Brand Lead Chef - Arcade

Arcade; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Refer a friend bonus

Internal wage advance facility

Restaurant recognition budget

50% off food for you and loved ones

Access to counselling services

Team parties

Job summary

Arcade is seeking a Brand Lead Chef for its exciting food brands at Covent Garden. You will own a dedicated brand, leading your kitchen team and ensuring exceptional food quality. This role requires a commercially minded chef who thrives in a fast-paced setting and understands the importance of operational excellence.

Your responsibilities include managing food costs, driving sales, and ensuring compliance with safety standards. Join a diverse team and enjoy benefits like discounts and a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Senior Sous Chef, Head Chef, or similar leadership role.
• Ownership mindset in kitchen management and commercial performance.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Deliver exceptional food quality and consistency.
• Lead and inspire a kitchen team.
• Drive sales targets and identify revenue opportunities.
• Manage labour budgets and control food costs.
• Ensure compliance with food safety standards.

Skills

Food quality and consistency

Leadership

Sales and revenue maximization

Food cost and stock management

Operational excellence

Problem-solving skills

Team motivation and development

Job description

About Arcade

Arcade incubates and scales exciting food brands in partnership with talented chefs and creators. We're redefining modern hospitality by combining entrepreneurial food concepts with operational excellence and high-volume delivery. With multiple brands operating under one roof, Arcade offers a fast-paced, dynamic environment where ambitious hospitality professionals can make a real impact.

About The Role

We're excited to open applications for our Brand Lead Chef opportunities across four of our Arcade brands: Hero, Pablos, Solis, and Gracey's Pizza at Covent Garden.

As a Brand Lead Chef, you will take ownership of one dedicated brand, becoming the driving force behind its day‑to‑day success. Whether leading Hero, Pablo's, Solis, or Gracey's Pizza, you'll run your kitchen like it's your own business, lead a small team, champion product quality, and deliver strong commercial performance.

This role is perfect for a commercially minded chef who thrives in a high‑volume environment and wants to play a key role in the success of one of Arcade's exciting chef‑led concepts.

Responsibilities

• Deliver exceptional food quality and consistency in every service
• Lead and inspire a small team, creating a positive and accountable kitchen culture
• Drive weekly and monthly sales targets while identifying opportunities to maximise revenue
• Manage labour budgets effectively through smart scheduling and team deployment
• Control food costs, stock levels, ordering, and waste to deliver strong profitability
• Ensure full compliance with food safety, health & safety, and hygiene standards
• Work closely with the Site Operations Manager to drive performance and solve challenges quickly

Qualifications

• Bring proven experience as a Senior Sous Chef, Head Chef, Kitchen Manager, Brand Lead Chef, or similar leadership role within a high‑volume hospitality environment
• Take real pride in product quality and consistently deliver exceptional food experiences
• Run your kitchen with an ownership mindset and understand the importance of commercial performance
• Have a strong understanding of sales, labour, food cost, and stock management
• Know how to balance operational excellence with delivering an outstanding guest experience
• Have experience leading, motivating, and developing small kitchen teams
• Bring excellent organisational and problem‑solving skills and perform well under pressure
• Maintain high standards of food safety, compliance, and operational discipline

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Benefits

• Refer a friend bonus
• Internal wage advance facility to instantly access the wages you’ve earned
• A restaurant recognition budget for birthday goodies and career milestones
• 50% off food in our restaurants for you and your loved ones
• 50% off food in JKS restaurants within Arcade for you and your loved ones
• Access to counselling, remote GP/physio services, legal advice and more through Hospitality Action 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year
• Summer and Christmas team parties where we all down tools and have some fun!