Head Chef

Lounge Underwear Ltd.; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A well-known catering company in Peterborough is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead a high-performing kitchen team. You will manage food preparation, maintain high hygiene standards, and be responsible for staff training and recruitment. The ideal candidate will have experience with fresh ingredients and demonstrate strong leadership skills. This role offers competitive pay, bonuses, and excellent benefits including discounted meals and holidays.

Benefits

Overtime pay for extra hours

Staff meals on shifts

50% off food and drinks

Paid breaks

28 days holiday pro rata

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Company pension scheme

Tips shared equally

Opportunities for personal development

Qualifications

• Experience in fresh ingredient preparation and kitchen operations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a team effectively in a kitchen environment.
• Proven record of achieving KPIs related to food safety and quality.

Responsibilities

• Lead the kitchen team to deliver high food and service standards.
• Manage kitchen metrics including GPs and food preparation requirements.
• Train and recruit kitchen staff including apprentices and chefs.

Skills

Chef skills (food prep hot and cold)

Kitchen management

Good hygiene practices

Training and recruitment

Job description

Overview

You love real cooking. We love real cooking. Customers love real cooking. It's a no-brainer so you wonder why so many other places don't do it. We do it, and you'll be doing it with us - fresh, customer led, and with high-quality ingredients. We also love our real people who run Lounges. The person who runs these brilliant people has to be super-brilliant, and that'll be you. Your standards will be as high as ours, but exactly how you do it will be unique to you.

Responsibilities

• You are probably an existing Head Chef, Kitchen Manager or Sous Chef looking for your first step into a Head Chef role. You will have experience of working with fresh ingredients and be able to demonstrate good chef/kitchen skills (food prep hot and cold, cleaning, knife skills, good hygiene practices)
• Your work ethic is rolling your sleeves up and getting stuck in and leading from the front; playing an active role in delivering excellent kitchen and food standards as part of a high performing team.
• Familiar with managing through clear KPIs and making decisions considering labour; stock; food safety requirements plus others.
• You will have worked in kitchen environments where you're required to report on various metrics including GPs; labour/house; food preparation.
• You will have demonstrated successful delivery of training and recruitment for kitchen teams including Apprentices, KPs, Chefs, Junior Sous Chefs and Sous Chefs.

The Good Stuff

• Overtime pay for every hour worked over contracted hours!
• Staff food on every shift
• 50% off food and drinks (including alcohol) from day one at all three of our brands - Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside
• Paid breaks
• 28 days holiday (inclusive of Bank Holidays) pro rata
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay after 2 years service
• The most talked-about staff party in hospitality - Loungefest!
• Competitions and incentives (like jetting off on an all expenses paid trip with one of our suppliers)
• Company pension scheme
• Long service awards
• Power over your pay with Wagestream
• Emotional and practical support via the Licenced Trade Charity
• Great opportunity for personal development and career progression in a fast growing business
• Achievable bonuses
• Tips shared equally across the team, based on hours worked
• Christmas and Boxing Day off!