Job Description

Head chef/kitchen manager required at The Parlour Cafe and Restaurant, Burton Bradstock, Dorset, DT6 4ND.

We're looking for someone to come in and lead and build our kitchen team. We are an Italian-Mediterranean inspired restaurant specialising in Italian food cooked over wood and charcoal, freshly made Neapolitan style pizzas, homemade breads, fresh fish, unique and traditional salads, plus much more. Whoever comes in will be cooking our signatures dishes but introducing some new recipes and offerings, keeping it in a similar vein but putting their own twist on our dishes.

Duties:

Develop and plan creative menus that align with the restaurant's concept and managements vision. Supervise and manages the daily operations of the kitchen team, including chefs, sous-chefs, and kitchen assistants. Oversee food preparation and cooking processes to ensure consistency, quality, and presentation standards are met. Manage inventory levels, stock rotation, order supplies, and control food costs to optimise efficiency. Maintain strict adherence to food safety regulations and hygiene standards across all kitchen activities. Train, mentor, and motivate staff to foster a positive working environment and encourage professional development.
The right candidate will be:

Highly organised with a strong attention to detail. Self motivated and passionate about food and the industry. Experienced in running a kitchen and managing people. A strong leader with exceptional communication skills. Used to working in fast paced, high stress environment. Able to perform under pressure. Our usual covers are, 40 on quiet days and 110 busy days, turning the tables twice. Some of these will be take away pizza's. Knowledge of pizzas would be useful, we have our dough recipe so it would just be innovation.
The offer:

Pay is dependant on experience, plus you will get holiday pay, tips and service charge. Ideally working around 40-60 hours a week, maybe a few more over the summer spread across a 7 day week in summer and a 4.5 day week in winter. Relaxed and fun working environment. Parking on site. 28 days holiday a year. Staff food from menu. Staff discounts on food. Live music and bars on site, open during the summer.
Start date: Mid Feb - Early March 2026.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent, Temporary, Fixed term contract, Temp to perm

Pay: 15.00-17.00 per hour

Benefits:

Discounted or free food Employee discount Flexitime Free parking On-site parking UK visa sponsorship
Work Location: In person