Kitchen Manager: Lead Busy Pub Kitchen & Buffets

Greene King; Sidcup; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Staff discounts

Greene King Inns discounts

Wellbeing support

Family-friendly benefits

Recognition: £1,500 referral bonus

Wagestream access

Retail discounts

Job summary

The Jolly Fenman in Sidcup is seeking an experienced Kitchen Manager / Head Chef to lead a busy pub kitchen and drive the food offer. You’ll motivate the team, balance menu classics with seasonal dishes, and deliver meals for guests, buffets and wakes with high quality and consistency.

Join Greene King’s community pub and help provide great food, a welcoming experience, and strong commercial results while leading from the front and coaching your brigade.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a kitchen team in a fast-paced setting.
• Hands-on leadership style and the confidence to lead from the front.
• Passion for quality food, consistency and great presentation.
• Strong organisation to plan for busy services and buffet bookings.
• Good commercial awareness, including stock control, waste and labour management.
• A sound understanding of food safety, allergens and kitchen compliance.
• The ability to motivate your team, solve problems and remain calm under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Leading your team: Motivate, coach and develop your kitchen team, creating a positive environment where everyone can do their best work.
• Delivering great food: Ensure every dish is prepared to a consistently high standard, from hearty pub classics and seasonal favourites to indulgent desserts.
• Catering for every occasion: Organise and deliver quality buffet food for wakes and other gatherings, ensuring everything runs smoothly and guests are well looked after.
• Managing a busy kitchen: Plan ahead, organise prep and service, and make sure the kitchen is ready for busy periods and special bookings.
• Taking control of costs: Manage stock, ordering, waste, labour and food costs to support strong commercial performance.
• Maintaining high standards: Ensure food safety, allergen management and kitchen compliance are always a priority.
• Working as one team: Partner with the General Manager and front-of-house team to deliver a great guest experience and identify opportunities to grow food sales.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

People management

Food quality

Restaurant operations

Stock control

Food safety

Allergen management

Budgeting

Problem solving

Calm under pressure

Job description

The Jolly Fenman in Sidcup is seeking an experienced Kitchen Manager / Head Chef to lead a busy pub kitchen and drive the food offer. You’ll motivate the team, balance menu classics with seasonal dishes, and deliver meals for guests, buffets and wakes with high quality and consistency.

Join Greene King’s community pub and help provide great food, a welcoming experience, and strong commercial results while leading from the front and coaching your brigade.