Kitchen Leader

Pret A Manger; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,402,000 - 45,048,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mystery Shopper bonus

3-5am shift bonus

28 days annual leave

Pension

Healthcare

Free staff meals

Club Pret Membership

Loyalty rewards

Rewards program

Marketplace discounts

Free footwear

Job summary

Pret A Manger is hiring a Kitchen Leader to ensure delicious food is prepared to high standards and to lead a motivated team. You will act as a role model, promote Pret’s values, and maintain a safe, clean kitchen while supporting smooth operations.

You will manage stock, complete admin tasks, oversee shifts, and help deliver a fresh, satisfying customer experience every day.

Qualifications

• Be kind, honest and generous; bring warmth to work.
• Lead with passion for exceptional customer service.
• Drive performance while protecting profit and maintaining high standards.

Responsibilities

• Ensure consistent preparation of delicious food meeting high standards.
• Lead and inspire the team to deliver excellence every day.
• Promote Pret values and maintain a safe, clean kitchen environment.
• Manage stock counts and complete administrative tasks for smooth operations.
• Oversee shift performance, resolve issues quickly and keep customers happy.

Skills

Kindness

Customer service

Team leadership

High standards

Job description

Hello, we’re Pret

Proud makers of freshly made food, organic coffee and big ideas. Across 750+ shops and 20+ countries, our teams are shaping the future of Pret through innovation, inclusion, great customer service and a shared passion for doing the right thing. We’re growing fast on our mission to be the hospitality employer of choice everywhere we operate – so it’s an exciting time to hop on board.

Growing good things

Pret is where passionate, hardworking, wonderful people (like you!) find what they need to shine. Growth is at the heart of everything we do – from supporting our people to grow in confidence and skills to pursue their unique paths, to figuring out how to make our food and coffee even more delicious and accessible.

Our Teams

85% of our Managers and 25% of our Support Centre teams started on the shop floor. How far could a Pret career take you? Our shops are powered by caring, hardworking and passionate people. Whether you're serving customers, making coffee, preparing food or leading a team, every role plays an important part in creating the Pret experience.

Expect flexibility, opportunity and variety. Whatever your ambitions, you'll find a place where you can make an impact and build your career with us in creating the Pret experience.

Now, on the Kitchen Leader Role…

As a Kitchen Leader at Pret a Manger, you’ll play a key role in ensuring the consistent preparation of delicious food that meets our high standards, while leading and inspiring your team to deliver excellence every day. You’ll act as a role model, promoting Pret’s core values and maintaining a safe, clean, and compliant kitchen environment. With a sharp eye for detail, you’ll manage stock counts and complete administrative tasks accurately to support smooth operations. Working closely with Managers, you’ll help oversee shift performance, resolve issues quickly, and ensure every customer enjoys a fresh and satisfying experience.

About you

• Be kind, honest and generous: bring genuine warmth and your authentic self to work every day.

• Bring your passion: share our passion for exceptional customer service.

• Spread joy every day: small acts of kindness (like giving away a free coffee on the house) are a big part of what makes the Pret experience special.

• Experience needed: You lead with purpose—driving team performance, protecting profit, and keeping customers happy through high standards and great energy.

Base Pay Rate:£14.10 - £14.10

The perks

• Additional £1.25 per hour Mystery Shopper bonus once training is complete
• After initial training, earn an extra £5 per hour for any shift started between 3-5am
• 28 days annual leave (pro-rata if you're part-time)
• Pension scheme
• Healthcare cash plan
• Free food and drink while you're working
• And when you're not, you'll have our Club Pret Membership (giving you 50% off food and to 5 free Barista-made drinks a day)
• Loyalty award after 5, 10, 15, 20 years’ service
• Regular rewards and recognition for amazing standards
• Access marketplace discounts on shopping, travel, fitness, dining, tech and more
• Comfy free shoes to wear on shift

Life in Our shops

Our shops are a wonderful place to be. For our customers, and for our teams! The teams in our shops bring their talents (and their unique charm) to make every day a little more joyful.

Here, you'll find:

• Individual ways to grow: fully funded professional qualifications, leadership development and informal and formal mentoring
• Diversity & belonging: Everyone’s welcome at Pret – you'll be valued for who you are and supported to feel confident in yourself and your skills
• Pace & variety: Build a diverse skillset, meet some new people and learn (a LOT)
• Community & purpose: We work together to create positive change through the Pret Foundation

We put great care into everything we do – that includes our shops and your career in them. Work here is fast-paced, but your team’s always got your back as you work together to serve delicious food and coffee and share small everyday moments of joy with your customers.

Our values

• Happy Teams Happy Customers
• Amazing Standards Every day
• Never Standing Still
• Doing The Right Thing

The Pret interview journey

Then, if we move forward with your application, we’ll start the process with an initial phone screening. The next stage is a 60-minute shop-based interview with the General Manager and the team.

Everyone is welcome at Pret. We encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including women, people with disabilities, neurodiversity, ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community. Please let our recruitment team know if you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process – your experience matters to us.