Night Chef

Mountain; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent restaurant in Westminster is looking for a Night Chef to ensure high-quality overnight food production. The role involves preparing ingredients, maintaining food safety, and collaborating with day staff. Ideal candidates will have experience in a fast-paced kitchen and strong communication skills, along with a positive attitude towards night shifts. The position offers extensive benefits including training opportunities and discounts.

Benefits

28 days of annual leave including bank holidays

50% discount at all restaurants

Access to courses and training resources

Qualifications

• Experience as a strong Commis/Chef de Partie in a high-standard, fast-paced kitchen.
• Working knowledge of HACCP, allergen control, temperature logging, and traceability.
• Full UK right to work documents.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the nightly prep plan and maintain high-quality standards.
• Ensure food safety and compliance with 5-Star EHO standards.
• Communicate effectively with the day team during handovers.

Skills

Excellent knife skills

Experience in high-standard kitchens

Strong communication skills

Ability to manage time effectively

Positive professional attitude

Job description

About Us

Mountain is a buzzy, expansive Soho restaurant centered around the regional cookery of Catalonia and the produce of the Welsh terroir. With an atmospheric wood grill and wine bar, we value strong relationships with our farmers and growers. We take pride in ensuring our team is well informed about the exceptional ingredients we use. Our 600+ bottle wine list is industry acclaimed, alongside our Michelin star and other accolades. With initiatives like our grain and cheese programme, we’re passionate about staff development and career satisfaction.

We’re seeking a Night Chef to join our Kitchen Team!

Role Overview

As Night Chef, you’ll deliver consistent, high-quality overnight production that sets the kitchen up for an exceptional day service. Working in a two-person team (12:00am–8:00am), you’ll complete planned prep, cook long-format items, portion and label accurately, and hand over cleanly to the day team—upholding Mountain’s standards of flavour, sourcing and food safety.

5 Core Responsibilities

• Overnight Production & Prep Execution — Deliver the nightly prep plan (stocks, sauces, braises, butchery/portioning, veg prep, doughs/pastry where relevant) to spec and on time.
• Food Safety & Compliance — Maintain 5-Star EHO standards with accurate HACCP logs, temperature checks, storage, labelling and allergen control.
• Quality & Taste Assurance — Season, taste and finish to Mountain recipes; escape quality concerns immediately.
• Handover & Communication — Provide clear written and verbal handovers (pars, 86s, outstanding items) and collaborate smoothly with day teams.
• Cleanliness, Organisation & Waste Control — Keep sections immaculate, follow cleaning schedules, apply FIFO, and minimise waste through yield control.

Leadership & Teamwork

• Work effectively in a two-chef night team, supporting your teammate to complete the prep plan on time.
• Communicate clearly at handover with the day prep/section leads (verbal and written).
• Uphold Mountain’s values and contribute to a calm, focused, respectful night environment.

Operational Oversight

• Execute the nightly production plan: batch sauces, stocks, braises, marinades, pickles/ferments, doughs/pastry items where applicable, butchery/portioning, and vegetable prep aligned to Mountain specs.
• Monitor slow cooks/wood-grill mise (as relevant), temperature-check and document according to HACCP.
• Complete accurate labelling, rotation and storage (FIFO) to standard.
• Maintain mise en place par levels; flag shortages, quality issues or yield variances.

Quality Assurance

• Taste, season and finish prep to recipe specs; escape any quality concerns immediately.
• Keep immaculate section organisation; conduct routine checks against Mountain standards.
• Ensure allergen controls are followed precisely, with clean down between tasks.

Food Safety & Compliance

• Maintain 5-star EHO standards overnight: cleaning schedules, temperature logs, CCPs, traceability and deliveries sign-off if applicable.
• Adhere to HACCP, COSHH and company safety policies; report incidents and equipment faults promptly.

Efficiency & Handover

• Hit nightly timelines; proactively sequence tasks (e.g., set long cooks early, cool-down windows).
• Deliver a clear written handover (pars, 86s, outstanding items, notes for service).
• Minimise waste through careful trimming, yield tracking and smart batch sizing.

What You’ll Bring

• Experience as a strong Commis/Chef de Partie in a high-standard, fast-paced kitchen.
• Excellent knife skills and confident execution of core prep (stocks, sauces, butchery/filleting, doughs/pastry basics, pickling/fermenting as relevant).
• Working knowledge of HACCP, allergen control, temperature logging and traceability.
• Reliability and pace: you manage time well, stay organised and communicate clearly.
• Positive, professional attitude; comfortable working nights.
• Comfortable working nights 12am-8am; flexibility to work varied shifts across 5 out of 7 days.
• Full UK right to work documents.

Collaboration

• Partner closely with the day prep and section leads to refine pars and standards.
• Share ingredient knowledge (origins, seasonality, suppliers) to keep quality high.
• Support cross-training so the night team can cover each other’s sections.

Continuous Improvement

• Suggest practical tweaks to recipes, yields, cooling methods and storage to improve flavour, consistency and shelf life.
• Help maintain and update prep lists/SOPs with the Head Chef and Senior Night Chef.

What’s in it for you

• 28 days of annual leave, including bank holidays.
• Access to courses, resources, and training to enhance your career.
• 50% discount at all our restaurants, along with complimentary staff meals during your shifts.
• Discounted dining at various local establishments near Super 8 Restaurants.
• Enhanced maternity leave, pension scheme, subsidised mental health support, and a cycle-to-work scheme.
• Refer a Friend scheme—recommend someone to join Super 8 and receive a bonus!
• Opportunities for both international and national travel to visit our suppliers and learn about sourcing ingredients and beverages.
• £300 contribution towards the purchase of a work laptop for all salaried staff members.

If this role sounds like a great fit for you, we’d love to see your application! Please keep in mind that it may take us 1 to 2 weeks to get back to you due to the high volume of applications. Thanks for your patience!