Location: London
Contract: Freelance / Fixed-Term Contract
Contract length: Approximately 8 weeks + build and breakdown
Rate: Competitive freelance day rate, from £200 DOE
Hours: Minimum 5 days per week / approximately 45+ hours per week during live operations
Start: Build from 5 November, with live operations from 12 November
End: Approximately 3 January, plus post-event breakdown
Dates and timings are subject to change
The Opportunity
We're looking for an exceptional Culinary Operations Manager to lead the launch and day-to-day operation of a high-profile restaurant concept within a London Christmas Market.
This is a rare opportunity to work with well-renowned chefs and restaurants, helping to take their concept from an established restaurant environment into a completely new, high-volume event setting. We're looking for someone who can combine serious culinary credibility with outstanding event and operational management skills.
You may be a Head Chef, Senior Sous Chef, Chef Manager, Culinary Director, Event Chef, Restaurant Operations Manager or an experienced Food & Beverage Operations Manager — but the key is that you must be equally comfortable in the kitchen and running the business operation around it.
The exact restaurant concept/cuisine is still being finalised, so we're deliberately looking for the person first rather than recruiting against one specific cuisine.
There may also be opportunities to contribute to menu development, operational menu adaptation and the translation of a restaurant concept into a high-volume event format.
The Role
You will take ownership of the restaurant concept's operation on site, working closely with the restaurant's team and the wider event production and operations teams.
This is a genuine 360° role.
You'll be responsible for taking a concept and making it work in a temporary event environment — commercially, operationally and gastronomically.
Pre-Event / Set-Up
You'll help establish the operation before opening, including:
- Translating the restaurant's concept into an efficient event service model
- Working with culinary teams on menu development and/or adapting existing menus for event service
- Reviewing menu pricing, portion sizes, COGS and production requirements
- Developing practical production and service procedures
- Planning kitchen and service workflows
- Developing staffing structures, rotas and labour requirements
- Establishing stock requirements, par levels and ordering processes
- Working with suppliers and production teams
- Supporting equipment planning and kitchen/chalet layout
- Developing operating procedures and service standards
- Ensuring food safety, allergen and H&S requirements are understood and implemented
- Supporting site build, equipment installation and operational sign-off
- Preparing the team for opening and leading training/briefing where required
Live Event Operations
Once live, you'll own the day-to-day performance of the restaurant operation.
This will include:
- Leading the restaurant team on site
- Managing chefs, kitchen staff and FOH staff
- Managing labour and rotas
- Maintaining food quality and consistency
- Managing service speed, throughput and customer experience
- Managing stock levels, ordering and wastage
- Monitoring portion control and food costs
- Running regular P&Ls / financial reporting
- Monitoring sales against targets
- Identifying operational improvements
- Managing suppliers and deliveries
- Maintaining excellent food safety and hygiene standards
- Ensuring allergen procedures are followed
- Maintaining H&S and regulatory compliance
- Managing operational issues calmly and quickly during service
- Liaising with the restaurant's senior team
- Liaising with the wider event operations team
- Leading daily briefings and debriefs
- Ensuring the concept remains true to its culinary identity while working at event scale
You'll need to be comfortable being hands-on. This isn't a role where you'll spend the entire day in an office managing spreadsheets.
When the operation needs you on the pass, in the kitchen, dealing with a supplier, fixing a staffing issue, or helping the team through a difficult service, you'll be expected to get involved.
The Person We're Looking For
We're looking for a genuine operator.
You should have a strong professional culinary background, alongside proven experience managing people, operations and ideally events or temporary/high-volume food environments.
You don't necessarily need to come from one particular cuisine or restaurant background.
