Amparo Fondita takes the best of Mexican cooking and improves on it. It is somewhere you can make your own, be cared for and always feel welcome. Whether you’re a proud Washingtonian or a guest in our capital city, you’ll unwind in complete comfort throughout your time with us. However, that comfort is never at the expense of a style that is unique to Amparo Fondita: beyond the expected, but never over the top.
This is our home and we want our guests to treat it like theirs. Whether an international business traveler or the local dropping by for some brunch—if we’re doing our job right—Amparo Fondita should feel like you are with family.
We are looking for Line Cooks and Dishwashers that are quietly confident, approachable, calm under pressure, authentic, understand the concept of extreme ownership, and always looking to go above and beyond. Someone that knows the city and in their free time loves to explore and try new places. We consider Amparo Fondita to be the heart of the neighborhood.
The ideal candidate has extraordinary attention to detail, exacting focus, and strong kitchen management experience. This role requires dedication, passion, creativity, and the ability to persevere through challenging services while constantly striving to maintain the standards of Amparo and our leaders.
Our culture is entrepreneurial, diverse, equitable, inclusive, team-oriented, creative, and unparalleled hospitality experiences underpins all that we do. We believe passion, a clear vision and best-in-class talent leads to extraordinary results.
Our ideal colleague thrives in a non-stop environment, has an open mind, a great sense of humor, loves finding solutions, working with a team, and proactively creating positive outcomes.
The ability to be adaptable, calm under pressure, resourceful and efficient is in your DNA.
As a member of our in-house team, Line Cooks are expected to create and maintain a caring and supportive environment at Amparo Fondita, while pushing our team to achieve greatness daily. In conjunction with the Executive Chef and the CDC, they are responsible for executing service, training colleagues, and upkeeping a specific level of service in the restaurant and bar. Support Staff assist the Front of House Team in delivering the best service possible to our guests and works directly with the Service Director and the Assistant Service Director.
Please have solid references and a history of achievement in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Weekends are required.
Ability to speak Spanish is not required but is a plus. Teamwork and leadership are key values of our management.
We are a second chance employer and our team must be on board with promoting the inclusion of inexperienced staff. As a 2nd chance employer, part of our restaurant's mission is to create economic opportunity for individuals with a history of conviction, immigrant inequity, and other social issues facing our local community with an emphasis on front- and back-of-house employment. We take pride in our diverse and hardworking team.
RESPONSIBILITIES
To execute food menu items created by the Executive Chef while maintaining company quality standards. To be a positive part of the Amparo Fondita Team.
Follows recipes, portion controls, and presentation specifications as set by the restaurant.
Cleans and maintains a station in practicing good safety, sanitation, organizational skills, as directed by the DC Department of Health and professional restaurant kitchen standards.
Has understanding and knowledge to properly use and maintain all equipment in the station.
Performs additional responsibilities, as requested by the Chef or Sous Chef.
Line Cook must be energetic, proactive, positive, and easy to work with and must enjoy working in the service industry.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
1. Perform opening and closing procedures for the restaurant including station set up
and break down.
2. Organization and cleanliness of shared work areas.
3. Ability to answer questions about all food products and food handling.
4. To provide help and resources to fellow crew when on shift – Teamwork
5. Various other duties as assigned.
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS OR RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Training of new Staff as needed.
2. Serve private parties and other catering events in the restaurant as scheduled.
3. Cleaning of areas outside of restaurants as needed.
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
1. Good customer service in a fast paced, high volume environment.
2. Maintain a positive work environment.
3. Able to be on time for all shifts.
4. Maintain a high standard of product knowledge.
OTHER PHYSICAL AND/OR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS ABOUT YOUR JOB:
1. Able to lift, push and pull up to 50 pounds.
2. Able to work in a crowded environment.
3. Standing and walking for long periods of time.
DEMONSTRATE FAMILY VALUES
Act as an agent in order to provide the best possible service to each and every guest.
Actively participate in the highest level of hospitality.
Excellence: Bring your personal best to work, demonstrate a hunger to learn and actively solicit feedback to continuously improve and grow.
Hospitality: Own your behavior and impact on others, demonstrate warmth, care and courage to support and strengthen the team, and create memorable moments of hospitality for all stakeholders to power the Cycle of Enlightened Hospitality.
Integrity: Use best judgment to do what is right and fair, courageously provide honest feedback to colleagues to hold them accountable to our standards of excellence, and actively build trust with colleagues and stakeholders.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Take risks to continuously innovate, add to the dialogue by asking whoever wrote the rule, and honor mistakes as opportunities to grow while humbly sharing lessons learned with others to fuel learning and innovation.
TEAMWORK, COMMUNICATION AND TIMING
Maintain an understanding of the flow of service.
Exhibit effective communication techniques with both teammates and Sous Chefs before, during and after service.
Understands the ticketing and call-back system.
Understand timing of service and are able to put food up in tandem with other stations.
CONSTANT COMMAND OF STATION AND STATION RESPONSIBILITIES
Stay up to date on menu knowledge and mise-en-place for the station. Show knowledge of recipes and station set-up for stations assigned during service.
Ensure all mise-en-place is of the highest quality.
Consistently execute preparation of all items for the station with speed and accuracy. Practice proper seasoning techniques.
Ability to perform consistently during service and prepare each dish to the standards of Muchas Gracias.
Demonstrate cleanliness on station both before, during and after service.
MISE EN PLACE AND STATION MAINTENANCE
Act as part of the team to maintain the high standards of cleanliness and appearance throughout all areas of the kitchen both before, during and after service.
Reliably complete all assigned mise-en-place and tasks in a timely manner.
Demonstrate knowledge of Department of Health (DOH) standards.
Exhibit knowledge and use of FIFO (First in, First Out).
Properly label all food items in keeping with DOH standards
Hospitality Humans Culture:
Mission:
To be a leading center for exploring and realizing human potential through experience,
education, and research. Work toward the realization of a more just, creative, equitable and
sustainable world, searching for answers to questions unlikely to be explored by traditional
hospitality structures.
Supporting initiatives and offering personal, professional, and social transformation
programs for hospitality workers.
Vision:
We envision a world where Hospitality Humans is a major catalyst in the transformation of hospitality professionals, working with individuals and establishments to integrate body, mind, heart, spirit, and community in a nurturing relationship with our working environments.
We value:
Transformation
Connection
Curiosity
Service
Diversity