H-1B Visa Sous Chef Jobs
Sous Chef roles can qualify for H-1B visa sponsorship when the position requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent in culinary arts, hospitality management, or a related field. Fine dining groups, hotel chains, and multi-unit restaurant operators are the most active sponsors. No lottery exemption applies, so timing your job search around the April cap season matters.
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Summary:
Who We Are
White Lodging develops and operates a portfolio of award-winning premium hotels, rooftop bars, and restaurants in some of the country's most dynamic cities. We know that the hospitality business, like life, is about how you make people feel. That's where you come in. You'll help bring the virtue of hospitality to life while we create an environment that allows you to be your best self and grow.
We are hiring an experienced Executive Sous Chef to serve as the second-in-command of our hotel culinary operations. This is a senior kitchen leadership role for a proven culinary professional who is ready to step into an Executive Chef in training capacity — leading daily food and beverage production, developing a high-performing culinary team, and driving the menu quality and financial performance that define a premium hotel dining experience. If you're an Executive Sous Chef, Senior Sous Chef, or Chef de Cuisine ready to take the next step in your culinary management career with one of the country's leading hotel and restaurant companies, we want to hear from you.
Responsibilities:
- Lead all hotel culinary operations in the Executive Chef's absence — maintaining food quality, freshness, and full compliance with health department regulations and food safety standards across every outlet and meal period
- Collaborate directly with the Executive Chef on menu development, implementation timelines, recipe execution, and USE Records — ensuring all culinary financial objectives and food cost targets are consistently met
- Manage daily back-of-house operations across a high-volume hotel kitchen environment — including staffing, scheduling, inventory management, and portion control in full adherence to White Lodging corporate SOPs
- Train, mentor, and develop culinary associates at all levels — from entry-level cooks to line cooks and senior kitchen staff — fostering a culture of continuous learning, professional growth, and internal promotion
- Monitor and manage all food-related expenses — including vendor invoices, payroll, and inventory reconciliation — to ensure consistent budget adherence and culinary department profitability
- Partner cross-functionally with Sales, front-of-house leadership, and Events teams to support banquet operations, special events, and elevated guest dining experiences across the property
What You'll Bring
- Minimum 5 years of progressive Chef experience in a large-scale hotel, resort, or high-volume banquet culinary operation — required
- Proven ability to lead, manage, and develop culinary teams in a high-volume hotel kitchen or banquet environment — with a track record of low turnover and strong internal promotion
- Deep expertise in menu creation, food preparation techniques, recipe development, and strict compliance with food safety and sanitation standards
- Strong analytical and organizational skills — with demonstrated experience managing food cost, labor cost, inventory, and culinary department budgets in a hotel or resort setting
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and culinary coaching skills — with a genuine commitment to building a collaborative, high-performing kitchen team culture
- Associate's degree in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, or Business Administration preferred — equivalent hands-on culinary leadership experience considered
What You Can Look Forward To
- Benefits — starting day 1
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Life and disability insurance
- Paid parental leave
- DailyPay — get paid when you need it
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off (PTO) with rollover
- Complimentary wellness tools
- Unlimited employee referral bonuses
- Leadership development & tuition reimbursement
- Discounts on hotel rooms, dining, and travel
- Growth opportunities across multiple hotel properties in your market
White Lodging is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Description
Summary:
Who We Are
White Lodging develops and operates a portfolio of award-winning premium hotels, rooftop bars, and restaurants in some of the country's most dynamic cities. We know that the hospitality business, like life, is about how you make people feel. That's where you come in. You'll help bring the virtue of hospitality to life while we create an environment that allows you to be your best self and grow.
We are hiring an experienced Executive Sous Chef to serve as the second-in-command of our hotel culinary operations. This is a senior kitchen leadership role for a proven culinary professional who is ready to step into an Executive Chef in training capacity — leading daily food and beverage production, developing a high-performing culinary team, and driving the menu quality and financial performance that define a premium hotel dining experience. If you're an Executive Sous Chef, Senior Sous Chef, or Chef de Cuisine ready to take the next step in your culinary management career with one of the country's leading hotel and restaurant companies, we want to hear from you.
