Kaco Doner Operating Manual
Company Structure & Role Ownership
A founder-independent operating system for Kaco, built around clear reporting lines, decision rights, accountability, and scalable department ownership.
Corrected organization chart
Central Kitchen and Back Office are separate departments
The Central Kitchen Manager is not under the Back Office Manager. Both roles sit on the same level and report directly to the Operator / General Operations Manager.
Owner / CEO
Operator
General Operations Manager
General Operations Manager
Four departments under the Operator
Scalable department model
Back Office Department
Owns administration, purchasing, inventory control, reports, customer service, supplier balances, payroll preparation, scheduling support, and documentation.
Central Kitchen Department
Owns prep, production, food quality, packaging, central kitchen cleanliness, dispatch readiness, and consistency of food sent to branches.
Branch 1 Operations
Owns service execution, shift discipline, ticket time, cleanliness, food standards, staff attendance, cash flow, and customer experience.
Branch 2 Operations
Uses the same branch operating model. As Kaco grows, more branches can be added under the Operator until an Area Manager is needed.
Highest ROI project
From restaurant team to operating system
This documentation should not be treated as normal job descriptions. The goal is to build a Kaco Operating Manual that makes the company less founder-dependent and ready for multiple branches, stronger accountability, and eventually franchising.
Structure
Every person knows who they report to, what they own, what they can decide, and what must be escalated.
Authority
Decision rights are written clearly so staff stop asking the owner for every recurring decision.
Accountability
Each role is measured by KPIs, audit points, communication rules, and behavior standards.
Scalability
The system can support more branches by adding Area Managers later without changing the core departments.
Phase 1
Management Manual
Phase 1 should create one chapter for every management position. Each chapter uses the same structure so leadership expectations are consistent across departments.
Owner / CEO
Vision, capital decisions, brand direction, final approvals, legal escalation, and long-term company strategy.
Operator
General Operations Manager responsible for full operating performance, department coordination, KPI discipline, and standards.
Back Office Manager
Purchasing, inventory control, reports, customer service, documentation, payroll preparation, and cost control support.
Central Kitchen Manager
Prep, production, packaging, dispatch readiness, central kitchen food quality, and consistency before product reaches branches.
AM Supervisor
Morning shift readiness, opening execution, staff positioning, prep checks, service standards, and early-day branch control.
PM Supervisor
Evening service execution, peak-hour control, closing discipline, cash process, cleanliness, and end-of-day reporting.
Full professional management chapters
The detailed manual expands every title into purpose, mission, ownership, daily duties, weekly duties, monthly duties, decision rights, KPIs, authority limits, communication rules, SOPs, training path, and success definition.
English job description library
English JD files are stored under the JD folder as both HTML pages and Word DOCX files, covering management and operational positions.
Chapter template
Every management chapter follows the same 14 sections
This creates a repeatable leadership system. The document should define ownership, authority, escalation, KPIs, duties, and success behavior for every role.
Purpose
Why the position exists and what problem it solves inside Kaco.
Mission
One clear sentence. Example: Ensure every customer receives the Kaco experience exactly as designed while keeping profitability and standards under control.
Responsibilities
Permanent ownership, not random tasks. Example: purchasing, inventory, customer service, reports, documentation, scheduling, cost control.
Daily Duties
Morning, midday, end-of-shift, and daily checklist requirements.
Weekly Duties
Weekly audit, weekly report, meeting, training follow-up, issue review, and action plan.
Monthly Duties
Inventory, performance review, equipment audit, staff evaluation, KPI review, and improvement plan.
Decision Rights
Can decide alone, must consult Operator, and must escalate to Owner.
Escalation Matrix
Exactly who the role reports to. No skipping levels except emergencies.
KPIs
Measurable numbers such as food cost, labor cost, ticket time, audit score, complaint resolution, waste, and reporting accuracy.
Authority Limits
Money, hiring, purchasing, discounts, refunds, schedule changes, and equipment limits.
Communication Rules
Who receives reports, when they receive them, the format, and expected response times.
SOP References
Opening, closing, customer complaint, food quality, cash, cleaning, emergency, inventory, purchasing, and reporting SOPs.
Training Path
Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, certification, shadowing, testing, and sign-off.
Success Definition
What a perfect person in this role looks like in behavior, leadership, thinking, ownership, and standards.
Reporting rule
No skipping the structure
Back Office escalation
Back Office Team -> Back Office Manager -> Operator / General Operations Manager -> Owner / CEO.
Central Kitchen escalation
Prep / Production / Packaging Team -> Central Kitchen Manager -> Operator / General Operations Manager -> Owner / CEO.
Branch escalation
Kitchen Line / Cashier / Cleaning -> AM or PM Supervisor -> Operator / General Operations Manager -> Owner / CEO.
Role ownership
What each manager permanently owns
Role
Owns
Does not own
Back Office Manager
Purchasing, inventory control, reporting, customer service, supplier balances, documentation, payroll preparation.
Central kitchen production, branch shift discipline, recipe changes without approval.
Central Kitchen Manager
Prep, production, packaging, dispatch readiness, central kitchen quality, food consistency before branch delivery.
Back office reporting ownership, supplier payment decisions, branch service execution.
AM / PM Supervisor
Branch shift execution, staff positioning, ticket time, cleanliness, service, cash process, customer complaint first response.
Supplier selection, recipe changes, salary changes, major disciplinary action.
Operator / General Operations Manager
Full operating performance, department coordination, KPI review, standards enforcement, hiring recommendations, escalation management.
Owner-level final decisions such as major investments, legal issues, brand-changing decisions.
Decision rights
Kaco Decision Matrix
This is one of the most important documents in the company. Every recurring decision must belong to a clear role so people stop asking, "Who should decide this?"
Decision
Supervisor
Back Office
Central Kitchen
Operator
Owner
Send employee homeYesConsult if serious
Buy cleaning suppliesRequestYesAbove limit
Approve refundUp to limitRecordAbove limit
Change supplierRecommendInputYesFinal if strategic
Change recipeTest / inputRecommendFinal approval
Hire supervisorPaperworkRecommendFinal approval
Fire supervisorDocumentationRecommendFinal approval
Marketing campaignInputData supportOperational approvalBrand approval
Equipment purchaseRequestQuotationTechnical inputWithin limitAbove limit
Phase 2
Operational staff manuals
After management roles are documented, build simplified chapters for the operational staff. Same structure, less complexity, more checklist-based execution.
Kitchen Line
Food assembly, quality checks, portion control, hygiene, speed, station cleanliness, waste rules.
Cashier
Order accuracy, upselling, customer greeting, payment process, refund limits, game/reward explanation.
Preparation Chef
Prep list, recipes, batch control, labeling, expiry, storage, daily handover to supervisor or CK manager.
Cleaning
Cleaning schedule, chemical use, bathroom checks, dining area, kitchen floor, closing sanitation, audit checklist.
Packaging
Packaging standards, order completeness, delivery labeling, seals, presentation, missing-item prevention.
Delivery Coordinator
Optional future role for dispatch, driver timing, delivery complaints, zone control, order handoff.
Scale rule
When Kaco reaches 5 to 7 branches, add Area Managers
Until the span of control becomes too large, branches report directly to the Operator / General Operations Manager. Later, Area Managers can be inserted between the Operator and branches without changing the Back Office or Central Kitchen reporting structure.