Descripción
Head Chef
About us:
A unique pub situated on the Exeter canal, 15 mins walk from the quayside and now 5 minutes from Marsh Barton train station. The pub has one of the largest beer gardens in the south with over 1000 outdoor spaces. We host various events and functions that cater from 100 to our busiest one of the year hijacking 4000 people. With outdoor bars and BBQs, no week is ever the same at the double locks. In the winter was a lovely traditional pub with log fires and lots of dogs.
We’re looking for an experienced Head Chef to take full control of our kitchen and lead from the front.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in seasonal, fresh food and a passion for delivering high-quality pub classics, alongside the ability to handle high-volume service with confidence and consistency. You’ll be responsible for all aspects of kitchen management, including menu development, stock control, ordering, food safety, and team leadership.
This is a fast-paced role requiring someone who can confidently manage multiple service streams, including our main kitchen, an external burger van operation, and a busy calendar of functions such as parties and weddings.
Key responsibilities:
1. Oversee all daily kitchen operations across multiple service areas
2. Design and deliver seasonal menus and classic pub dishes
3. Manage high-volume service while maintaining quality and consistency
4. Coordinate food for functions, private events, and weddings
5. Control stock, ordering, and supplier relationships
6. Maintain GP targets and minimise waste
7. Lead, train, and motivate the kitchen team
8. Ensure full compliance with food hygiene and health & safety standards
Requirements:
9. Proven experience as a Head Chef
10. Solid background in seasonal British cuisine and pub classics
11. Experience managing high-volume kitchens and events
12. Strong leadership and organisational skills
13. Ability to work under pressure and multitask effectively
14. Passion for fresh food, quality, and consistency
If you’re driven, hands-on, and thrive in a busy, varied environment, we’d love to hear from you.
Being a Head Chef at Young's:
We believe every pub should be different. This means that you'll be writing your own recipes that match the food vision of your business using fresh seasonal ingredients. The food vision could be all about showcasing local produce, country pub classics, seafood, small plates and sharers, dry-aged meat - each pub is different and its up to you as head chef to put your own creative stamp on that vision. We work with fresh, seasonal produce, so the menu should constantly evolve to showcase these fantastic ingredients when they are at their best. Premium fresh food crafted by skilled chefs in Premium Pubs .
What we offer our Head Chefs:
15. Head Chefs get to have full autonomy to create your own menus and specials
16. Access to our Apprenticeship Scheme and Development Programmes
17. Access to regular culinary masterclasses covering topics such as Game, Butchery and Shellfish
18. Access to inspirational food trips with our top quality suppliers
19. Regular Chef Forums with other Head Chefs to inspire and develop
20. Free meals
21. 20% discount in all Young's Pubs and 30% discount on overnight stays in our Pubs with Rooms
22. Share save Scheme
23. Enhanced Company Pension Scheme
24. 28 Days Holiday per year
What we look for in a Head Chef:
This role requires someone that can inspire a team, to bring out the potential and lead by example whilst being able to develop, cost and produce fresh seasonal menus for the variety of revenue streams within the business.
25. Have experience championing excellent service through quality food either as a Head Chef or in the position of Sous Chef
26. Demonstrate a passion for leading and developing a team
27. Be an active hands-on team player with excellent communication skills
28. Be responsible and able to manage the kitchen staff rota, training and all health and safety effectively at all times
29. Be able to demonstrate your creativity and ability to design and deliver new dishes for our menus and daily specials
30. Demonstrate great planning and organisational skills, necessary to maintain effective controls with regard to both GP and labour
31. Have a pro-active approach to driving sales and delivering growth, through engagement with both kitchen and front of house teams