Indian Restaurant jobs in Chessington

Location: In person, Tottenham Court Road
Contract: Seasonal / Fixed-Term / Temporary / Freelance / Self-Employed
Dates: Mid-November – early January
Hours: TBD - depending on your availability
Rate: Competitive, depending on experience and role, starting at £12.75

The Opportunity
We're building a strong Front of House and Food Service team for a major London Christmas Food Market, bringing together a collection of respected restaurants, chefs and exciting food concepts.

We're looking for reliable, energetic and proactive people with previous food-handling experience who genuinely care about customers, take pride in their work and are happy to get involved wherever they're needed.
This isn't a role where you can simply stand behind a till for an entire shift. While some team members will primarily focus on customer service and taking orders, everyone must be comfortable supporting the wider food service operation when required.

You'll be working in a busy, high-footfall environment where service needs to be fast, accurate and organised. You'll need to communicate clearly, work effectively under pressure and maintain high standards of food safety, hygiene and customer service throughout your shift.
If you're someone who enjoys hospitality, likes being part of a hardworking team and takes pride in getting things done properly, we'd love to hear from you.

The Role
Depending on your experience, position and the food concept you're working with, responsibilities may include:

• Welcoming customers and delivering friendly, efficient and professional service.
• Taking orders and handling payments accurately using tills / EPOS systems.
• Preparing, handling, assembling, portioning or serving food and drinks.
• Supporting food preparation and service, including using relevant kitchen equipment where trained and authorised.
• Following food safety, hygiene and allergen procedures at all times.
• Responding to allergen enquiries carefully and escalating questions whenever you're unsure. Never guess or provide unverified allergen information.
• Communicating clearly with kitchen colleagues, managers and the wider team.
• Checking orders for accuracy before they reach customers.
• Helping manage queues and maintain an efficient customer journey.
• Keeping workstations clean, organised, stocked and presentable.
• Assisting with opening, closing, cleaning, restocking and setting up service areas.
• Supporting colleagues across different areas when service gets busy.
• Identifying what needs doing and taking initiative rather than waiting to be asked.

Being proactive is important. If you see something that needs doing, we want you to get involved rather than wait to be asked. You must be willing and able to assist with appropriate food-handling tasks when required. Appropriate training and supervision will be provided for the tasks assigned to you. Most importantly, you'll be helping to create a fast, friendly and memorable customer experience.

Food Handling Experience – Required
We're open to different backgrounds, but you should be able to explain the types of food you've worked with, the tasks you've personally carried out, and the equipment you've used.
Relevant experience could include:

• Fried chicken and hot food: Fryers, chicken preparation, hot holding, portioning and service.
• Hot dogs, sausages and street food: Griddles, grills, hot holding and fast-paced food assembly.
• Indian cuisine: Food preparation, cooking, portioning and, where applicable, experience with tandoor ovens.
• Dutch fries and other fried foods: Fryers, food preparation, portioning and service.
• Cheese-focused food concepts: Handling, preparing, heating, or serving cheese-based dishes.
• Bakeries and desserts: Dough preparation, kneading, baking, pastry work, cinnamon rolls and dessert assembly.
• Hot and seasonal drinks: Hot chocolate preparation, drink service and related food safety procedures.
• Bars and event catering: Drink preparation, bar service and working efficiently in busy event environments, alongside any relevant food-handling duties.

You do not need experience in every category. We're interested in relevant practical experience and transferable skills, and we will consider candidates with experience in other cuisines and food businesses too.

Experience in festivals, Christmas markets, outdoor events and high-volume catering is particularly desirable. These environments can involve long shifts on your feet, changing weather conditions, sustained periods of high demand and working efficiently in compact service spaces.

Experience in a restaurant, café, takeaways, bakeries, or other permanent hospitality setting is also valuable, provided you have practical food-handling experience and are comfortable supporting food service when needed.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for people who are:

• Experienced in food handling: You have practical experience working with food and understand the importance of hygiene and safe working practices.
• Customer-focused: You enjoy helping customers and creating a positive experience.
• Confident with tills / EPOS: You can take orders and process payments accurately and efficiently, or demonstrate relevant experience learning similar systems.
• Fast without sacrificing accuracy: You can maintain standards when orders are coming through quickly.
• Reliable and punctual: You arrive ready to work and can commit to the shifts agreed.
• Calm under pressure: You remain focused, communicate clearly, and make sensible decisions when things get busy.
• Proactive: You notice what needs doing and take appropriate action.
• A team player: You support colleagues, communicate effectively and are happy to muck in.
• Attentive to allergens and food safety: You follow procedures and ask for help rather than take risks.
• Flexible: You are willing to support different tasks and service areas when required.
• Willing to learn: You respond positively to feedback and pick up new processes quickly.
• Proud of your work: You care about doing the job properly, even when nobody is watching.

