Head Chef Designate

Loungers; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

Overtime pay

Free meals on shift

Staff 50% discount on food & drinks

Loungefest event

Job summary

Loungers is seeking a Head Chef Designate to support Lounges across Shropshire and parts of Birmingham. You will lead multiple kitchens, recruit and mentor teams, and ensure the highest standards of cooking and service on a regional level.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, strong GP focus, and developing staff through in-house training programmes. Travel between sites is required, with a full UK driving licence essential.

Qualifications

• Experience as Head Chef, Kitchen Manager or Senior Sous Chef.
• Willingness to travel between Lounges across Shropshire and Birmingham area.
• Strong leadership and people development skills.
• Excellent food standards and kitchen processes.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of multiple kitchens across the region.
• Recruit, coach and develop kitchen teams.
• Ensure menu specs and processes are followed.
• Collaborate with GMs and Ops Chefs on site action plans.
• Deliver KPIs on quality, wait times and wastage.
• Plan rotas aligned with sales and bookings.
• Foster one-team culture with front-of-house.

Skills

People leadership

Cooking skills

Kitchen leadership

Commercial awareness

Team development

Job description

We're hiring a full-time Head Chef Designate to support Lounges in the Shropshire and some of the Birmingham region. 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.

Please note: This is a regional support role covering multiple Lounges across the Shropshire area. As you'll be travelling regularly between sites, a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential for this position.

About the Head Chef Designate Role

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

As Head Chef Designate you'll mainly support Lounges in and around the Shropshire region and the western side of Birmingham. We're looking for a hands-on Head Chef who loves real cooking, building teams, and running kitchens like they're their own. You'll create kitchens 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 ownership of multiple kitchens across your region — leading a variety of shifts, making sure the right people are in the right place and food standards never slip
• Recruit, develop and coach kitchen teams at all levels — from KPs and Chefs through to Sous Chefs and Head 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
• Work closely with General Managers and Operations Chefs to deliver site action plans covering food wait times, NSF standards, ordering, stock counts and cleaning
• Deliver on kitchen KPIs — food quality, wait times, wastage, food safety and GP — and support teams to improve performance across every site you work in
• Support effective rota planning in line with sales and bookings forecasts, making sure every kitchen has the right capability to run smoothly
• Work closely with front of house teams 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, Sous Chefs and future Head 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 every kitchen like it's your own.
• Experienced and adaptable — you'll have experience as a Head Chef, Kitchen Manager or Senior Sous Chef ready for your next step. You're comfortable stepping into different teams, recruiting, training and developing people, and you're as happy running a busy service as you are reviewing performance with your Operations Chef.

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.