Head Chef

The Meadows; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Meadows, part of the Melbourne Greyhound Racing Association (MGRA), is seeking a Head Chef to own day-to-day kitchen operations across weekly race meetings, functions and major events. You will lead the back-of-house team, develop menus, cost meals and ensure high standards of food quality and service on event nights.

Based on-site in Broadmeadows, you will work closely with the Hospitality Manager to evolve the venue’s food offering and guest experience during busy racing nights and events,

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Head Chef or senior kitchen leader.
• Excellent knowledge of contemporary hospitality practices.
• Experience managing kitchen administration, purchasing and food costs.

Responsibilities

• Leading and managing the kitchen team and daily kitchen operations
• Developing, costing and executing innovative, high-quality menus
• Managing catering for weekly Saturday night and Wednesday night race meetings
• Purchasing, supplier management and control of food costs/COGS
• Staff recruitment, training, mentoring and development
• Rostering and workforce scheduling
• Maintaining high standards of food quality, presentation and service
• Working with Hospitality and Marketing to promote the venue's food offering
• Managing kitchen maintenance, equipment, repairs and purchasing

Skills

Kitchen leadership

Menu costing

Food safety

Staff development

Operations management

Communication

Recruitment

Job description

Reporting directly to the Hospitality Manager, you will take ownership of the day-to-day kitchen operation and all catering requirements across the venue. This is a hands-on leadership role with responsibility for delivering a high-quality food experience across weekly race meetings, functions, conferences, events and major racing occasions. Working closely with our Hospitality Manager, you will have the opportunity to develop menus, introduce new food concepts, food specific marketing promotions and play a key role in evolving the overall race night and hospitality experience at The Meadows. A key part of the role will be being on-site every Saturday night to lead and manage the back-of-house operation during our main race night service.

Key responsibilities

• Leading and managing the kitchen team and daily kitchen operations
• Developing, costing and executing innovative, high-quality menus
• Managing catering for weekly Saturday night and Wednesday night race meetings
• Managing catering requirements for functions, conferences and events
• Purchasing, supplier management and control of food costs/COGS
• Staff recruitment, training, mentoring and development
• Rostering and workforce scheduling
• Maintaining high standards of food quality, presentation and service
• Working with the Hospitality and Marketing teams to develop and promote the venue's food offering
• Managing kitchen maintenance, equipment, repairs and purchasing

About you

• Proven experience as a Head Chef or senior kitchen leader
• Excellent knowledge of contemporary hospitality practices
• Experience managing kitchen administration, purchasing and food costs
• Demonstrated menu development and costing experience
• Strong organisational and leadership skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience recruiting, training and developing kitchen teams
• A strong understanding of food safety, compliance and OHS
• The ability to remain calm, organised and solutions-focused during busy service periods

About us

The Melbourne Greyhound Racing Association (MGRA) is one of the largest greyhound racing clubs in Australia, conducting race meetings at The Meadows and Healesville. The Meadows is the home of Australian Group 1 Racing and conducts race meetings every Wednesday and Saturday night, showcasing the countries best greyhounds at our modern facility in Broadmeadows.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the position description, please call (03)9355-5***. Applications close at 5.00pm on Friday 2nd October 2026.