Group Head Chef

Dame; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Peer Group Hospitality is seeking a Group Head Chef to lead Dame Melbourne, EARL Canteen and EARL Catering, guiding menu direction, consistency and commercial performance. This senior, hands-on role spans Collins Place and HQ collaboration, delivering exceptional food experiences across a growing group.

The successful candidate will manage menu development, kitchen leadership, and cost controls while mentoring teams and maintaining high safety standards across multiple locations.

Qualifications

• Significant experience as a Head Chef or senior kitchen leader.
• Proven ability to develop menus that are creative and commercially strong.
• Strong track record in costings, margins and supplier management.
• Skilled at mentoring, training and developing kitchen teams.
• Excellent knowledge of food safety and restaurant operations.

Responsibilities

• Provide creative direction for Dame Melbourne and EARL menus and events.
• Develop quarterly, seasonal menus aligned with corporate clients.
• Drive labour, COGS and food safety benchmarks across venues.
• Mentor and develop kitchen teams across multiple sites.
• Manage supplier relationships and balance quality with cost targets.
• Lead six-monthly seasonal evolution in EARL range and offerings.
• Review sales trends with the EARL GM to identify opportunities.
• Create concepts for corporate catering and events to scale the business.

Skills

Head Chef leadership

Menu development

Costings & food costs

Team mentoring

Food safety

Job description

Peer Group Hospitality, Melbourne. Join us as Group Head Chef.

About the role

This is a creative, senior role with genuine influence over the menu direction across Peer Group Hospitality's growing group of venues. You will work across Dame Melbourne, EARL Canteen & EARL Catering, bringing together creativity, consistency, commercial smarts, strong kitchen leadership and team building.

EARL is an established and much-loved food concept with scale across Melbourne CBD and Australian airports. We’re looking for someone who understands how to keep a successful offer relevant, seasonal and commercially strong while maintaining the consistency our customers expect.

Dame is that exciting balance between creativity and the buzz of a busy CBD venue where quality, speed and consistency are equally important.

Key responsibilities

• Creative direction of the all-day menu and events menus at Dame Melbourne, an established full-service 100-seat Collins St cafe
• Developing quarterly, seasonal menus for Dame that are sophisticated and appropriate for our fast-paced corporate clientele.
• Driving operational success with targeted labour, COGS, and food safety benchmarks
• Mentoring, training and developing our kitchen teams
• Managing supplier relationships, balancing a strong focus on food costs and quality
• Developing six-monthly seasonal evolution in the EARL range; made-to-order and ready-made breakfast, lunch & snacks and building on our established systems to deliver consistency, quality and scalability, while building on well-established favourites
• Working alongside the EARL General Manager to review sales trends, customer behaviour and future menu opportunities
• Developing menus and food concepts for corporate catering and events
• Based predominantly at Collins Place with some time in our HQ in Cremorne, this is a hands‑on role leading and developing the kitchen teams, while also taking responsibility for menu development, consistency and forward planning across the hospitality group.

About you

• Significant experience as a Head Chef, Executive Chef or senior kitchen leader
• Strong people leader who enjoys being hands‑on and motivating their teams
• Demonstrated experience in menu development and costings
• Ability to create a menu that is both creative and commercially successful
• Excellent knowledge of food costs, margins, suppliers and kitchen systems
• Comfortable analysing sales and using data to help inform menu decisions
• Understanding of the importance of consistency when operating across multiple locations
• Strong communication, organisational and forward‑planning skills
• Confident developing systems, recipes and processes that can be successfully replicated by different kitchen teams
• Strong understanding of food safety and legal obligations

About us

Peer Group Hospitality incorporates EARL Canteen, EARL Catering, Dame Melbourne & Golden Coffee Bar.

EARL, established in 2010, is nationally recognised with 9 locations, 3 of which operate under licence in Australian airports and a stand‑alone catering and production kitchen. EARL is an industry leader in fast‑casual, healthful food, made in-store each morning.

Dame, established in 2021, thrives as a busy all‑day dining venue in a prominent position on Collins St focused on elevated cafe classics.

Working across many teams, the Group Head Chef reports to the founding owners, Simon O'Regan and Jackie Middleton, who have decades of experience in the industry and work collaboratively with their leadership team.

This is a rare opportunity to work alongside experienced owner‑operators who understand the industry, genuinely value creative thinking and initiative, and have real input into the food direction of more than a dozen hospitality venues.