Kitchen Manager – Deli Nerds
Costa Mesa, CA
Full-Time | 30–40 hours/week | $30–$35/hour (negotiable based on experience)
Overview
Join Deli Nerds as our Kitchen Manager and become a key player in one of Costa Mesa’s fastest-growing modern delis! We’re a fun, high-energy team obsessed with great food, operational excellence, and creating an awesome work environment. If you love optimizing kitchen flow, slashing ticket times, and building efficient systems while leading a tight-knit crew, this is your opportunity to grow with us.
We’re not your average deli — we’re modern, ambitious, and scaling fast. As Kitchen Manager, you’ll own Back of House operations and help take our kitchen to the next level. You’ll work directly with ownership to drive efficiency, maintain top-tier food quality, and help shape the future of Deli Nerds.
Spanish speaking is highly preferred.
Responsibilities

Lead and optimize all BOH operations — focus on reducing ticket times, improving kitchen flow, and implementing smarter processes
Manage daily kitchen production, prep, and execution while maintaining consistent quality and presentation
Oversee BOH scheduling, staffing, and labor efficiency to hit both service and cost goals
Handle inventory, ordering, and waste control using Market Man
Train, coach, and develop kitchen staff to create a high-performing, positive team culture
Ensure impeccable food safety, cleanliness, and compliance at all times
Work closely with the team using Square, Airtable, Google Suite, and Slack to keep everything running smoothly
Collaborate on menu execution, special projects, and operational improvements

Skills & Requirements

Proven experience as a Kitchen Manager or Sous Chef in a high-volume deli, fast-casual, or similar environment
Strong passion for operational optimization and making kitchens run faster and better
Experience with inventory systems (Market Man preferred), POS (Square a big plus), and Google Suite/Slack
Excellent leadership and people skills — you know how to motivate and develop a team
Spanish speaking is a strong plus
Organized, solutions-oriented, and comfortable in a fast-paced, growing environment
A genuine food nerd who cares about quality and efficiency

Why Join Deli Nerds?

Competitive pay with room for growth as we expand
Plenty of opportunities to advance within the company
Fun, supportive, and drama-free team culture
Creative input on operations and processes
Real ownership over results — your ideas will actually be implemented

If you’re a motivated kitchen leader who thrives on making things better, faster, and more efficient — and you want to grow with a rising local brand — we want to hear from you.
Ready to level up your career at Deli Nerds?
We’re interviewing now — don’t wait!

Deli Nerds

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