Head Chef - New Site Opening

Loungers; Godalming; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Bonus

Overtime paid

Free meal on every shift

Christmas and Boxing Day off

Career development/training

50% food & drink discount

Staff party: Loungefest

Long service awards

Early access to pay (Stream)

Support from Licensed Trade Charity

Job summary

Loungers is hiring a hands-on Head Chef to lead Lumino Lounge's kitchen. You will oversee every shift, train and coach the team, and ensure top-quality dishes and strong operational standards.

Join a growing hospitality group with a focus on progression, great benefits, and a collaborative culture across multiple brands. This role offers a competitive package and real opportunities for career growth.

Qualifications

• Hands-on Head Chef with proven kitchen leadership experience.
• Passion for real cooking and high standards.
• Experience building and coaching kitchen teams at all levels.
• Ability to run a kitchen as if it were their own.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead the Lumino Lounge kitchen across every shift.
• Recruit, develop and coach kitchen staff from KP to Sous Chef.
• Master menu specs and kitchen processes to ensure consistent quality.
• Develop site-level action plans covering wait times, stock and cleaning.
• Deliver KPIs on quality, speed, wastage, safety and GP.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

Team development

Food quality control

Menu knowledge

Job description

We're hiring a full-time Head Chef to lead the kitchen at Lumino Lounge, a local café bar. 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.

This is an exciting opportunity to join and lead the opening team at Lumino Lounge, our brand-new site, and become part of one of the UK’s most successful restaurant groups.

About the Head Chef Role

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

As Head Chef you'll lead your own kitchen in Lumino Lounge. We're looking for a hands-on Head Chef who loves real cooking, building teams, and running a kitchen like it's their own. You'll create a kitchen 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 full ownership of the kitchen at Lumino Lounge - leading every shift from open to close, making sure the right people are in the right place and food standards never slip
• Recruit, develop and coach your kitchen team at all levels - from KPs and Chefs through to Sous 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
• Own a site-level action plan with your General Manager covering food wait times, NSF standards, ordering, stock counts and cleaning
• Deliver on your kitchen KPIs - food quality, wait times, wastage, food safety and GP - and report on performance behind every shift