal operations run smoothly. The Kitchen Manager is also responsible for managing food purchasing, inventory, and for maintaining a safe, orderly kitchen demonstrating this by example, while using proper food handling techniques. The Kitchen Manager must make sure the kitchen area meets health and safety requirements as mandated by law.

The Hike Inn has a long standing tradition of serving delicious, hearty dinners and breakfasts family-style for guests. The Kitchen Managers is responsible for preparation and serving meals and the cleaning of the kitchen including dishwashing. Dinner is served at 6 PM, breakfast at 8 AM. Guest trail lunches are prepared in the morning; hot lunches are prepared for Hike Inn staff only at noon. The kitchen is open to the dining hall and staff need to be hospitality orientated, feeling comfortable conversing with and assisting guests. We also have a great Friends of the Hike Inn volunteer program that assist the kitchen staff every night. Some Friends are first time volunteers and need direction from the staff, and others have been volunteering regularly for years and are genuine friends. They bring wonderful energy and conversations to our daily routine.

Shifts are based on 40 hours work weeks. Usually the kitchen manager will be scheduled with a five consecutive day work week, with two consecutive days off per week. Cook shifts are part of the duties. The shifts are eight consecutive hours 6:00AM-2:30PM or 11:00AM-7:30PM. A manager shift handles the Sysco delivery, food and supplies ordering, and helping in the kitchen. At times, depending on the needs of the operation, the manager will need to work split shifts of working both breakfast and dinner meals. Cooks are responsible for kitchen clean up and washing dishes.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage daily kitchen operations that adheres to all health codes, food safety regulations and sanitation standards when preparing and storing food as well as maintaining a clean and orderly kitchen.

• Prepare meals and manage a kitchen that provides a variety of high quality main dishes, sides and desserts for up to 45 guests.

• Ensure meals are prepared consistently and meet Hike Inn standards for portioning and presentation.

• Plan for menu rotations and prepare vegetarian/vegan meals as needed.

• Check guest incoming sheets daily for food allergies and special meal requests.

• Follow food waste reduction goals and ‘clean plate’ education program.

• Serve the guests of the Hike Inn with excellence and enthusiasm.

• Maintain adequate inventory, stock rotation and place regular orders for food and supplies from Sysco and local vendors.

• Pick up the Sysco delivery and put food and supplies away.

• Oversee the training and management of kitchen personnel in meal preparation and cleaning schedule.

• Train and work with the Friends of the Hike Inn volunteers to serve meals and help with kitchen clean-up.

• Conduct inspiring leadership that motivates the kitchen team, delegates tasks effectively, and resolves conflict while fostering a collaborative work environment.

• Present and conduct behavior in a professional manner by being well groomed, well mannered, with a courteous, positive and helpful attitude at all times.

• Maintain high standards of cleanliness with excellent health scores.

• Ensure best practices across all levels are achieved.

• Have current or attain ServSafe Food Safety certification.

• Actively participate in recycling and composting programs.

• Perform additional functions that may be assigned at the discretion of the general manager or executive director.

Job Requirements/Qualifications

• Professional culinary, management and food ordering experience.

• Minimum of two years of practical hands-on experience in a restaurant or hotel kitchen, remote lodges preferred.

• Culinary degree is a plus.

• Food safety certification or willingness to acquire.

• Accountability, professionalism, organization, and a strong work ethic.

• Friendly and hospitality oriented.

• Experience living in an isolated setting with shared housing and community living is a plus.

Compensation:  Starting wages at $17-$18/hour based on experience plus an equal share of the tip pool, which average an additional $3/hour.

Benefits:

A comfortable private room in shared housing is provided for one individual. All utilities including wifi are included. Meals and shared staff kitchen are provided. Free on-site laundry facility. Enrollment in a telemedicine insurance plan. Paid vacation after one year.  We are unable to accommodate pets and dependents/non-employees.