Relief Chef Manager - South East

Thomas Franks; Ashtead; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel Expense Paid

Free meals on duty

Volunteers leave

Enhanced maternity/paternity leave

Recommend a friend bonus

Workplace pension

Training and development

Job summary

Thomas Franks is seeking a Relief Chef Manager to support our South M25 region and surrounding areas. You will lead kitchens, create fresh seasonal menus, and ensure brand standards are met while maintaining cost controls.

You will cover holidays and sickness, mobilisations, and provide flexible support to locations that need it. Strong English communication and a passion for great food are essential.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated interest in food and excellent customer service.
• Strong client relationship skills and ability to lead a team.
• Creative, with passion for seasonal menus and fresh ingredients.
• Organised manager with attention to detail and cost awareness.
• Experience in contract catering or schools/is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Cover Head Chef/Chef Manager holidays and sickness.
• Support mobilisations and relocations across sites.
• Troubleshoot at locations needing extra support.
• Produce meals from scratch following brand standards.
• Create bespoke seasonal menus from regional suppliers.
• Complete food costings and company bookwork.
• Ensure food hygiene and allergen controls are followed.

Skills

Food quality

Customer service

Team leadership

Menu development

Attention to detail

Financial understanding

Education

City & Guilds 706/1 & 2 or equivalent

Level 3 Food Hygiene

Job description

Our head offices based in the beautiful village of Hook Norton near Banbury. Here you will find our teams of finance, HR, purchasing, marketing & creative that support all of our locations across the Thomas Franks family. There is ample parking space available when visiting.

Travel Expense Paid

Strong Development with the team.

We are looking for a talented Relief Chef Manager to join our team to support our business across the South M25 region and surrounding areas.

You will have previous experience of working within fast-paced kitchens at either Head Chef or Chef Manager level within contract catering (ideally Independent Schools or B&I).

You will be excited to work with fresh seasonal ingredients & regularly changing bespoke menus which YOU create! You will be creative and have the opportunity to showcase your skillset every day.

Key responsibilities:

• To cover Head Chef| Chef Manager holiday and sickness
• To support with mobilisations
• To support with troubleshooting at locations which require additional support
• To cover a vacancy
• To produce food for service using fresh ingredients, cooking from scratch and following the companies brand standards
• Creating bespoke seasonal menus from regional and local suppliers
• Completing food costings as required
• Completing company bookwork
• Ensuring company food standards are adhered to and wastage controlled.
• Ensuring all Food Hygiene and Health & Safety policies and allergen control procedures are followed.

You will have the following skills:

• A genuine interest in food & excellent customer service skills
• Excellent client relationship skills
• An all-round team player and leader
• Innovation and passion for great food
• An organised Relief Chef Manager with attention to detail
• Sound financial understanding

Knowledge / competencies:

• Ability to demonstrate a good understanding and use of verbal English.
• Ability to demonstrate a good standard of written English and reading skills.
• Similar experience of customer and / or food preparation environment is essential.
• Hold a recognised cooking qualification such as City & Guild 706/1 & 2 or equivalent.
• Hold a level 3 food Hygiene qualification.

Benefits

• Wider wallet scheme (discounts at major retailers, restaurants, gyms etc).
• Free meals on duty
• Volunteers leave - up to one day per year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoptive leave.
• Travel Expense Paid
• Recommend a friend bonus.
• Unrivalled individual training and development.
• Well established apprenticeship programme.
• Team & company social events.
• Employee assistance programme.
• Workplace pension.
• Excellent career progression within a leading independent contract caterer.

About us

Thomas Franks is a founder led, fresh food catering business with a focus on excellence and service delivered with individuality, passion and style. We are unique in every approach and our clients, and our people are paramount to our daily success.

Disclaimer

All applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the Right to Work in the UK to be considered for this role. An enhanced DBS, Identity & reference checks (covering the last five years) will form part of the selection process. As an organisation using the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure service to assess applicants' suitability for positions of trust, Thomas Franks Ltd complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure based on conviction or other information revealed. However, for any post in a school please be aware that any application is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such any criminal conviction, caution or bind-over must be declared.

Diversity and Inclusion at Thomas Franks

We actively encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and continue to develop a culture of growth and inclusion and would like to invite applications from groups who are currently under-represented, because we believe greater diversity leads to exceptional results and provides a better working life.