Lead Chef — Creative Kitchen & Team Leadership

Sandstone Point Hotel; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Event Cinemas Carindale is seeking a Kitchen Manager to lead the Gold Class kitchen, delivering hot, high-quality meals in a fast-paced cinema environment. This hands-on leadership role covers day-to-day kitchen operations, food quality, stock management and team development to ensure guest experiences meet brand standards.

You will oversee food safety, kitchen cleanliness, and procedure compliance while fostering a positive team culture. Weekend, night work and public holidays may be required.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a kitchen, café, restaurant or hospitality team.
• Strong short-order cooking experience in a fast-paced environment.
• Solid understanding of food safety, hygiene and HACCP requirements.
• Experience with stock ordering, inventory management and cost control.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the Gold Class kitchen.
• Ensure meals are prepared, presented and served to company standards.
• Maintain recipe compliance and product consistency across all menu items.
• Support efficient, high-quality service during busy trading periods.
• Ensure the kitchen remains clean, organised and guest-ready at all times.
• Champion food safety practices and maintain HACCP records.

Skills

Team leadership

Food safety & HACCP

Stock management

Fast-paced service

Quality control

Job description

Event Cinemas Carindale About the Role As our Kitchen Manager, you'll lead the team behind our Gold Class kitchen, delivering hot, high-quality meals that enhance every guest's movie-going experience. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for day-to-day kitchen operations, food quality, stock management, and team development while ensuring every dish leaving the pass meets our standards. Our menu focuses on premium short-order cooking, so we're looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced service environment, enjoys leading from the front, and takes pride in consistency, presentation, and quality. Whether you're an experienced Kitchen Supervisor, Café Manager, Sous Chef, or hospitality leader ready for your next challenge, this role offers the opportunity to make a real impact while developing your career with Event Cinemas. This position can be offered on a Permanent Part- for the right candidate, although can also be offered casually. Some weekends, night work and public holidays required What You'll Be Responsible For Kitchen Operations Lead the day-to-day operation of the Gold Class kitchen. Ensure all meals are prepared, presented and served to company standards. Maintain recipe compliance and product consistency across all menu items. Support efficient, high-quality service during busy trading periods. Ensure the kitchen remains clean, organised and guest-ready at all times. Food Safety & Compliance Champion food safety, hygiene and HACCP standards. Ensure all team members are following safe food handling practices. Maintain cleaning schedules, operational logs and food safety records. Ensure compliance with all company policies and operational procedures. Team Leadership Lead, coach and develop kitchen team members. Create a positive, supportive and high-performing team culture. Assist with recruitment, onboarding and ongoing training. Set clear expectations and ensure team members have the tools to succeed. Inventory & Stock Control Manage stock ordering and inventory levels. Receive and check deliveries to ensure quality and accuracy. Complete stocktakes and monitor wastage to improve efficiency and performance. Support cost control through effective stock management and ordering practices. Commercial Performance Support achievement of food cost and labour targets. Monitor COGS, stock variances and wastage. Drive operational efficiencies while maintaining food quality standards. Look for opportunities to improve processes and the overall guest experience. What We're Looking For We're looking for someone who enjoys leading teams, takes pride in delivering great food, and understands the important role food plays in creating memorable guest experiences. You'll ideally bring: Previous experience leading a kitchen, café, restaurant or hospitality team. Strong short-order cooking experience in a fast-paced environment. Sound understanding of food safety, hygiene and HACCP requirements. Experience with stock ordering, inventory management and cost control. A