Sous Chef

The Lounges; Wokingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a vibrant and dynamic kitchen team as a Sous Chef, where your passion for real cooking meets high-quality ingredients. In this role, you will support the Head Chef, lead shifts, and ensure the kitchen operates smoothly and safely. Your attention to detail will help maintain 5-star standards while fostering a collaborative environment. This exciting opportunity allows you to develop your culinary skills in a fast-growing business that values personal development and teamwork. If you're ready to take the next step in your culinary career, this is the perfect place for you to shine.

Benefits

Overtime pay

Staff food on every shift

50% off staff discount

Paid breaks

28 days holiday

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Company pension scheme

Long service awards

Wagestream access

Tips shared equally

Qualifications

• Experience in leading kitchen teams and maintaining high food standards.
• Strong knowledge of food safety and hygiene practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen shifts and ensure effective operation and safety.
• Uphold 5* kitchen standards and manage food preparation.

Skills

Chef/Kitchen Skills

Communication Skills

Leadership

Food Safety Knowledge

KPI Familiarity

Education

Experience as Sous Chef or Junior Sous Chef

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 Chef's 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.

If you want to find out more about us, follow us on LinkedIn or @life.at.loungers on TikTok and Instagram.