The Person Who Will Succeed Here
We're not looking for someone who simply turns up, stands behind a till and waits for the next customer.

We want people who notice what needs doing.
The queue is building? You help keep service moving.
A colleague needs support? You step in where you can.
A customer has an allergen question? You follow the correct procedure and make sure they receive accurate information.
A workstation needs cleaning or restocking? You get it sorted.
Service gets hectic? You stay calm, communicate, and keep going.

We value people who take responsibility, use their initiative and understand that every member of the team contributes to the overall operation.

Essential Requirements

• Previous practical food-handling experience.
• Good customer service and communication skills.
• A reliable, punctual and professional approach.
• Ability to work efficiently and accurately in a busy environment.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Willingness to support food preparation, food service and other appropriate operational duties when required, even if primarily assigned to a till.
• Awareness of food hygiene, allergens and safe working practices.
• Fluency in English sufficient to communicate clearly with customers and colleagues, including regarding food safety.
• The right to work in the UK.
• Availability that meets the agreed seasonal rota and operational requirements

A valid Level 2 or Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate is desirable and will be considered as part of your application.
Please note: we cannot provide visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the legal right to work in the UK for the proposed employment arrangement, and throughout the period they will be working.

The Event

You'll be joining a major London Christmas Food Market featuring a variety of food concepts and service styles, working alongside hospitality, food production and event operations teams.
This is a seasonal project operating through the busy Christmas period. The environment is fast-paced and may involve working outdoors or in semi-outdoor trading spaces, standing for extended periods and adapting to changing operational demands.
Reliability, flexibility, teamwork and a strong work ethic are essential. Availability during key Christmas and New Year trading dates will be particularly valuable.

How to Apply
Please apply with your CV and answer all application screening questions carefully.

We're interested in understanding your actual experience, including the food businesses or cuisines you've worked with, the food-handling tasks you've carried out, the equipment you've used, and how you approach working in a busy team.

Please give thoughtful, relevant answers using complete sentences where an explanation is requested. Very brief, generic or incomplete answers that do not demonstrate the experience or judgement required for the role may result in your application not progressing.
We appreciate applicants who take the time to explain their experience clearly. A cover letter is optional, not required, but you're welcome to include one if you'd like to tell us more about your background, relevant experience, interest in the role, or what you could bring to the team. If you feel your skills and experience are better suited to a Supervisor or Manager position, please highlight this in your cover letter, explaining your relevant experience and the level of responsibility you could bring to the team.

Please note: We receive a high volume of applications and may not be able to provide individual feedback to every applicant.

You don't necessarily need years of hospitality experience if you've got the right attitude, energy, and ability to learn. But if you're someone who is reliable, works hard, energetic, looks after customers, supports your team and takes pride in creating a great experience, we'd love to hear from you.

Pay: £12.75-£16.00 per hour

Expected hours: 10.0 – 60.0 per week

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Tottenham Court Road: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Application question(s):

• What is your availability for an initial video-call interview?
• Do you hold a valid Level 2 or Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate? Please state which one, along with any other certificates you hold.
• Tell us about the food businesses, cuisines, or food types you have previously worked with. What equipment have you personally used there?
• What food-handling tasks have you personally carried out in your previous roles? Please explain your responsibilities and how you maintained food hygiene and safety.
• Imagine you're working a very busy service. The queue is growing, a customer has an allergen question, your colleague needs help, and orders are coming through quickly. What would you prioritise, and how would you approach the situation?
• Imagine you finish a task earlier than expected and have a short period before the next rush begins. What would you look at or do to make sure you're ready for the next busy period?
• What do you think makes someone excellent at Front of House, particularly in a busy food market or event environment?
• Tell us about a time you had to learn a new task, respond to feedback, or adapt to a change at work. What did you do, and what did you take away from the experience?
• What days and hours can you commit to working between November 12th and January 3rd, excluding Christmas Day? Please list any planned holidays or dates you cannot work, and confirm whether you can work Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.

Experience:

• Front of House, hospitality or customer service: 3 years (preferred)
• EPOS systems or taking customer orders & processing payments: 2 years (preferred)
• Food handling at a Festival/Christmas Market/Outdoor event: 2 years (preferred)

Language:

• English fluently to handle food safety & allergens (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person