Head Chef

The Lounges; Southampton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospitality company is seeking a Head Chef to join their dedicated team in Southampton. The ideal candidate will bring strong kitchen management skills, a passion for quality cooking, and experience in leading teams in a dynamic environment. This is a fantastic opportunity for career progression within a fast-growing company offering significant perks and incentives.

Benefits

Overtime pay for every hour worked over contracted hours

Staff food on every shift

50% off staff discount to enjoy outside working hours

Paid breaks

28 days holiday (pro-rata)

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay after 2 years

Staff party – Loungefest!

Competitions and incentives

Company pension scheme

Long service awards

Power over your pay with Wagestream

Emotional support via the Licensed Trade Charity

Opportunities for personal development

Achievable bonuses

Tips shared equally across the team

Christmas and Boxing Day off

Qualifications

• Experience as a Head Chef, Kitchen Manager, or Sous Chef.
• Ability to manage KPIs and make decisions on labour and stock.
• Experience in training and recruitment for kitchen teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the kitchen team and ensure high food standards.
• Make each dish to spec in a clean and safe kitchen.
• Complete all prep and par for each shift.

Skills

Food prep hot and cold

Kitchen management

Knife skills

Hygiene practices

Leadership

Reporting on metrics

Job description

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.

You'll be doing it your way. You'll be part of a dedicated, supportive team, working from our flexible all-day menu to give people food that'll make their day. It'll be your responsibility to make each dish to spec, in a clean and safe kitchen, and to ensure all prep and par are completed for each shift. You'll help every customer leave happy — thanks to your great food.

The Good Stuff

• Overtime pay for every hour worked over contracted hours!
• Staff food on every shift
• 50% off staff discount to enjoy outside working hours from day one
• Paid breaks
• 28 days holiday (inclusive of Bank Holidays) pro-rata
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay after 2 years of 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 Licensed 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!

What you'll bring

• 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 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 involves rolling your sleeves up, 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, and others.
• You will have worked in kitchen environments where you're required to report on various metrics including GPs, labour, and 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.

If you want to find out more about us, follow us on LinkedIn or @life.at.loungers on TikTok and Instagram.