Head Chef

Hop To It Collective Pty Ltd; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Hop To It Collective Pty Ltd in Woolloongabba, Brisbane, is seeking a Head Chef to take charge of the kitchen at Electric Avenue & Mrs J Rabbits. You will set the menu, run the pass, own the numbers, and build a cohesive team that thrives under pressure.

Reporting to the Venue Manager, you’ll work on budgets, promotions and events, with a Sous Chef and kitchen staff under you. The role demands leadership, strong financial skills, and availability across nights, weekends and public holidays.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years in a commercial kitchen, including 2+ years as a Senior Chef or leading a kitchen
• Certificate III or IV in Commercial Cookery
• Food Safety Supervisor certification
• Real financial skills: read a food cost report and act on it
• Lead by example and stay calm under pressure
• Availability across nights, weekends and public holidays

Responsibilities

• Running the pass during service and keeping food consistent and on time
• Planning and costing the menu, including seasonal changes and specials, and testing everything before it goes live
• Managing food cost, wage cost and COGS against budget, and flagging problems to the Venue Manager early with a plan attached
• Ordering stock and managing supplier relationships
• Recruiting, training and rostering the kitchen team, and dealing with performance issues directly
• Keeping the kitchen compliant on food safety (HACCP), WHS and hygiene, and actually checking it, not just signing off on it

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Food cost analysis

Budgeting

Education

Commercial Cookery Cert

Tools

HACCP knowledge

Food Safety Supervisor cert

Job description

Hop To It Collective Pty Ltd – Woolloongabba QLD

We're looking for a Head Chef to take charge of the kitchen at Electric Avenue & Mrs J Rabbits. This is a real leadership role. You'll set the menu, run the pass, own the numbers and build a team that holds together when you're not standing over it.

You'll report to the Venue Manager and work closely with them on budgets, promotions and events, but day to day the kitchen is yours to run. You'll have a Sous Chef under you, plus Chefs and casual staff depending on the shift.

Candidates who include a cover letter, after doing some brief research on the venue and where it sits in the Brisbane hospitality scene, will be strongly considered.

You must be based locally or be willing to travel to Woolloongabba.

About the venue

Electric Avenue and Mrs J Rabbits were recently taken over by That Hospitality Group, an established operator already running venues like Salt Bar Hamilton across Brisbane. Hop To It Collective handles the marketing and admin behind the scenes, so the kitchen can focus on food and looking after guests.

Electric Avenue is the British-style pub downstairs: bangers and mash, roast pork belly, burgers, and a Sunday roast that sells out most weeks. Mrs J Rabbits is our hidden bar upstairs. Two venues, one kitchen, right near The Gabba, so event days add their own chaos on top of a six-day trading week.

New ownership means we're rebuilding this kitchen properly. Culture matters as much as the menu. We want someone who leads with a good attitude, stays level under pressure, and builds people up instead of tearing strips off them.

What you'll be doing

• Running the pass during service and keeping food consistent and on time
• Planning and costing the menu, including seasonal changes and specials, and testing everything before it goes live
• Managing food cost, wage cost and COGS against budget, and flagging problems to the Venue Manager early with a plan attached
• Ordering stock and managing supplier relationships
• Recruiting, training and rostering the kitchen team, and dealing with performance issues directly rather than letting them drag on
• Keeping the kitchen compliant on food safety (HACCP), WHS and hygiene, and actually checking it, not just signing off on it

What you'll need

• At least 5 years in a commercial kitchen, including 2+ years as a Senior Chef or leading a kitchen, ideally in a pub, club or similarly busy venue
• Certificate III or IV in Commercial Cookery
• Food Safety Supervisor certification
• Real financial skills. You can read a food cost report and know what to do about it
• A good attitude, even on the bad nights. You lead by example and stay calm under pressure
• Availability across nights, weekends and public holidays

Why this one's worth a look

• A genuine say in the kitchen culture you build from the ground up
• Full ownership of the menu and the kitchen, not just running someone else's tickets
• Two distinct venues under one roof, so there's variety in what you cook and who you cook for
• A kitchen small enough that your decisions actually show up in the numbers
• Backing from an experienced hospitality group, with marketing and admin handled for you

This role is covered by the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 [MA000009] and is paid above award.