Kitchen Manager in Waiting (Quincy Leadership Role)

Pizza Ranch began as a single restaurant in Hull, Iowa in 1981 and has grown into one of the nation’s leading fast-casual restaurant brands, with over 200 locations across multiple states. At Gravy Train Restaurant Management, we proudly operate several Pizza Ranch restaurants throughout Iowa and Illinois.

We operate with a people-first mindset — focused on strong leadership, operational excellence, and creating restaurants where team members are developed, supported, and set up to succeed. Our goal is simple: deliver a legendary guest experience while building future leaders across every restaurant we serve.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Kitchen Manager in Waiting for our Quincy Pizza Ranch location — a leadership development role designed for someone preparing to become a long-term Kitchen Manager within our Quincy restaurant.

This role is ideal for someone who wants to grow into restaurant leadership while helping support the Quincy management team as an additional back-of-house leader. You’ll work alongside the General Manager, Assistant General Manager, and leadership team while training in all aspects of kitchen operations, food safety, inventory, labor management, team development, and leadership.

While this position is based primarily in Quincy, there may occasionally be opportunities to visit or train at other Gravy Train Pizza Ranch locations to continue developing leadership skills and learning best practices.

If you’re someone who enjoys leading by example, thrives in fast-paced environments, and wants to continue growing your restaurant leadership career, we’d love to meet you.

What You’ll Do

• Help oversee daily back-of-house operations, food quality, and speed of service
• Support food preparation, production flow, cleanliness, and safety standards
• Assist in maintaining inventory and food ordering processes
• Ensure all food safety and sanitation expectations are consistently followed

• Train alongside the restaurant leadership team to prepare for future KM responsibilities
• Learn labor management, coaching, scheduling, and operational leadership
• Support onboarding and development of back-of-house team members
• Lead by example during high-volume lunch, dinner, and weekend shifts

• Help maintain legendary Pizza Ranch food quality standards
• Reinforce accountability, professionalism, and teamwork within the kitchen
• Assist with coaching and performance conversations when needed
• Support smooth communication between front- and back-of-house teams

• Step into leadership responsibilities as needed to help support the Quincy management team
• Assist with cleanliness walkthroughs, prep routines, and kitchen organization
• Help identify opportunities for operational improvement and efficiency

What You Bring to the Table

• Passion for food quality, cleanliness, and team development
• Prior restaurant or kitchen leadership experience preferred
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Ability to multitask and lead in a fast-paced environment
• Positive attitude and willingness to continue learning and growing
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed
• Valid driver’s license required
• High school diploma or equivalent required

Why Join Gravy Train?

• Clear path toward a future Kitchen Manager leadership role
• Hands-on leadership development and mentorship
• Opportunity to help open and grow a brand-new Quincy Pizza Ranch
• Supportive, people-first culture focused on development and growth
• Work directly alongside experienced restaurant leaders and executive leadership

Ready to Grow Into Leadership?

Apply today to become a Kitchen Manager in Waiting and help us build something legendary in Quincy.