Protest Pizza & Bar — Dupont Circle, Washington DC
Opening Soon!

Protest Pizza is not a corporate pizza franchise. We are an independent, values-driven neighborhood pizza shop and late-night bar opening one block from JR’s in Dupont Circle — built to serve kids and families by day, and the queer nightlife community by night. Pizza by the slice, cocktails to-go, progressive by nature, zero tolerance for ego or chaos.

We are hiring a Head of Kitchen to build and lead the back of house from day one.
This is not a line cook job. This is a leadership role — someone ready to hire, train, and own the kitchen with discipline, pride, and strong standards. You will work directly with ownership during launch, then run the kitchen independently as the business scales.

• Build and train a BOH team — pizza cooks, prep, fry

• Own food consistency, portioning, and execution every shift

• Lead inventory, ordering, and vendor management (you run the kitchen like a business)

• Set and enforce food safety and sanitation standards without compromise

• Collaborate on menu refinement, specials, and efficiency systems

• Eventually oversee both AM + PM crews as volume builds

• You’ve run or led a kitchen before — not just worked in one

• You know impinger or deck-oven pizza (fast casual New York style preferred)

• You’ve hired, trained, or disciplined staff — not just “helped out”

• You take pride in consistency and run a clean, tight kitchen

• You respect both speed and craft — because this is not slow-table service

• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred

• Calm under pressure — no screaming, no ego, no chaos

We’re building a shop that pays fairly, runs professionally, and creates a workplace people actually want to stay in. If you’re tired of burnout kitchens or chaotic owners, and want to lead something real — this is that opportunity.

Compensation: Competitive hourly or salary

Schedule: Full-time launch leadership role — AM + PM team-building

Start Date: ASAP — interviewing now

To apply: Send your experience + a short intro on why you’d build with us — not just work a shift.