Sous Chef - Horwich

Lounge Café Bars; Bolton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A popular dining venue in Bolton seeks an experienced Sous Chef to lead the kitchen team. The role involves ensuring that high-quality meals are prepared safely and on time, maintaining hygiene and health standards, and supporting the Head Chef. Suitable candidates should have experience with fresh ingredients and excellent kitchen skills. Competitive perks include overtime pay, staff food, and career development opportunities.

Benefits

Overtime pay

Staff food on every shift

50% off food and drinks

Paid breaks

28 days holiday pro rata

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Staff party events

Bonuses and incentives

Company pension scheme

Flexible pay management

Career development opportunities

Shared tips across the team

Time off for Christmas and Boxing Day

Qualifications

• Existing Sous Chef or looking to advance from Junior Sous Chef or Assistant Kitchen Manager.
• Demonstrated good hygiene practices and kitchen skills.
• Ability to deconstruct challenges and deliver high standards in a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead shifts and ensure kitchen runs effectively.
• Maintain Health & Safety and Hygiene standards.
• Support Head Chef and manage kitchen team.

Skills

Experience with fresh ingredients

Chef and kitchen skills

Strong communication skills

Ability to manage stakeholders

Knowledge of rota scheduling

Job description

Sous Chef - Horwich

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 food and drinks (including alcohol) from day one at all three of our brands – Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside
• 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 licensed 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