Sous Chef - Watford

Lounge Underwear Ltd.; Watford; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent hospitality firm in the United Kingdom seeks a dedicated Sous Chef to lead the kitchen team, ensuring high standards and effective operations. Responsibilities include managing shift performance, maintaining food quality, and training kitchen staff. Ideal candidates are experienced chefs with strong communication skills and a keen focus on food safety. This role offers generous perks like overtime pay, staff meals, and opportunities for career progression in a growing company.

Benefits

Overtime pay

Staff meals on every shift

50% off food and drinks

Paid breaks

28 days holiday pro rata

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Company pension scheme

Career development opportunities

Tips shared equally across team

Qualifications

• Existing Sous Chef or Junior Sous Chef/Assistant Kitchen Manager looking to advance.
• Experience working with fresh ingredients and strong kitchen skills.
• Ability to uphold kitchen standards and safety practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead kitchen team and manage effective shift operations.
• Ensure all food goes out on time and meets standards.
• Drive a high-performance environment by leading from the front.

Skills

Experience in kitchen management

Strong communication skills

Knowledge of food safety

Ability to manage KPIs

Knife skills

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 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’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, 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.

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 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!