Sous Chef

Loungers plc; Hitchin; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A hospitality company in Hitchin is seeking an experienced Sous Chef to lead the kitchen team and maintain high culinary standards. You will oversee shift operations, ensuring efficient service and adherence to health and safety regulations. Ideal candidates will have a background in fresh cooking and experience in leading kitchen teams. Excellent communication skills and a proactive approach are essential. Enjoy various employee perks and opportunities for career growth.

Benefits

Overtime pay for extra hours

Staff food on every shift

50% off staff discount

Paid breaks

28 days holiday pro rata

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Company pension scheme

Tips shared across team

Career progression opportunities

Christmas and Boxing Day off

Qualifications

• Previous experience as Sous Chef or Junior Sous Chef/Assistant Kitchen Manager.
• Proven skills with fresh ingredients and high kitchen standards.
• Experience training and recruiting kitchen staff, including apprentices.

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen team to deliver consistent shifts with high standards.
• Ensure kitchen runs efficiently and safely.
• Uphold health and safety standards while managing food output.

Skills

Fresh ingredient experience

Chef skills (prep, cleaning, knife skills)

Strong communication skills

Experience leading a team

Understanding of KPIs

Job description

You love real cooking. We love real cooking. Customers love real cooking. It's a no-brainer so you wonder why so many other places don't do it. We do it, and you'll be doing it with us - fresh, customer led, and with high-quality ingredients. As Sous Chef, you'll be the Head Chefs' go-to for support, leading and engaging the kitchen team to deliver 14 great shifts week in, week out.
You'll be leading shifts, making sure the kitchen runs effectively and safely. You're as relentless as us about the detail, so you'll be all over things like stocks, Health & Safety and Hygiene, manning the pass to ensure our food goes out on-spec and on-time, and always upholding 5* kitchen standards. You'll be on it. Like a chef's bonnet

The Good Stuff

• Overtime pay for every hour worked over contracted hours!
• Staff food on every shift
• 50% off staff discount to enjoy outside working hours from day one
• Paid breaks
• 28 days holiday (inclusive of Bank Holidays) pro rata
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay after 2 years service
• The most talked-about staff party in hospitality - Loungefest!
• Competitions and incentives (like jetting off on an all expenses paid trip with one of our suppliers)
• Company pension scheme
• Long service awards
• Power over your pay with Wagestream
• Emotional and practical support via the Licenced Trade Charity
• Great opportunity for personal development and career progression in a fast growing business
• Achievable bonuses
• Tips shared equally across the team, based on hours worked
• Christmas and Boxing Day off!

What you'll bring

• You are probably an existing Sous Chef, or perhaps a Junior Sous Chef/Assistant Kitchen Manager that is looking to take the next step in their career.
• You will have experience of working with fresh ingredients and be able to demonstrate good chef/kitchen skills (food prep hot and cold, cleaning, knife skills, good hygiene practices)
• Your work ethic is rolling your sleeves up and getting stuck in and leading from the front; playing an active role in delivering excellent kitchen and food standards as part of a high performing team.
• Extremely driven and relentless at deconstructing the can't mentality.
• Familiar with KPIs and making decisions in the absence of the Head Chef considering labour; stock; food safety requirements plus others.
• Epic communication skills with the ability to manage stakeholders and build rapport and trust (that would be with our Ops Chefs and Ops Managers).
• Strong knowledge of best practice around rota scheduling, sales and labour forecasts, reporting, recruitment, HR etc.
• You will have demonstrated successful delivery of training and recruitment for kitchen teams including Apprentices, KPs, Chefs, Junior Sous Chefs and Sous Chefs.

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