We're interested in people who can demonstrate:
- Strong professional chef experience
- Experience at Head Chef, Sous Chef, Chef Manager or equivalent level
- Experience running a kitchen or food operation
- Proven people-management experience
- Experience managing high-volume service
- Strong understanding of food cost, GP/COGS and stock control
- Experience creating or managing rotas and labour budgets
- Strong organisational and administrative skills
- Confidence managing P&Ls and operational budgets
- Excellent food safety and allergen knowledge
- Strong understanding of H&S and compliance
- Excellent problem-solving skills
- Ability to remain calm and decisive under pressure
- Commercial awareness
- Excellent communication skills
- A genuine passion for high-quality food
Event Experience is Highly Desirable
Ideally, you'll also have experience working in:
- Festivals
- Food markets
- Pop-ups
- Temporary restaurants
- Large-scale events
- Event catering
- Hospitality residencies
- High-volume restaurant openings
- Off-site catering
- Large-scale seasonal operations
However, exceptional chefs with strong operational and leadership experience who haven't worked extensively in festivals should still apply.
The right person will have the ability to transfer their skills into an event environment.
What Makes this Role Different?
This isn't simply:
"Run the kitchen."
And it isn't simply:
"Manage the event."
You'll be responsible for bringing the two together.
You'll need to understand why a menu works creatively, while also being able to ask:
Can we produce it quickly enough?
Can we staff it properly?
What does each portion cost?
How much prep can happen off-site?
How do we maintain quality at peak service?
How much stock do we need?
What happens when the delivery doesn't arrive?
Are our allergen controls correct?
Are we making money?
Can the team actually execute this for several weeks at high volume?
That's the mindset we're looking for.
The Event
The role forms part of a major London festive food winter event bringing together respected restaurants, chefs and food concepts in a high-footfall environment.
The event is designed to bring restaurant-quality food into a large-scale, accessible festival setting, combining culinary credibility with a high-energy event environment.
You'll be working alongside experienced event, production, operations, and hospitality professionals while representing the restaurant concept on site.
What you'll Get
- The opportunity to lead a high-profile restaurant concept in a completely new environment
- The chance to work alongside well-renowned chefs and restaurants
- Significant ownership and autonomy
- Potential involvement in menu and concept development
- A varied role combining culinary, commercial and event operations
- The opportunity to work on a major London festive food event
- Competitive freelance remuneration based on your experience and skill set
Rate
From £200 per day, depending on experience and skill set.
We are particularly interested in exceptional candidates, so the rate is negotiable for the right person.
We would also be open to considering candidates at Supervisor / Junior Manager level where appropriate, although our immediate priority is to find experienced Managers capable of taking full ownership of the operation.
Essential Experience
- Professional chef / senior culinary experience
- Management or leadership experience
- Experience running a kitchen, restaurant or food operation
- Strong understanding of food safety, hygiene and allergen management
- Experience managing staff and labour
- Strong stock and food-cost knowledge
- Commercial awareness
- Ability to work long, demanding event periods
- Ability to work on site throughout the contract
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- Right to work in the UK
Desirable Experience
- Extensive chef, kitchen, or fine-dining experience
- Festival or large-scale event experience
- Pop-up/temporary restaurant experience
- Menu development
- P&L management
- Experience opening a new restaurant or food operation
- Event production/operations experience
- Food Hygiene Level 3
- HACCP knowledge
- H&S / risk assessment experience
- Supplier and procurement management
- Experience working with temporary kitchens, chalets or event infrastructure
Who Will Succeed Here?
You'll probably describe yourself as someone who:
"Just gets things done."
You're equally comfortable discussing a menu with a Michelin-starred chef, working out labour requirements with an operations team, checking a delivery, looking at the P&L and then jumping onto the pass when service gets busy.
You won't be fazed by changing plans, long days or the pressure of a busy Christmas operation.
Most importantly, you care about both the food and the operation.
If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you!
Pay: From £200.00 per day
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Tottenham Court Road: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Are you applying specifically for the Freelance Culinary Operations Manager role, or would you also consider a Supervisor / Junior Manager position?
- Do you have complete availability between November and early January?
Experience:
- Head Chef/Senior Sous Chef/Chef Manager/Culinary Director: 3 years (preferred)
- Event Managing (as a Food Trader): 2 years (preferred)
- Managerial: 3 years (preferred)
- 360 Event Managment: 3 years (preferred)
Language:
Licence/Certification:
- Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate (required)
- Driving Licence (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
