Sous Chef

Yellowstone National Park Lodges

Live. Work. Explore. as a part of our Food & Beverage team in Yellowstone National Park!

We operate 47 dining venues, including dining rooms, fast-casual, cafeterias, bars, employee facilities, delis and snack shops. It's high volume, fast-paced and fun! Almost half of the Yellowstone summer staff work for the Food and Beverage Operation! If you are interested in starting or enhancing your food and beverage career, the kitchen is a great place to start.

We’re hiring Sous Chefs to Live. Work. Explore. this summer!

Job Summary:
As a Sous Chef, you would be in a high-pressure position that manages and oversees the food production and sanitation in the kitchen. This role requires knowledge of all back-of-house operations and conducting daily service based on preplanned recipes and pars. Sous Chef positions are available to work in our historic restaurants or quick service outlets. This position requires floor supervision of back-of-house staff in addition to creating an organized environment to meet guest service needs. This position reports directly to the Chef of the operation.

The Details:
Position Type: Seasonal
Season Dates: Early April 2024 - Late October 2024
Pay: $1,750- $1,950/bi-weekly
Schedule: Typical schedule is 45+/- hours, 5 days/per week (may include weekends, evenings, and holidays)

Why Yellowstone National Park?
We are a welcoming community who work hard, share a real passion for the environment, and enjoy crafting memorable experiences for our guests. As part of the Xanterra Travel Collection®, we are the primary authorized concessionaire in Yellowstone, and proud stewards of the park.

Life in Yellowstone:

• Live in our nation’s first National Park! Seasonal management includes dormitory-style housing that includes Wi-Fi (limited bandwidth), laundry, and all utilities.
• All meals provided; including breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• No Wyoming state taxes deducted from your paycheck
• A fast-paced, exciting work environment with plenty of upward mobility and growth opportunities
• Meet people of all ages from all over the country and world!

Benefits and Perks:

• Free Employee Recreation Program (recreation centers, athletics, gear rentals, seminars, van trips, hiking, and more).
• Employee discounts on retail, food & beverage, lodging, and activities in Yellowstone
• Employee discounts at local gateway communities
• Access to maintained campgrounds and back country campsites inside and around the park
• Over 1,000 miles of hiking trails inside the park itself
• Fresh air, breathtaking views, and clear night skies
• World-class wildlife viewing of bison, elk, moose, wolves, bears, and more
• Approximately 500 geysers (the largest concentration in the world) and hot springs, including Grand Prismatic, the third largest in the world

Responsibilities:

• Perform all duties toward the goal of providing excellent guest service in an efficient manner.
• Establish and maintain the overall tone of the BOH operation by communicating expectations to your area supervisors and line employees.
• Establish and maintain open lines of communication with the other members of the Food & Beverage team and with each supervisor within the BOH operation and the hourly employees.
• Establish and maintain an ongoing communication with Food & Beverage support staff.
• Meet and exceed budgetary goals by:
  • Maximizing sales.
  • Control labor costs by immediately reacting to business levels.
  • Control food costs by minimizing waste, controlling and utilizing overproduction, and controlling portion sizes to set specifications.
  • Maintain an adequate par of expendable goods to ensure that your employees have the proper tools to do their jobs.

• Perform a physical count of all food and beverage items at the end of each fiscal period and mid-period if directed. Ensure information is correctly entered and reviewed.
• Maintain and enforce established Xanterra standards of sanitation throughout the BOH operation. Ensure that weekly cleaning schedules are adhered to, as well as SOPs and documents to support those SOPs.
• Ensure that all food handlers know and follow the food specifications for plating any menu items as well as the standardized recipes for producing the same.
• Direct your storekeeper, to ensure that adequate pars of inventory items are maintained, adjusted, and reacted to as business levels change.
• Direct your Employee Dining Room Manager to ensure that production records are completed, adjusted, and reacted to as guest levels change. Minimize menu shortages and overproduction in this area.
• Ensure that menu specifications are posted appropriately in line production areas before major arrival. Commit specifications to memory.
• Ensure that prep sheets and line set-up sheets are posted and used daily. Make sure they are filled out at the end of each shift.
• Be on the floor 100% of the time during a meal service period to observe, monitor, and follow up in all areas of the BOH operation on a daily basis.
• Ensure that BOH schedules are costed and submitted to the F&B Manager for approval prior to posting.
• Ensure that a BOH Manager is present at each service briefing to present the du jour items and features for that meal period and answer any questions from the staff.
• Ensure that all stations are adequately supplied with production needs to serve for any meal period. Ensure the quality as well as the quantity.
• Accept responsibility for your BOH operations to be in complete readiness to open punctually for every meal period and serve every menu item for the length of that period.
• Make sure that no employee goes into a job untrained.
• Make sure that every employee checks out with a manager before they depart a shift.
• Maintain and project a professional attitude regarding your operation. 
• Lead by example.
• React immediately to guest complaints on location and inform the F&B support office of your actions.
• Be prepared to take risks when making decisions. Weigh out all factors, and contact appropriate resources to make an informed decision. Evaluate the outcome and make more decisions that positively affect the operation and the Company.

Qualifications:

• Previous management or supervisory experience.
• Working knowledge of all equipment used in the BOH operation; strong knife skills required.
• Strong administrative skills, including experience in production records, inventories, scheduling, purchasing and receiving.
• Ability to organize and prioritize daily "action lists" that are delegated out to responsible managers with specific timelines.
• Ability to communicate in a positive and efficient manner, the expectations of your managers and hold these individuals accountable for their areas of responsibility.
• Ability to motivate, teach, and direct employees to accomplish the desired goals.
• Must be ServSafe Manager Certified; workshops will be provided to attain this certification.
• Culinary Degree or ACF Chef de Cuisine Certification preferred

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to stand for long periods of time, approximately 8+/- hours.
• Must be able to walk for long periods of time.
• Must be able to lift and carry a minimum of 50 pounds.
• Must be able to bend, stretch, and reach for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to work in differing environments; i.e., cold freezers, hot prep areas, outside areas.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.