Responsibilities:
- Lead all hotel culinary operations in the Executive Chef's absence — maintaining food quality, freshness, and full compliance with health department regulations and food safety standards across every outlet and meal period
- Collaborate directly with the Executive Chef on menu development, implementation timelines, recipe execution, and USE Records — ensuring all culinary financial objectives and food cost targets are consistently met
- Manage daily back-of-house operations across a high-volume hotel kitchen environment — including staffing, scheduling, inventory management, and portion control in full adherence to White Lodging corporate SOPs
- Train, mentor, and develop culinary associates at all levels — from entry-level cooks to line cooks and senior kitchen staff — fostering a culture of continuous learning, professional growth, and internal promotion
- Monitor and manage all food-related expenses — including vendor invoices, payroll, and inventory reconciliation — to ensure consistent budget adherence and culinary department profitability
- Partner cross-functionally with Sales, front-of-house leadership, and Events teams to support banquet operations, special events, and elevated guest dining experiences across the property
What You'll Bring
- Minimum 5 years of progressive Chef experience in a large-scale hotel, resort, or high-volume banquet culinary operation — required
- Proven ability to lead, manage, and develop culinary teams in a high-volume hotel kitchen or banquet environment — with a track record of low turnover and strong internal promotion
- Deep expertise in menu creation, food preparation techniques, recipe development, and strict compliance with food safety and sanitation standards
- Strong analytical and organizational skills — with demonstrated experience managing food cost, labor cost, inventory, and culinary department budgets in a hotel or resort setting
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and culinary coaching skills — with a genuine commitment to building a collaborative, high-performing kitchen team culture
- Associate's degree in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, or Business Administration preferred — equivalent hands-on culinary leadership experience considered
What You Can Look Forward To
- Benefits — starting day 1
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Life and disability insurance
- Paid parental leave
- DailyPay — get paid when you need it
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off (PTO) with rollover
- Complimentary wellness tools
- Unlimited employee referral bonuses
- Leadership development & tuition reimbursement
- Discounts on hotel rooms, dining, and travel
- Growth opportunities across multiple hotel properties in your market
White Lodging is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
See all 214+ H-1B Visa Sous Chef Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new H-1B Visa Sous Chef Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship as a Sous Chef
Verify your degree meets specialty occupation
USCIS requires H-1B roles to demand at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field. Culinary Institute of America degrees and accredited hospitality management programs satisfy this, but a general associate's degree alone won't. Check your credential against O*NET before applying.
Target multi-unit operators over independent restaurants
Independent restaurants rarely have the HR infrastructure to file H-1B petitions. Focus on hotel groups, casino dining divisions, and restaurant management companies with dedicated immigration counsel, as they've navigated the LCA and I-129 process before.
Search verified H-1B sponsors on Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to filter Sous Chef openings by employers with confirmed H-1B LCA filing history. This removes the guesswork of cold-applying to restaurants that have never sponsored a work visa.
Negotiate offer timing around the April filing window
H-1B cap-subject petitions must be filed in April for an October 1 start date. If you receive an offer in June, your earliest cap-subject start is the following October. Discuss this timeline explicitly with hiring managers before accepting.
Confirm the employer's prevailing wage before the LCA
Your employer files a Labor Condition Application with DOL certifying your offered wage meets the prevailing wage for Sous Chef roles in that metro area. Run the OFLC Wage Search yourself first so you know whether the offer clears the DOL threshold.
Organize foreign culinary credentials for the petition
If your training was outside the U.S., get a credential evaluation from a NACES-member agency before your employer files the I-129. USCIS adjudicators scrutinize culinary degrees from foreign institutions, and a detailed equivalency report reduces the risk of a Request for Evidence.
H-1B Visa Sous Chef: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Sous Chef role actually qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
It depends on how the position is defined. A general line-level Sous Chef role without a degree requirement typically won't qualify. Positions at fine dining establishments, luxury hotels, or corporate food service operations that explicitly require a bachelor's degree in culinary arts or hospitality management are far more likely to clear USCIS's specialty occupation standard. The job description language your employer uses in the LCA matters significantly.
Which types of employers are most likely to sponsor H-1B visas for Sous Chefs?
Hotel groups, casino resort dining programs, corporate food and beverage divisions, and upscale multi-unit restaurant companies are the most active H-1B sponsors for culinary roles. These employers typically have in-house HR or retained immigration counsel experienced with LCA filings. You can find employers with verified H-1B filing history for culinary roles on Migrate Mate, which filters listings by actual DOL Labor Condition Application data.
Can I switch from an F-1 OPT to H-1B status while working as a Sous Chef?
Yes, if your employer files your H-1B cap petition in April before your OPT expires, a cap-gap provision extends your work authorization through September 30 while the petition is pending. If your OPT expires before April, you'd need to stop working until an H-1B is approved. Timing your job search to secure an offer before your OPT end date is critical.
What happens to my H-1B if the restaurant closes or I'm let go?
You have a 60-day grace period after your employment ends to find a new H-1B sponsor, change to another visa status, or depart the U.S. During that window, you're not authorized to work. If a new employer files an H-1B transfer petition before the grace period ends, you can begin working for the new employer once the petition is received by USCIS, even before approval.
Does the H-1B annual cap apply to culinary roles at nonprofit or government employers?
Cap-exempt status applies to certain nonprofit research organizations, government research entities, and institutions of higher education, not to standard restaurant or hotel employers. A Sous Chef position at a university dining program run directly by the institution could qualify as cap-exempt, meaning no lottery and year-round filing. Private restaurant groups, even prestigious ones, are cap-subject and subject to the April registration window.