Sous Chef - The Underdog by Third Wave BBQ / Carnegie

Optura; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Underdog by Third Wave BBQ in Carnegie is seeking an experienced Sous Chef to help launch a new brand and run two linked kitchens with a shared roster. You’ll lead services, train a team, and help ensure smooth operations across both kitchens alongside our central production area.

We value bold BBQ flavors and hands-on leadership. This role offers immediate start, nights/weekends, and a clear path toward Head Chef as the brand grows. Your culinary craft will shape a fresh dining experience.

Qualifications

• Experience in busy, high-volume kitchens.
• Ability to train, motivate and lead by example.
• Solid understanding of food costs, ordering and stock control.
• Pride in quality, consistency and presentation.
• Hands-on attitude across both kitchens.
• Genuine enthusiasm for BBQ and menu development.
• Full-time availability including nights and weekends.

Responsibilities

• Run sections and the pass and help lead busy services with clear communication and a calm head.
• Play a lead role in onboarding and training up a new team.
• Drive daily prep: prep lists done, par levels met, every section set before service.
• Assist with supplier ordering, receiving and stock rotation.
• Hold recipe, portion and plating specs across the brigade, every plate.
• Track wastage and portion control on every shift and keep production entries up to date.
• Keep Food Safety Program records complete and audit-ready, and support the weekly kitchen audit.
• Keep FOH in the loop on ticket times, delays and guest feedback through service.
• Learn to smoke and cook to spec, and take production shifts when the roster calls for it.
• Contribute ideas for new dishes, better systems and smoother service.

Skills

Leadership

High-volume kitchens

BBQ knowledge

Food cost control

Team training

Menu development

Nights & weekends

Job description

Sous Chef - The Underdog by Third Wave BBQ / Carnegie

Sous Chef | New Brand. Big BBQ. Two Kitchens, One Roster.
The Underdog by Third Wave BBQ | Carnegie
$90,000–$95,000 + super | Full-time | Immediate start available

Cook food people travel for. Help launch something new.

Third Wave BBQ is more than a restaurant group. We’re one of the most-followed restaurant brands on the planet, with our social content reaching up to 200 million views a month.

Slow-smoked meats. Loaded burgers. Outrageous specials. Food that stops people scrolling and brings them through the doors.

The Underdog is our new sports bar brand. Third Wave food, ice-cold drinks and live sport, in Carnegie, in the same building as the production kitchen that smokes for every Third Wave store.

We’re looking for a Sous Chef to help run The Underdog kitchen.
You’ll be supporting the day-to-day running of the kitchen, leading some services and helping ensure a smooth launch of a new brand.

Two kitchens, one roster
The Underdog’s service kitchen sits right next to our central production kitchen. Your role may extend into production on a shared roster: learning to smoke brisket, ribs and more, and taking on some of the prep that feeds all our stores.

It’s the best place in the group to learn the smoke craft properly.

A Sous Chef role with somewhere to go
As Third Wave expands, we need people who can step up, lead kitchens and develop the next generation of chefs. Head Chef progression is a serious opportunity for the right person, not an afterthought.

Show us you can lead a team, deliver consistently and take ownership, and you’ll be building a strong case for that next step.

Why join Third Wave?

• Open something new. Shape a kitchen from day one, with the systems and support of an established group behind you.
• Develop your BBQ craft. Smoke, prep and service, all on one site. Learn it inside out.
• Your ideas have a platform. Contribute to the specials we’re known for, with the opportunity for your work to reach an enormous audience.
• Work directly with owners and management. No corporate layers, decisions actually get made.
• Discuss a roster that works. Nights and weekends are part of the role, but we’re open to conversations about shift flexibility.

What you’ll do

• Run sections and the pass and help lead busy services with clear communication and a calm head.
• Play a lead role in onboarding and training up a new team.
• Drive daily prep: prep lists done, par levels met, every section set before service.
• Assist with supplier ordering, receiving and stock rotation.
• Hold recipe, portion and plating specs across the brigade, every plate.
• Track wastage and portion control on every shift and keep production entries up to date.
• Keep Food Safety Program records complete and audit-ready, and support the weekly kitchen audit.
• Keep FOH in the loop on ticket times, delays and guest feedback through service.
• Learn to smoke and cook to spec, and take production shifts when the roster calls for it.
• Contribute ideas for new dishes, better systems and smoother service.

We value creativity and discipline equally. A brilliant dish needs to be brilliant every time it leaves the pass.

Who we’re looking for

You’re an experienced Sous Chef or senior kitchen leader who’s ready for more responsibility.

You Bring:

• Experience in busy, high-volume kitchens.
• The ability to train, motivate and lead by example.
• A solid understanding of food costs, ordering and stock control.
• Pride in quality, consistency and presentation.
• A hands‑on attitude and willingness to work across both kitchens.
• Genuine enthusiasm for BBQ, bold flavours and menu development.
• Full‑time availability, including nights and weekends.

BBQ and smoker experience is a bonus. Strong chef fundamentals and a genuine desire to learn matter more.

Big social presence. No pressure to be on camera.
Love presenting food or sharing what happens behind the scenes? There may be opportunities to get involved.

Prefer to let your cooking do the talking? Equally welcome. Appearing in content is entirely optional and has no bearing on hiring or progression.

The details

• Salary: $90,000–$95,000 + super, negotiable for the right person.
• Location: Carnegie — The Underdog, alongside our central production kitchen.
• Reporting to: Head Chef, then Area Manager BOH.
• Employment: Full-time, including nights and weekends, on a roster shared between The Underdog and the production kitchen.
• Start: Immediate start available.
• Sponsorship: May be considered for the right candidate already based in Melbourne, subject to eligibility.