Head Chef — Lead Creative Japanese Kitchen and Growth

KIBOU Restaurants Ltd; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personalised training

Transparent service charge policy

Employee discounts

Free meals on shift

Wellness support

Pension via Salary Exchange

Awards recognition 2025/2026

Job summary

KIBOU Restaurants Ltd in Cambridge is seeking an experienced Kitchen Manager to lead day-to-day kitchen operations and a skilled team. You will drive food quality, staff morale and a premium guest dining experience across our Japanese menu and dedicated sushi kitchen.

You will influence menu development, recruit and develop chefs, manage labour costs and food margins, and help grow our growing family of restaurants while ensuring safety and compliance at all times.

Qualifications

• Experience in Japanese cuisine preferred but not essential.
• Ability to recruit, train and develop effective and passionate teams.
• Proven track record of delivering sales growth through consistent food quality and service.
• Effective labour cost management.
• Track record of delivering budgeted food margins.
• Flare for creative and authentic menu development.
• Experience in running large teams of chefs.
• Ensure legal compliance and health & safety are managed as required.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day running of kitchen operations and the team.
• Lead the kitchen team from the front to deliver a fun, authentic dining experience aligned with core values.
• Opportunity to work on menu development and growing our offering.

Skills

Team leadership

Recruitment

Staff development

Food quality

Labour cost management

Menu development

Large team management

Health & safety compliance

Job description

KIBOU Restaurants Ltd in Cambridge is seeking an experienced Kitchen Manager to lead day-to-day kitchen operations and a skilled team. You will drive food quality, staff morale and a premium guest dining experience across our Japanese menu and dedicated sushi kitchen.

You will influence menu development, recruit and develop chefs, manage labour costs and food margins, and help grow our growing family of restaurants while ensuring safety and compliance at all times.