Head Chef – Daytime Hours
£15.80–£16.50 per hour + tips
Typical earnings approximately £16.70–£17.70 per hour
40–45 hours per week
Great kitchens don't happen by accident. They're built by people who prepare, organise, lead and care.
Who we're looking for
We're looking for an experienced Head Chef with a proven track record of leading a successful kitchen team.
You'll be confident managing people as well as food. That means setting clear expectations, training, holding standards, addressing performance when needed and creating a positive, accountable culture.
You're organised, calm under pressure and comfortable making decisions. You don't avoid difficult conversations, and you understand that strong leadership is built on consistency, fairness and earning respect.
This is far more than a cooking role.
We're looking for someone who enjoys creating structure, developing people, planning ahead and building a kitchen where standards stay high because everyone knows exactly what's expected.
If your favourite part of being a chef is simply cooking, this probably isn't the right role.
If you enjoy building a strong team and making every day run better than the last, we'd love to hear from you.
What we offer
- £15.80–£16.50 per hour depending on experience
- Average tips approximately £0.92 - £1.12 per hour
- Typical earnings around £16.80–£17.60 per hour
- 40+ hours per week, permanent position
- Daytime hours (some 6:00am starts required)
- Typical finish between 4:00pm–5:00pm
- Christmas Day & Boxing Day off
- A busy, independent cafe with an excellent reputation
- The opportunity to make a real impact and shape how the kitchen operates
The role
You'll lead a small kitchen team and take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the kitchen.
You'll still be hands-on during service, but your biggest contribution won't simply be cooking great food.
It will be creating a kitchen that is organised, prepared, consistent and enjoyable to work in.
You'll be the person who keeps standards high, plans ahead, develops people and makes sure the kitchen performs brilliantly whether the owners are there or not.
Your responsibilities
- Lead the kitchen during service.
- Organise prep and priorities before each shift.
- Deliver consistently high-quality food and presentation.
- Plan prep, ordering and staffing ahead of busy periods.
- Manage ordering, stock control, wastage and supplier relationships.
- Train, coach and develop the kitchen team.
- Hold short, clear pre-shift briefings.
- Create and maintain recipe specifications, costings and prep guides.
- Maintain excellent food safety, hygiene and cleaning standards.
- Work closely with the owners to continually improve systems, efficiency and consistency.
You'll probably enjoy this role if...
- You naturally plan ahead rather than firefight.
- You enjoy helping people improve.
- You stay calm under pressure.
- You notice problems before they become problems.
- You take pride in a clean, organised kitchen.
- You enjoy building systems that make everyone's job easier.
- You believe consistency is more important than ego.
This role probably isn't for you if...
- You only enjoy cooking and don't like leading people.
- You dislike training or developing junior chefs.
- You prefer working reactively rather than planning ahead.
- You avoid difficult conversations.
- You struggle to stay organised.
- You don't enjoy taking responsibility for standards.
Before applying...
This role is about far more than cooking.
We're looking for someone who enjoys leading people, improving systems and taking genuine ownership of a kitchen. If that's you, we'd love to hear about a time you've made a lasting improvement to the way a kitchen operated.
Pay: £15.80-£16.50 per hour
Work Location: In person
