Head Chef at Upbeat Centre

Job Summary

• Responsible for providing the highest food quality consistent with cost control and profitability margins of the restaurant to maximize guest satisfaction and food profitability.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Manages all activities in the kitchen, including production, stewarding and management of food production staff
• Maximizes guest satisfaction by providing the highest food quality consistent with cost control and profitability margins of the restaurant.
• Oversees all food production related areas.
• Co-ordinates activities, times and communicates priorities to ensure correct preparation, and delivery time to provide food for functions.
• Maintains product consistency by conducting inspections of seasonings, portions, and food appearance, and follows-up appropriately.
• Oversees inventory disbursement of all food supplies.
• Controls and orders all fresh products and dry storage items required by kitchen and related departments to ensure correct quality and par stock.
• Monitors and facilitates communication between kitchen production and service staff.
• Ensures that proper safety, hygiene, and sanitation practices are followed.
• Ensures readiness and compliance in case of last-minute changes to orders.
• Ensures that prices and portions are offered in accordance with food and beverage profit objectives.
• Utilize leadership skills and motivation to maximize employee productivity and satisfaction.
• Challenges employees to achieve optimum quality while minimizing cost.
• Screens, interviews and selects potential employees.
• Identifiestraining needs, and makes sure staff receives training, including skills training to produce consistent results
• Works closely with the Human Resources Manager on the following Human Resources related tasks:
  • Performance appraisals
  • Coaching
  • Counselling
  • Discipline and grievance
• Fosters and develops effective employee relations between kitchen and restaurant staff.
• Keeps effective internal communications, including daily meetings with all staff to ensure optimum teamwork and productivity.
• Looks for ways to motivate and challenge employees.
• Monitors and makes sure staff follows all applicable laws, especially regarding food safety and sanitation
• Adheres to all health, sanitation and food safety rules and regulations, and makes sure that all staff adheres to these
• Ensures that all potential and real hazards are reported and reduced immediately.
• Fully understands the hotel’s fire, emergency, and bomb procedures.
• Ensures that emergency procedures are practiced and enforced to provide for the security and safety of guests and employees.
• Ensures that employees work in a safe manner that does not harm or injure self or others.
• Stimulates and encourages a general awareness of health and safety.
• Anticipates possible and probable hazards and conditions and either corrects them or takes action to prevent them from happening.
• Ensures that the highest standards of personal hygiene, dress, appropriate uniform, appearance, and conduct is maintained by all employees in the department.

Experience & Qualifications

• Professional Cooking / Food preparation qualification.
• Minimum of Five (5) year relevant experience.
• Excellent culinary skills, all round knowledge of kitchen and ability to teach others

Person Specification:

• Excellent self-hygiene.
• High energy levels and a positive outlook.
• Very good customer service and people management skills.
• Good crisis/conflict management skills.
• Very good attention to detail skills.
• Must be able to manage multiple priorities and take initiative.
• Must be conversant with hazard spotting and emergency procedures.
• Organized and efficient
• Demonstrate a strong customer focused approach to all
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Effective leadership and people management skills