Head Chef

🍽️ Why The Wishing Well?

The Wishing Well is all about great food, great value and great family experiences.

Our carvery is a real customer favourite, serving three succulent meat options alongside crispy roasties, fresh vegetables and plenty of gravy. With customers coming back time and again, consistency and quality are key.

We're also home to a Wacky Warehouse soft play area, making us a popular choice for families, while our beer garden provides the perfect setting for customers to relax during the warmer months.

This is a busy operation with plenty of different customer occasions, and we're looking for an experienced Kitchen Manager who can lead from the front, bring the team together and keep standards high across every service.

🚀 What’s the opportunity?

As Kitchen Manager, you'll take ownership of the day-to-day running of the kitchen, ensuring the team is organised, motivated and ready to deliver great food consistently.

You’ll:

• Take ownership of the kitchen and lead the team from the front.
• Lead, coach and develop the kitchen team, helping people build their skills and confidence.
• Maintain consistently high standards across food quality, presentation and service.
• Ensure the kitchen is organised and fully prepared for every service.
• Take pride in delivering a consistently excellent carvery experience.
• Ensure food is prepared, cooked and presented to the required standards.
• Manage stock takes, ordering, stock rotation and wastage effectively.
• Monitor food GP and costs, helping to deliver a commercially successful kitchen.
• Maintain excellent food safety, hygiene and health & safety standards.
• Ensure allergen controls and kitchen compliance are consistently followed.
• Work closely with the General Manager and wider management team to achieve the pub's food and commercial goals.
• Prepare the kitchen and team for busy weekends, school holidays and key trading periods.
• Work closely with the front-of-house team to ensure smooth communication and service.
• Help create a positive kitchen culture where everyone understands what's expected of them.
• Bring ideas and energy to improve the kitchen operation and customer experience.
• Get stuck in during busy services and lead by example.

This is a role where your leadership will make a real difference.

You'll have the opportunity to develop your team, strengthen kitchen processes and help ensure The Wishing Well continues to deliver the food and service its customers love.

👊 What we’re looking for

We're looking for an experienced Kitchen Manager / Head Chef who:

• Has proven experience managing a busy kitchen, ideally within a pub, restaurant or high-volume hospitality environment.
• Is confident taking ownership of a kitchen operation.
• Has experience leading, coaching and developing a kitchen team.
• Is able to bring a team together and create a positive kitchen culture.
• Takes pride in delivering consistently high-quality food.
• Has strong knowledge of food safety, allergens, health & safety and kitchen compliance.
• Understands stock control, ordering, stock rotation, wastage and food GP.
• Is commercially aware and understands how the kitchen contributes to the wider business.
• Can organise and prioritise effectively during busy services.
• Is calm, hands-on and confident when the pressure is on.
• Understands the importance of consistency when delivering a high-volume food offer.
• Has strong communication skills and works well with the wider management team.
• Isn't afraid to get stuck in and lead by example.
• Has a genuine passion for food and hospitality.
• Wants to make a real impact and continue developing their career with Greene King.

🌟 More than a kitchen. A chance to make your mark.

The Wishing Well is a busy, family-focused pub with a famous carvery, great food and plenty of customer occasions throughout the year.

We're looking for a Kitchen Manager who can lead the team, drive standards and take ownership of the kitchen, making sure every customer receives the quality and consistency they're coming back for.

If you're an experienced Kitchen Manager or Head Chef ready for your next challenge, we'd love to hear from you.

🌱 And there’s plenty in it for you...

• Career development opportunities across Greene King.
• Training and development at every level, including apprenticeships.
• 33% employee discount and 15% discount for loved ones across Greene King brands.
• 50% employee and 25% loved ones discount at Greene King Inns and hotels.
• Employee Assistance Programme supporting mental health, wellbeing and financial/legal advice.
• Enhanced family-friendly maternity and paternity policies.
• Menopause Friendly Employer.
• Refer a Friend scheme – earn up to £1,500.
• Wagestream – access to your pay as you earn.
• Retail discounts, including up to 30% at Superdrug and Three Mobile.

CREATING PLACES WHERE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME, SAFE AND THAT THEY BELONG

We aim to embed inclusion into every decision we make – across our people, customers, communities, suppliers, and operations. We want to create a culture where everyone feels welcome, valued, and able to thrive.

👨‍🍳 Bring your experience. Lead the kitchen. Keep the Wishing Well cooking.