Head Chef

The Lounges; Wokingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in hospitality seeks a passionate Head Chef to lead a dedicated kitchen team. This role offers the opportunity to create high-quality dishes using fresh ingredients, while ensuring a clean and safe kitchen environment. You will be responsible for maintaining excellent food standards, training kitchen staff, and managing kitchen operations efficiently. With a focus on personal development and career progression, this position promises a rewarding experience in a supportive and dynamic work environment. Join a company that values its people and offers exciting perks, including generous discounts and a lively staff culture.

Benefits

Overtime pay

Staff food on every shift

50% staff discount

Paid breaks

28 days holiday

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Staff party - Loungefest

Company pension scheme

Long service awards

Wagestream pay management

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a kitchen environment with fresh ingredients.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to manage a kitchen team.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook dishes to specification in a clean kitchen.
• Lead a team to maintain high kitchen and food standards.

Skills

Chef/Kitchen Skills

Food Preparation

Hygiene Practices

Leadership

Decision Making

Education

Experience as Head Chef or Kitchen Manager

Experience with Fresh Ingredients

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 make sure all prep and par is completed for each shift. You'll be helping every customer leave happy. Which they tend to do. 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 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!

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 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.

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