Chef De Partie (Breakfast Chef)

John Lewis Partnership; Maidenhead; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Night Premium £4.25/hr

Enhanced Hours Premium

Job summary

John Lewis Partnership in Maidenhead is seeking a Breakfast Chef to lead the kitchen in the Head Chef’s absence and deliver high-quality breakfast offerings for Partners and guests.

You will track wastage, manage inventory, and ensure daily safety checks while working closely with Front of House to create outstanding guest experiences. Night premiums apply for late shifts.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to train and develop junior chefs and kitchen porters.
• Ability to deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment while upholding hygiene.
• Strong leadership and communication to manage kitchen operations in absence of senior staff.

Responsibilities

• Assist Head and Sous Chef to plan and deliver a trending food offer.
• Train and develop junior kitchen staff.
• Ensure allergen management, food safety policies and health & safety standards are met.
• Conduct daily compliance checks on fridges, cleaning schedules and PPE.
• Assist in achieving sales targets by managing food availability and upselling knowledge to FOH teams.
• Manage food orders to minimise wastage and maximise profit margins.

Skills

Instruct kitchen team

Allergen management

Food safety standards

Hygiene standards

Decision-making

Education

City & Guilds diplomas in professional cookery

BTEC HNC in professional cookery

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

Forget everything you know about corporate kitchen life. At our Partnership Hotels, you aren't just an employee on a payroll. You are a Partner and co-owner of the business. The Breakfast Chef is responsible for preparing and delivering the hotel's breakfast offerings and managing the kitchen in the absence of the Head and Sous Chefs. You'll be working as part of our friendly team to ensure the efficient day to day running of the kitchen and to assist in providing a consistently high quality dining experience while maintaining sales, reputation and profit of the kitchen as agreed by the Head Chef.

Behind the scenes, you’ll help keep the business running smoothly by tracking food wastage, managing inventory orders, and ensuring flawless daily safety checks. Above all, you’ll build fantastic relationships with the Front of House team to deliver pitch-perfect service and keep our guests coming back for more. In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £4.25 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

Salary - £34,080 - £46,300 paid based on skills and experience

Hours of work - 45 hours per week, 06:00 - 16:00 including weekends. Flexibility is needed on occasion to work a later shift for events or holiday cover

Key Responsibilities

• Assisting the Head and Sous Chef to plan and deliver a food offer that aligns with current trends and customer demand, maintaining exceptional presentation standards.
• Using your expertise to train and develop junior chefs and kitchen porters.
• Ensuring all legislative requirements are met, including allergen management, food safety policies, and health & safety standards.
• Conducting daily compliance checks (fridge temperatures, cleaning schedules, and PPE) and taking charge of the kitchen operation in the absence of senior chefs.
• Helping to achieve sales targets by managing food availability and equipping the front-of-house team with the knowledge to upsell effectively.
• Managing food orders with accuracy to minimise wastage and maximise profit margins.
• Acting as a representative of the Partnership, providing a consistently outstanding experience for our guests and fellow Partners.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Relevant professional chef qualifications, such as City & Guilds diplomas in professional cookery, BTEC HNC in professional cookery, or equivalent.
• Excellent skills to instruct the kitchen team and deliver clear feedback to front-of-house staff.
• The ability to deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment while upholding strict hygiene and safety standards.
• Ability to foster mutual trust and respect within a team, ensuring every Partner feels valued.
• Quick and confident decision-making skills to resolve kitchen issues efficiently.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Level 3 Food Safety qualification.
• Experience in coaching or developing junior kitchen Partners.
• Experience working in a hotel or high-volume quality dining environment

Closing Date

October 31, 2026

Pay

£28,400.00 - £38,600.00 Annual

Contract Type

Permanent

Hours of Work

45

Job Level

Partnership Level 9

Where You'll Be Working

Odney Club, Odney Lane, Cookham, Berkshire, SL6 9SR

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or short‑hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.