Breakfast Chef

Dakota Hotels; Manchester; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Special discounts on stays and dining

Bonuses for referrals and Trip Advisor

Additional holiday day on anniversary

Meals on duty and uniforming

Employee Assistance Program and mental

Job summary

Dakota Hotels in Manchester is seeking a Breakfast Chef to lead a busy morning service, preparing and cooking to specification and setting up their section before lunch. The role requires hand-on involvement in a fast-paced kitchen and maintaining high cleanliness standards.

The ideal candidate has at least 3 years of professional restaurant cooking experience, is comfortable with early shifts, and can work calmly under pressure.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years professional cooking in a full-service restaurant.
• Willing to work early morning shifts; mornings are advantageous.
• Ability to work at pace and stay calm under pressure.
• Health & safety and food hygiene knowledge; training provided.

Responsibilities

• Manage and operate a busy breakfast service.
• Prepare and cook dishes to the Head Chef's specification.
• Carry out prep work and set up the section before lunch service.
• Multitask during busy service and maintain a clean, immaculate kitchen.
• Communicate effectively with kitchen and front-of-house teams.
• Adhere to Health & Safety and Food Hygiene legislation.
• Demonstrate willingness to learn and support across kitchen areas.

Skills

Cooking experience

Teamwork

Pressure management

Education

Food Safety Certification (preferred)

Health & Safety training (provided)

Job description

We are seeking a morning person and hard-working individual for the role of Breakfast Chef.

Estimated earnings of £14.95 per hour, comprising a basic hourly rate of £12.71 plus average anticipated tronc. Team members in this role at Dakota Manchester received an average of £2.24 per hour in tronc over the 12 months to October 2026. Tronc payments are variable, non-contractual and not guaranteed.

PRIMARY ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Be confident in managing and working a busy Breakfast service.
• Prepare and cook dishes according to the specification as set out by the Head Chef.
• Carry out prep work for breakfast service as well as setting up assigned section ahead of lunch service before handing over.
• Be able to multi-task and work through busy service times.
• Carry out a full clean down of the kitchen and maintain an immaculate working environment.
• Be committed to working wholeheartedly as part of the team, effectively communicating with all members of the kitchen and front of house team.
• A strong understanding and ability to adhere to Health & Safety and Food Hygiene legislation.
• Display a willingness to learn and support across different areas of the Kitchen.

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

The successful applicant will have/be:

• A minimum of 3 years professional cooking experience in a full-service restaurant as a Demi Chef or Chef de Partie.
• Willing and able to work all early morning shifts – being a morning person is advantageous!
• You are often working service singlehandedly and will need to work at pace and keep calm under pressure.
• Previous qualifications in Food Safety are preferred, although training in Health & Safety, Allergens, and Food Hygiene standards and procedures will be given.
• An enthusiastic individual who will promote our culture of positivity.
• Be task oriented with a great pride for the work they do and attention to detail.
• Flexible with shift patterns and available around the needs of our business.
• Successful candidates must demonstrate having researched our brand and a genuine desire to be part of our team.

WHAT WE OFFER

In addition to being part of a culture infused with positivity and opportunity for ongoing development, tangible benefits you could enjoy when you join our team include:

FINANCIAL

• Special discounts on stays and dining at any Dakota
• Bonuses to recommend a friend to join our team and every time you are mentioned on Trip Advisor
• Additional holiday day on the first anniversary of your employment
• Meals on duty and uniforming

WELLBEING

• Access to our Employee Assistance Program which includes free private mental health support and counselling sessions, video GP consultations and private prescription services, as well as access to daily rewards to be cashed out for shopping vouchers
• Support from our inhouse Mental Health Champions
• Family-friendly flexible working options
• Participation in meaningful initiatives such as Macmillan Cancer Support Coffee Morning and the Walk for Wellbeing, Supporting causes that matter while connecting with colleagues

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• Accredited, certified compliance training given on employment
• Access to a suite of external, certified resources via our Learning Management System
• Supportive continuous professional development culture with an annual appraisal and objectives, or a Personal Development Plan
• Opportunities to undertake both internal and external training courses, including potential for in-house Apprenticeships

Full terms on our benefits can be found in our Handbook.

ABOUT DAKOTA HOTELS

Dakota is a growing UK-based lifestyle brand, known for our stylish hotels, bustling brasserie?Grills?and upscale cocktail Bars. Dakota’s story started with two boutique hotels on the outskirts of Edinburgh, in South Queensferry, and Glasgow, in Eurocentral. We have now expanded into prime city centre locations in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester &?Newcastle. Our newest hotel is at Manchester Airport, with our next opening in York expected early 2028 with more?in our pipeline.?

Dakota is synonymous for delivering attentive and genuine guest service. We attract hard-working individuals who are passionate about working to the highest standards and have been voted within The Caterer’s Top 15 Best Employers in Hospitality for the lastsixyears in a row. We were also featured within the Top 10 employers in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in the UKfor the last three years running.

Aswinners of The Cateys ‘People Team of the Year’,?we have award-winning internal training programmes within Dakota Academy fostering continuous development and ongoing training. As a result, over 75% of our leaders have been promoted internally and, forfiveconsecutive years, a member of our team has won a prestigious Acorn Award awarded by The Caterer to the ‘Top 30 under 30’?in the industry,?demonstrating?our success in developing talent.?