Executive Chef

Big Fish

$80K — $96K *
Food & Beverages
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years in a senior kitchen leadership role (Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or strong Sous Chef)
  • Expertise in seafood sourcing, breakdown, and cookery techniques
  • Proven ability in menu development balancing quality and cost
  • Track record managing high-volume kitchens ($4M+ annual food revenue)
  • Experience in hiring and training BOH staff in a competitive labor market
  • Strong financial management skills regarding food and labor costs
  • Calm leadership style in a high-pressure environment
  • Pre-opening experience is a plus
  • ServSafe Manager certification is required
  • Ability to adapt to a venue's late-night and weekend service rhythm

Responsibilities

  • Develop and design a seafood-forward menu that appeals to a broad audience
  • Build relationships with local fishmongers and regional suppliers for sourcing ingredients
  • Create recipes, establish plating standards, and ensure consistent food quality
  • Recruit, train, and manage the kitchen team including sous chefs and line cooks
  • Provide input on kitchen layout and equipment during construction
  • Manage food costs, inventory, and labor controls to minimize waste
  • Ensure compliance with health codes and food safety standards
  • Lead daily operations including line management and prep planning
  • Refresh the menu seasonally based on fisheries and local events

Benefits

  • Opportunity to create and shape the kitchen from the ground up
  • Supportive ownership invested in quality food service
  • Competitive salary with a performance-related bonus
  • Health insurance contribution and paid time off
  • Long-term career growth potential as the restaurant concept evolves
Full Job Description
Executive Chef - Big Fish

Location: 1321 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 (Broadway at the Beach)
Employment Type: Full-time, salaried, exempt
Compensation: $80,000+ / year + performance bonus

This is a pre-opening role - you'll help build the kitchen, the menu, and the BOH team from scratch.
The Role

The Executive Chef owns everything that comes out of our kitchen - menu development, food quality, kitchen operations, BOH team, and food cost. You'll work alongside ownership and the General Manager to build a kitchen that punches above its weight: approachable seafood and American food that's better than anything else in the entertainment district.
What You'll Own
  • Menu development - seafood-forward, broadly appealing, scalable to high volume
  • Sourcing - building relationships with local fishmongers, regional purveyors, and produce vendors
  • Recipe development, plating standards, and quality consistency every shift
  • Recruiting, hiring, training, and developing the entire BOH team - sous chefs, line cooks, prep, dishwashers
  • Kitchen layout input and equipment specification during build-out
  • Food cost management, inventory, ordering, waste reduction, and BOH labor controls
  • Health code compliance, food safety, allergen protocols, and HACCP where applicable
  • Daily kitchen leadership - expediting, line management, prep planning
  • Seasonal menu refreshes and specials programming aligned to fishery seasons and Myrtle Beach calendar
What We're Looking For
  • 5+ years as an Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or strong Sous Chef ready to step up, in a high-volume full-service kitchen
  • Deep seafood expertise - sourcing, breakdown, cookery techniques, and respect for the product
  • Proven menu development that balances quality and food cost
  • Track record running a kitchen at $4M+ annual food revenue
  • Experience hiring, training, and retaining BOH talent in a tight labor market
  • Strong financial instincts - food cost, labor cost, waste, and yield
  • Calm, organized leadership style on a busy line
  • Pre-opening experience a major plus
  • ServSafe Manager certification required
  • Comfort with the rhythm of a venue that runs late nights, weekends, and the Myrtle Beach summer
Why Big Fish
  • A blank canvas - you'll design the menu, build the team, and shape the kitchen
  • Ownership that takes food seriously and will invest in doing it right
  • Competitive base salary plus performance bonus tied to food cost, quality, and revenue
  • Health insurance contribution, paid time off, and dining benefits
  • Long-term career home as the concept grows


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