About us
We’re Leisure Works, a new hospitality group set up to rescue and restore left-behind London pubs and turn them back into proper community locals. Our first site is a handsome Victorian pub in SW18, reopening later this year after a full refurbishment. It will trade all day: proper coffee and pastries in the morning, a serious sandwich offer at lunch, an honest and confident evening menu, and Sunday roasts worth leaving the house for. Alongside food and drink there’s a laptop-friendly workspace offer, a busy events programme and rooms upstairs – a real neighbourhood hub, open to everyone.
Our food philosophy is simple: short menus that know what they are, British at heart, cooked with confidence and built on brilliant local suppliers – our butcher, baker and fishmonger are all within walking distance of the pub. Quality over range, every time.
The role
This is a hands-on, creative Head Chef role. You’ll take our draft menu concepts and make them yours: write the recipes, cost them properly, build the team, set up the kitchen and own the food from day one. Because we’re a new opening, you’ll be in well before launch, shaping the kitchen itself – layout, equipment and systems – rather than inheriting someone else’s decisions.
You’ll report to the Venue Manager and work closely with the founding project team, with genuine input into how the whole food operation is built. As we grow into further sites, there’s real scope for this role to grow with us.
What you’ll do
- Creative menu development – take our draft breakfast, lunch sandwich, evening and Sunday roast concepts and develop them into menus you’re proud to put your name to, including seasonal specials and event menus.
- Recipe writing – write full recipes and specs for every dish, properly costed to GP targets, with allergen documentation, so the food is consistent whoever is on the pans.
- Team build for a new opening – recruit, train and lead the kitchen team from scratch, set the culture and standards, and plan rotas that work for an all-day operation.
- Stock system set-up – establish ordering, par levels, stock control and wastage tracking from day one, with hands-on support from our HQ tech team, who are building the systems around you.
- Kitchen and equipment guidance – advise on kitchen layout, workflow and equipment specification during the refurbishment, working with our project team and contractors.
- Suppliers – build relationships with our local butcher, bakery, fishmonger and other producers, and keep provenance at the heart of the menu.
- Food safety – own due diligence, HACCP/FSMS records and EHO readiness, supported by a third-party compliance partner.
- Launch – lead the kitchen through training weeks, soft launch and a busy opening period, including the festive season.
Who you are
- An ambitious sous chef ready for your first Head Chef role, or a Head Chef who wants proper creative ownership rather than executing someone else’s menu.
- A background in quality, food-led pubs or small-plates restaurants – you can put out a genuinely good plate of food, consistently, at pace.
- Strong on the commercial side: costing, GPs, ordering and waste don’t scare you.
- You’ve trained and led people before, and you build kitchens people actually want to work in.
- Level 2 Food Hygiene minimum (Level 3 preferred), and the right to work in the UK.
- Opening experience is a bonus, not a requirement – attitude and cooking matter more.
What we offer
- Circa £45,000 + TRONC + BONUS a year, depending on experience.
- A rare chance to write a menu from a blank page and own it completely.
- Real input into the kitchen you’ll cook in, before it’s built.
- First site of a growing group – genuine progression as we open more pubs.
- Meals on shift, staff discount and a team that treats kitchen roles as a craft worth developing.
Pay: From £45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
Application question(s):
- Are you able to demonstrate being a senior member of a new concept launch team?
- Have you designed, sourced supplies, costed, trained and launched your own menu(s) before?
- What is your notice period in your current role?
Language:
Licence/Certification:
- Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate (required)
- Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
