Job Description

Executive Chef | The Mooring, Newport, RI

$105,000 – $120,000 / year | Performance bonus up to 20% | $500 quarterly dining allowance

Running a kitchen is one thing. Running a kitchen where you are also an owner, where every great dish, every tight labor cost, and every cook you develop directly grows your own stake in the company, is something else entirely.

We are partnering with a well-established, employee-owned restaurant group in Newport, RI to place an Executive Chef for The Mooring who does not just want to lead a kitchen. They want to own it.

This is a confidential search. All inquiries are handled with discretion.

The Operation

Before we go any further, it is critical to understand the scope and intensity of this role. The Mooring is a high-volume, single-venue, full-service operation, and the right candidate must have direct experience operating at this scale:

Approximately $16 million in annual revenue
High seasonality (May–September): roughly $500K in weekly sales
Approximately 1,200 covers per day at peak
A back-of-house team of 50+ employees

This is a high-intensity environment. If you have thrived in operations of this size, you will feel right at home.

What You'll Own

This is a full-ownership role covering the food, the people, and the numbers.

Set and execute the culinary vision consistently across every service
Engineer a menu built around seasonality, scratch cooking, and cost-conscious creativity that keeps guests coming back
Own your numbers: labor cost, food cost, and budget performance
Hire, develop, and retain a kitchen team worth staying on
Hold high standards fairly, clearly, and consistently
Keep kitchen operations efficient, safe, and sanitary at all times

What's In It For You

Compensation & Benefits

$105,000 – $120,000 annually
Performance bonus up to 20%
$500 quarterly dining allowance
Paid sick, holiday, and vacation time
Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care options
Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)

Financial & Ownership

100% company-paid LTD, Life & AD&D Insurance
Generous 401(k) company match
Employee ownership opportunities. Your work builds real equity.

Perks

Dining card program
35% discount across group locations (food and beverage)
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Wholesaler Club reimbursement
Tenure recognition program
Referral bonus program
Telemedicine access

Relocation assistance and a sign-on bonus are available for qualified out-of-area candidates.

Who You Are

You take pride in what leaves your kitchen. And you understand that a strong team is as important as a strong menu.

You bring:

A genuine passion for food and the guest experience, visible in every plate
A leadership style that builds an equitable, respectful kitchen culture
Composure and strategic thinking when service gets chaotic
Sharp financial instincts. You know your food cost and you manage to it.
Clear communication across all levels, from line cooks to front-of-house leadership
Flexibility to work days, nights, weekends, and holidays. This is hospitality.

What You Bring on Paper

3–5+ years of Executive Chef experience in a high-volume establishment
A proven track record of scratch cuisine, with high-volume seafood experience a strong advantage
Culinary Arts degree preferred, though exceptional experience carries equal weight
Demonstrated success with cost controls and kitchen financials

Candidate Requirements

To be considered, candidates must meet all of the following:

Demonstrated high-volume, full-service restaurant experience of no less than $10M in revenue
A strong seafood and coastal cuisine background (need not be the most recent role, but must be substantial)
Menu development and ownership experience. You must have developed and driven your own culinary vision, not solely executed someone else's.
Direct leadership of a large BOH team. This unit requires strong people leadership.
Stable tenure. Repetitive short stints must come with well-documented reasons.
Independent or chef-driven concept background strongly preferred

We are unable to consider candidates whose most recent or primary experience is in:

Hotel, country club, or resort food & beverage (an exception applies when a singular high-end restaurant is connected)
Catering or banquet operations
Corporate or contract dining

Geography

We have expanded this search nationally. While our New England candidate pool has been largely reviewed, we welcome qualified candidates from outside the region. Relocation assistance is available for the right person.

This is a confidential search. All inquiries are handled with discretion, and qualified candidates will receive full concept details upon our initial conversation.

Gecko Hospitality (Brian Blum)

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