Culinary Manager

About Hojokban:

Hojokban is a Korean restaurant built on the spirit of sharing, bringing people together over meals that are sincere and flavorful. Founded in Seoul’s iconic Cheongdam neighborhood in 2019, the restaurant quickly became one of the buzziest and most beloved in the city, balancing retro charm with inventive takes on Korean classics. Hojokban expanded to New York City in 2023, where it quickly became one of Manhattan’s top dining destinations and has been featured in The New York Times, Eater, and The Infatuation.

In November 2025, Hojokban opened its Los Angeles location in the dynamic Arts District, marking an exciting new chapter for the brand and for diners eager to experience our approach to Korean cuisine. Since opening, Hojokban LA has been featured in Eater and The Infatuation, further establishing the restaurant as a meaningful addition to Los Angeles’ dining scene. As the brand grows, we are building a team that shares our passion for genuine hospitality and for creating memorable dining experiences.

Position Overview: 

We are looking for a passionate and enthusiastic Culinary Operations Manager with a strong work ethic and an endless curiosity to learn and grow with our restaurant.

Qualified Culinary Operations Manager candidates must work well with others, have a sense of urgency, and enjoy preparing thoughtfully created food. We emphasize a collaborative working environment that allows our whole team to grow and learn together. Our ideal candidate is someone who can inspire and lead the team with compassion and empathy while balancing the operational demands of a busy kitchen.

This position will be responsible for leading the BOH team including team leads, line cooks, prep cooks, and kitchen porters, and is focused on the overall success of the Hojokban LA culinary team - striving for daily excellence in hospitality, operations, and service. This position reports directly to the GFFG Director of Operations and other GFFG Senior Leadership and has the potential to grow into the Corporate Culinary Director of Operations.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  Culinary:

• Supervise the line cooks, prep cooks, and kitchen porters as they prepare their daily mise en place and fulfill their daily responsibilities
• Taste the daily mise en place to ensure proper seasoning and quality
• Prepare mise en place, cook and assemble dishes as indicated by recipes
• Must be able to set up their respective stations in a timely manner
• Lead the kitchen to ensure that all line cooks are preparing and plating the dishes properly.
• Maintain a clean work station area, including kitchen equipment, tables, and shelves
• Ensure the walk-in coolers and dry storage spaces are kept clean and organized in accordance with DOH standards.
• Ensure all equipment and facilities are maintained in accordance with building standards and basic service standards.
• Work in conjunction with the dining room and kitchen expeditor to ensure proper timing of all courses leaving the kitchen.
• Must know how to prepare everything on each station and know all dishes on the menu
• Assist with menu development
• Write and cost recipes for menu

Operational:

• Provide thoughtful ideas and solutions through proactive anticipation for big-picture factors that impact the restaurant, such as holidays, local events, conferences, weather, or traffic
• Place and receive orders for meat, fish, produce, dry goods, paper and chemical goods
• Monitor and control the food cost
• Monitor and control the labor cost
• Review timecards and ensure staff hours are accurate for payroll processing.
• Collect invoices, organize, scan, and GL code
• Interview potential kitchen employees when needed
• Perform onboarding/offboarding of employees, making sure that all proper procedures have been completed prior to the employee’s start or end date.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant federal, state, and city labor laws, including wage laws, break policies, paid sick leave, etc.

Team Management:

• Cultivate a welcoming and professional work environment.
• Facilitate growth of line cooks, prep cooks, and kitchen porters via skills training and daily mentorship
• Create work schedules in a timely fashion (2-3 weeks out), reviewing and approving time off requests, and managing staffing levels to optimally balance production needs with a cost-effective labor model
• Train new employees by sharing knowledge, resources, and clearly conveying the correct procedures, workflow and skills to the new employee
• Regularly review Company operating standards with the team, update training materials as needed, including procedures, prep guides, recipe sheets, etc
• Lead staff meetings - checking for understanding & cohesion, holding team accountable, providing feedback, updates, and addressing any operational issues
• Participate in conducting individual staff performance reviews, offering constructive feedback and setting goals for personal development
• Administer progressive discipline and assist with employee terminations when necessary

Repair & Maintenance:

• Must know and uphold LADPH standards.
• Ensure that the walk-in coolers and dry storage spaces are kept clean and organized in accordance with LADPH standards.
• Coordinate with kitchen porters to ensure kitchen and equipment upkeep and that deep cleaning / routine equipment maintenance checklists are completed.
• Maintain vendor relationships for routine maintenance and equipment service.
• Monitor and follow up on any outstanding repair or maintenance requests to ensure timely completion.

Qualified candidates must be energetic, enthusiastic, and have a great attitude, as well as:

• 5+ years restaurant experience required (proficiency with Korean cuisine required and Michelin-level environment is a plus)
• 3+ years management experience required
• Advanced and accurate knife skills
• Ability to read and follow recipes and standards
• Strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong computer skills with working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Workspace
• Capability to teach and mentor others
• Ability to work independently and coordinate multiple tasks
• Experience with a variety of cooking styles and techniques
• Ability to adapt and make decisions quickly in a fast-paced environment

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions include:

• Requires moderate physical effort: standing for 6-8 hours, carrying, stretching, wrist movement, fine manipulation, grasping, pulling and pushing, lifting of weights up to 35 pounds, stooping, bending, twisting, squatting, reaching, etc.
• Requires the ability to safely and effectively use all necessary tools and equipment
• Working conditions involve noise, heat, cold, temperature changes, kitchen elements, odors, moisture, exposure to FDA-approved cleaning chemicals, etc.
• May be required to work additional hours as dictated by the workload and staffing
• Must be willing to work early mornings, nights, weekends and holidays

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Hojokban is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender (including gender identity or expression), pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, marital status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, ancestry, national origin, alienage or citizenship, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristic, or other protected status.