Head Chef jobs in Surrey

Head Chef – Rokers Farmhouse Café, Worplesdon, Guildford

Are you a foodie at heart with a passion for fresh, seasonal cooking and the drive to lead a successful kitchen?

We're looking for a hands-on Head Chef to lead our kitchen team at The Farmhouse Café, a busy independent café serving a vibrant brunch-led menu in a beautiful countryside setting. (We are currently running a limited menu while we recruit, the new Head Chef will be responsible for developing an exciting new brunch-led menu, with a selection of mains, from fresh seasonal ingredients.)

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who loves creating great food but also understands that a successful kitchen is about much more than cooking. We're looking for a strong leader with commercial awareness who can balance quality, customer experience and profitability.

What's in it for you?

• Daytime-only hours
• Christmas closure (we are closed for a week over the festive period)
• Creative freedom with menu development
• A supportive family-business culture and a friendly team
• Autonomy in your role
• Share of gratuities
• Free parking
• Pension
• Staff discount in Rokers Animal Feeds

Hours of work: circa 7.45am - 4.30pm (with a shorter day on Sundays), 5 days per week. Average hours will be 43hrs per week (excl. breaks). Weekend working is essential (both Saturdays and Sundays, with 4 weekends off per year, as part of your holiday allowance).

The Role

You'll take full ownership of the kitchen, leading a small team (4-5 people) to deliver exceptional food and service every day.

This is a genuinely hands-on role. You'll lead from the front, rolling up your sleeves and working alongside the team, setting the standard through your attitude, energy and commitment to great food.

You'll create and develop seasonal menus, manage food costs and margins, control waste, and ensure the kitchen operates efficiently and profitably.

Alongside leading service, you'll be responsible for the business side of the kitchen – managing rotas, stock control, ordering, supplier relationships, checking and processing invoices, and ensuring labour and food costs remain in line with budget.

You'll recruit, train, develop and motivate your team, and maintain excellent food safety and EHO standards.

Working closely with our Front of House team, you'll help create a fantastic customer experience and play a key role in the continued success and growth of the café.

About You

You'll be an experienced Head Chef who:

• Thrives in a fast-paced environment
• Loves fresh, seasonal food and great hospitality
• Leads by example and enjoys developing people
• Has strong business and financial awareness
• Understands menu costing, gross profit, labour management and stock control
• Is confident managing suppliers and processing invoices accurately
• Is highly organised and comfortable balancing administration with hands-on service

About Us

The Farmhouse Café is part of Rokers, a family business established in 1962. Situated alongside our Animal Feed, Equestrian & Country Store in Guildford, we're proud to serve high-quality food in a welcoming environment. Our kitchen team is small, friendly and hardworking, with around four team members working each shift.

If you're looking for a role where you can combine your passion for food with genuine responsibility for running a successful kitchen business, we'd love to hear from you.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV along with a short covering note telling us a little about yourself, why this role appeals to you, and what you would bring to The Farmhouse Café.

Please note that applications submitted without a covering note will not be considered. Please only apply if you’re comfortable working Saturdays and Sundays.

Pay: £38,000.00-£45,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Free parking
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person