Vice President of Culinary Operations
Irving, TX (preferred), Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland
Description of Position
The VP of Culinary Ops of Uncle Julios corporation is a highly organized leader with an “engineering mind” who understands how to balance sale and quality.
A few of the key attributes that will make this candidate successful in their role:
Hands on mentality, someone who thrives inside of the restaurants 4-walls and is not afraid to “roll up their sleeves.” Year 1 will involve significant travel to the stores.
A background in full-service. There is an opportunity to bring a higher level of service and food standards and elevate Uncle Julios into an upscale brand. Solid understanding of culinary with a natural palette for quality.
Holds their team accountable to KPI’s and can speak to their numbers at any given time.
Systems driven, scale focused leader.
The ideal candidate will be a dynamic culinary leader with a passion for delivering exceptional dining experiences, a deep understanding of Mexican cuisine, and a proven track record of success in culinary operations management.
Key Responsibilities:
Culinary Strategy: Develop and implement a strategic culinary vision that aligns with Uncle Julio's brand, focusing on innovation, quality, and the use of authentic Mexican ingredients.
Menu Development: Lead the creation and evolution of menus that cater to the evolving tastes and preferences of our guests while staying true to the core Mexican culinary traditions.
Quality Assurance: Establish and enforce rigorous culinary standards to ensure the consistency and excellence of food preparation and presentation across all restaurants.
Kitchen Operations: Oversee and optimize kitchen operations to enhance efficiency, cost control, and overall restaurant performance.
Vendor Relationships: Manage relationships with food suppliers and distributors to ensure the highest quality and consistency of ingredients.
Team Leadership: Attract, mentor, and retain a high-performing culinary team. Provide guidance, training, and support to foster a culture of creativity and excellence.
Health and Safety: Ensure that all culinary operations comply with health and safety regulations and food handling standards.
Innovation: Stay abreast of culinary trends, emerging ingredients, and new cooking techniques to continually innovate and elevate the dining experience.
Financial Management: Collaborate with the finance team to develop and manage budgets, control food costs, and improve profitability.
Beyond daily operations, the major immediate goals for the President will be:
Implementing and operationalizing innovative labor models across the system.
Finding opportunities to improve the bottom line by leveraging systems, in-house resources, or cutting edge technology partners.
Increase sales at a reasonable pace, expectations will be set together and won’t be out of reach.
Refining a strategy that will yield a stable bench of management so that recruiting is not reactive.
Why work with Uncle Julios and L Catterton?
Earn equity in the brand, positioned to grow exponentially over the next five years.
Up-level a concept that has the right foundational attributes: Great real estate in a resilient segment (tex-mex).
Work alongside proven hospitality visionaries with a track record of exceeding quality and growth expectations.
Build a network with L Catterton, one of the world’s most prominent Private Equity brands.
Reporting Structure
The President for Uncle Julios Corporation will report to RJ Thomas, President.
notable press
Uncle Julio’s Chocolate Piñata Is Back, and It’s Stuffed With Mini-Churros
L Catterton acquires Uncle Julio’s
qualification
Player / coach mentality that can both tactically move the needle, and can inspire / empower their team to bring out the best in themselves.
Overseen 20+ restaurant units (scale is important)
Track record of hiring and retaining top talent
Proven track record of at least 7-10 years in culinary leadership, including experience in a multi-unit restaurant or hospitality environment.
In-depth knowledge of Mexican cuisine, culinary techniques, and authentic ingredients.
A strong leader and motivator with the ability to inspire and guide a diverse culinary team.
Exceptional creativity, menu development, and food presentation skills.
Strong business acumen and the ability to manage budgets and control costs.
Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
A passion for delivering outstanding culinary experiences and a commitment to excellence.
Interested in learning more or know the right person? Email mandeep@hhcsearch.com
About the Company
We opened our first restaurant with a simple commitment to fresh ingredients and handcrafted recipes. From the very beginning, we served mesquite-grilled fajitas, crave-able guacamole, and other Tex-Mex favorites. Whether guests are celebrating with family, meeting over lunch, or on a date, they have a welcoming atmosphere at Uncle Julio’s.
Over the past 30 years we’ve opened 34 restaurants across 11 different states.
Each of our restaurants has a distinct style and decor. Inspired by Mexican architecture and art, we provide an atmosphere as carefully curated as the ingredients in our recipes.
Fresh ingredients meet fresh air — if you’d like to eat outdoors, our restaurants feature beautiful dining patios. Made-From-Scratch Mexican tastes even better under an umbrella in the sun.
It didn’t stop with the swirl. Since, we’ve filled Chocolate Piñatas, paired guacamole with unique flavor combinations, and evolved how guests can engage with our restaurants. We’ve never stopped raising the bar so that Uncle Julio’s continues to offer a memorable experience for all our guests.
About L Catterton
Since 1989, L Catterton has made more than 250 investments in leading consumer brands across all segments of the consumer industry. With approximately $30 billion of assets under management dedicated to growing middle market companies and emerging high-growth enterprises, we believe we are the largest and most experienced consumer-focused private equity group in the world.
We have focused exclusively on building iconic and enduring consumer brands. Our category-first approach is aimed at truly understanding what matters most to consumers in order to subsequently identify the specific categories and companies that will benefit from those consumer preferences. At the heart of this approach is our constant pursuit of grasping how various types of trends—demographic, psychographic, technological, geographic, and socioeconomic—will drive and impact consumer preferences and purchasing decisions.
While our objective—to invest in and build consumer businesses that are rooted in emotional connectivity and thereby in sticky relationships that we can scale—has remained the same over time, we have had to adapt our thinking, our capabilities, and our methodologies to the shifting market environment.
L Catterton has a deep history in restaurant investments, including past holdings in such companies as Bloomin’ Brands Inc., Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, First Watch and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.
The private-equity firm’s current investments include Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, Chopt Creative Salad Co., Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Mendocino Farms, Noodles & Company, Piada Italian Street Food, Protein Bar, Primanti Bros., Punch Bowl Social, Snap Kitchen and Velvet Taco.
email mandeep@hhcsearch.com to chat more about the opportunity with Uncle Julios and L Catterton