Head Chef

Lounge Café Bars; Harlow; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A popular hospitality brand in Harlow is seeking a dedicated Head Chef. You will lead a team to create exceptional dishes using fresh, high-quality ingredients. Your responsibilities include ensuring every meal is prepared to specification, maintaining a clean and safe kitchen, and fostering a supportive team environment. The role offers various benefits, including overtime pay, generous employee discounts, and opportunities for personal development. Ideal candidates are experienced chefs ready to take the next step in their careers.

Benefits

Overtime pay for worked hours

Staff food on every shift

50% off food and drinks

Paid breaks

28 days holiday pro rata

Enhanced maternity/paternity pay

Company pension scheme

Tips shared across the team

Qualifications

• Experience as a Head Chef, Kitchen Manager, or Sous Chef.
• Familiar with managing KPIs and decision-making in kitchen operations.
• Proven skills in training and recruitment for kitchen teams.

Responsibilities

• Make each dish to specifications in a clean and safe kitchen.
• Ensure all prep and par is completed for each shift.
• Lead the cooking team and maintain high kitchen standards.

Skills

Chef skills (food preparation hot and cold)

Good hygiene practices

Cleaning skills

Knife skills

Job description

Overview

Head Chef - Harlow

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.

Benefits

• 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!

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