Head Chef

Loungers; Rayleigh; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

Overtime pay

Free meals on shift

Holiday off

Discount on food & drinks

Staff events

Early pay access

Job summary

Loungers is hiring a Head Chef to lead the kitchen at Manzano Lounge. You will run the kitchen, build and coach a strong team, and ensure every dish meets high standards. The role offers a 48-hour contract (40-hour option) and a competitive package with bonus, overtime, and progression opportunities.

You'll work across a growing hospitality brand with strong training and development programs, aiming to deliver exceptional customer experiences and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Natural people leadership to build loyal kitchen teams.
• Love for real cooking and high standards.
• Able to lead from the line and pass; coach and develop staff.
• Commercial awareness: GP, labour, stock and wastage.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the kitchen and lead every shift from open to close.
• Recruit, develop and coach kitchen team across roles.
• Know menu specs and kitchen processes; ensure dishes leave the pass correctly.
• Own site-level action plan with GM for food wait times, ordering and cleaning.
• Deliver on KPIs: food quality, wait times, wastage, safety, GP; report performance.
• Schedule fair rotas aligned to sales and bookings forecast.
• Work with FOH to build a one-team culture and cross-training.

Skills

People leadership

Culinary excellence

Kitchen management

GP knowledge

Staff development

Job description

We're hiring a full-time Head Chef to lead the kitchen at Manzano Lounge, a local café bar. Part of Loungers, proudly named Casual Dining Group of the Year 2026. With competitive salary, plus bonus, paid overtime and real progression opportunities, this is a great next step for an experienced hospitality head chef, kitchen manager, or senior sous chef.

About the Head Chef Role

Lounges are pretty special places, and what makes them so special is the brilliant people who run them.

As Head Chef you'll lead your own kitchen in Manzano Lounge. We're looking for a hands‑on Head Chef who loves real cooking, building teams, and running a kitchen like it's their own. You'll create a kitchen where high standards come naturally — because everyone genuinely cares about making sure every customer leaves happy. It's the small things done brilliantly that make all the difference; from a perfectly executed dish to every spec being nailed.

We're a growing hospitality brand across England and Wales with over 300 sites already and quickly growing; there's no better place to grow a career in hospitality. How far you go is really up to you.

What’s in it For You?

• Competitive base salary + bonus + overtime
• Permanent full-time role; 48-hour contract (40-hour contract option available)
• Overtime pay for every hour worked
• Achievable bonus scheme, paid twice a year
• Tips shared equally across the team, based on hours worked
• Free meal on every shift no matter the length
• Christmas and Boxing Day off
• Genuine career development with our in-house training courses and ‘Future Ops’ development programmes
• 50% discount on food and drinks from day one. Including alcohol across all our brands (Lounge, Cosy Club, & Brightside) from day one
• The most talked-about staff party in hospitality — Loungefest!
• Long service awards – Vouchers/Extra money
• Early access to your pay with Stream
• Emotional and practical support via the Licensed Trade Charity

What You’ll Do

• Take full ownership of the kitchen at Manzano Lounge— leading every shift from open to close, making sure the right people are in the right place and food standards never slip
• Recruit, develop and coach your kitchen team at all levels — from KPs and Chefs through to Sous Chefs — with honest feedback and clear development plans so people can grow with you
• Know our menu specs and kitchen processes inside out, spotting issues and opportunities before they happen and making sure every dish leaves the pass as it should
• Own a site‑level action plan with your General Manager covering food wait times, NSF standards, ordering, stock counts and cleaning
• Deliver on your kitchen KPIs — food quality, wait times, wastage, food safety and GP — and report on performance behind every shift
• Schedule fair rotas in line with the sales and bookings forecast, making sure every shift has the right skill and capability to run smoothly
• Work closely with the front of house team to build a genuine one‑team culture, with shared understanding and cross‑training in place

What You’ll Bring

• A natural people leader — you build loyal, motivated kitchen teams by understanding what makes people tick. You create a one‑team culture between kitchen and front of house, where people back each other and do their best work.
• A cook who genuinely cares — you love working with fresh, high‑quality ingredients and you know our menu specs inside out. You spot issues and opportunities before they happen, and you never settle for second best.
• A kitchen leader — you lead from the line, the pass; anywhere your team need you. You coach in the moment, and obsess over the details that make a difference. You help people grow, with clear development and real progression for your KPs, Chefs, and Sous Chefs.
• Commercially minded — you're confident with GP, labour, stock, wastage and food safety KPIs, and use them to make smart decisions without losing sight of the food. You treat your kitchen like it's your own.
• Experienced and adaptable — you'll have experience as a Head Chef, Kitchen Manager or Sous Chef ready for your next step. You're comfortable recruiting, training and developing kitchen teams, and you're as happy running a busy service as you are reviewing performance with your Operations Chef.

Ready to Apply?

We want to work with kind people so if you want to work hard, have fun and be part of the Loungers ride, we'd love to have you. Want to find out more? Check out our socials at @TheLounges.