Sous Chef

Balham Bowls Club; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Brand-new opening

Bonus scheme

Training & development

Staff discounts

Referral bonus (up to £1000)

Staff meals

Job summary

Balham Bowls Club in London is seeking an outstanding Sous Chef to join our busy gastro-pub kitchen. You will lead the kitchen in the Head Chef's absence, maintain exceptional standards, and supervise the team during service while delivering modern British dishes with seasonal produce.

You will train staff, help develop the menu with the Head Chef, ensure top presentation, and contribute to sales growth through quality food and great leadership.

Qualifications

• Experience as Sous Chef in a busy pub/restaurant.
• Ability to lead the kitchen in the Head Chef's absence.
• Strong communication and time-management in a high-pressure kitchen.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

Staff training

Food preparation

Job description

We are looking for an outstanding and talented Sous Chef to join our the team at the Only a stone’s throw from Balham Station, situated just off the hustle and bustle of Balham High Road, Balham Bowls Club is a delightfully nostalgic social club and restaurant.

A community hot spot for socialising with loved ones, friends, family, neighbours. Enjoy a variety of the best British classics, our chefs pride themselves on sourcing quality seasonal produce while our friendly and engaging team encourage you to pull up a chair, unwind and have a gander at the Bowls Club memorabilia from days gone by.

Welcome to London's biggest independent pub company !

Urban Pubs & Bars was founded in 2014 and has since expanded to an estate of over 67 pubs, bars and restaurants across London.

In 2018, Urban Pubs & Bars was ranked number 28 in the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 list, recognising Britain's private companies with the fastest-growing sales. We were then nominated for 2 Publican Awards in 2020, winning the award for ‘Best Managed Pub Company - 2-50 sites’ on the night.

In 2021, Urban was awarded 'Best Food-led Pub Company 2021' at the R200 awards, Urban once again won ‘Best Managed Pub Company - 2-50 sites’ in 2023 and most recently won ‘Best Managed Pub Company - 2-50 sites’ and Best food offering in 2026 and In 2025 & 2026 we were recognised by Sunday Times in the Top 100 Companies to work for.

This amazing opportunity is ideal for someone who loves working with fresh premium and seasonal products and preferably experience within gastro pubs; loves working in a busy kitchen; understands and delivers a perfect service with or without the Head Chef present; can lead the kitchen team to success consistently and is excited by innovation and change to secure outstanding results for the business.

You Are:

• Able to take responsibility for our kitchen team in absence of the Head Chef to ensure service, safety and security expectations are all met to the the highest of standards
• Passionate about training our team to ensure they have the knowledge needed to excite our customers and deliver outstanding food
• Able to work with the Head Chef to train and uphold the agreed standards
• Able to assist the General Manager and Head Chef in identifying potential opportunities and products to maximise sales and enhance the customer experience
• Able to prepare and present all our food dishes to an outstanding standard of presentation as appropriate for the day of the week and time of day
• Able to support the Head Chef in the development, implementation and review of the menu to maximise sales in line with pub vision and business plan

What's in it for me:

• Competitive salary + bonus
• Be part of a brand new opening
• Training and development
• Career progression and promotion opportunities with regular new openings around the corner
• Get out and about, you automatically get discounts across all our pubs, bars and restaurants
• Team trips, regular incentives and socials – a fun, family atmosphere
• Goes without saying, but we’ll feed you during your shift
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support you across those tough times
• Good people know good people - an awesome referral scheme where you can earn up to £1000 per successful referral
• Birthdays are for celebrating, so have the day off on us
• Cycle to work scheme