Restaurant Director jobs

Location: Multi-Site (Based Staffordshire)

Reporting To: Operations Director

About Parogon

The Parogon Group is an award-winning hospitality business operating a collection of premium fresh food restaurants and bars across the Midlands and North West. With 12 venues and over 700 team members, our ambition is simple: to create experiences and uncompromised value that people want to return to and careers that people are proud to build.

Our portfolio spans multiple high volume concepts, from premium steak and grill restaurants to elevated gastro pubs, all-day Mediterranean dining, BBQ grill and contemporary casual concepts. Across the group, we serve everything from Sunday roasts, steak and ale pie, scotch eggs and fish and chips to sushi, Wagyu, tapas-inspired dishes and smashed burgers. This role requires a culinary leader who can successfully operate across diverse brands and cuisines while maintaining exceptional standards, consistency and commercial performance.

We are looking for an exceptional Executive Chef to lead our culinary strategy. At the heart of the role is a commitment to delivering food that guests want to return for time and time again. The focus is not on unnecessary complexity, but on exceptional ingredients, consistency of execution and memorable dining experiences that reinforce Parogon's position as one of the UK's leading independent hospitality groups. We are hiring somebody who can genuinely lead a £30m+ multi-site food operation.

The Role

As Executive Chef, you will be responsible for leading all culinary operations across the Parogon Group. This is a senior leadership position that combines food innovation, people development, operational excellence and commercial performance.

Working closely with the Operations Director, Managing Director and senior leadership team, you will shape the future of our food offer, ensuring our menus remain relevant, exciting and commercially successful while maintaining the consistency and standards our guests expect.

This role carries significant freedom and autonomy, but with that comes an expectation of visibility and leadership. We are not looking for an Executive Chef who manages the business from an office. We expect our culinary leader to spend at least two days per week in our kitchens, working alongside teams, coaching chefs and leading from the front. The successful candidate must be fully operational across all sections and comfortable stepping into service when required. Credibility is earned through action. We expect our culinary leader to set standards in the kitchen as well as in the boardroom.

Key Responsibilities

Culinary Leadership

• Work with the current development and execution strategy and evolve over time.
• Create and evolve dishes across all concepts and brands.
• Identify emerging food trends and opportunities that support the commercial objectives of the business.
• Lead all food launches, menu rollouts and culinary innovation projects.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach and develop a team of Head Chefs and Operations Chefs.
• Build succession plans for all key kitchen leadership roles.
• Identify and nurture future culinary talent across the group.
• Create a culture of high performance, accountability and continuous development.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and retention of key kitchen team members.

Commercial Performance

• Take ownership of food gross profit performance across the group.
• Work closely with the commercial team on menu engineering, pricing and profitability.
• Manage kitchen labour performance alongside venue leadership teams.
• Support annual budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Analyse performance data and implement plans to improve results.
• Experience using Tevalis and integrated stock control systems is advantageous.

Operational Excellence

• Ensure all kitchens operate safely and efficiently.
• Maintain exceptional 5* food safety standards and audit compliance across the group.
• Drive consistency in systems, processes and ways of working.
• Lead action plans following audits and compliance reviews.
• Work with Property and Operations teams to ensure kitchens remain fit for purpose.

Guest Experience

• Champion a guest-first approach across all culinary operations.
• Monitor guest feedback, NPS scores and review platforms.
• Ensure food remains a key driver of guest satisfaction and loyalty.
• Support marketing activity, food photography, PR initiatives and venue openings.

What We're Looking For

Experience

• Proven experience as an Executive Chef, Group Executive Chef or senior multi-site culinary leader of leading brand in the UK.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple concepts and menu styles simultaneously.
• Strong track record of leading large kitchen teams across multiple high volume venues.
• Experience operating within premium dining, gastro pub, restaurant and function environments.
• Demonstrable success in delivering food quality, team development and commercial performance in a comparable environment.
• Experience of menu development, costing and food innovation.

Skills & Attributes

• A natural leader who inspires, coaches and develops others.
• Strong commercial awareness with a deep understanding of GP, labour and operational KPIs.
• Exceptional standards and attention to detail.
• Highly organised with strong planning and project management skills.
• Ability to balance creativity with operational practicality.
• Comfortable challenging performance and driving accountability.
• Passionate about hospitality, food and developing people.

Qualifications

• Advanced Food Safety qualification (Level 4 preferred).
• Strong understanding of food safety, allergens and compliance requirements.
• Relevant culinary qualifications desirable but not essential.

Hands-On Leadership

• Remains operationally credible and comfortable working services when required.
• Leads from the front and maintains a visible presence across the estate.
• Spends significant time in kitchens coaching teams and developing standards.
• Understands that the role requires equal focus on people, operations and food.

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently high food quality scores across all venues.
• Strong food GP and labour performance.
• Exceptional audit and compliance results.
• Successful menu launches and food innovation programmes.
• Improved guest satisfaction and food-related feedback.
• A strong pipeline of future Head Chefs and Operations Chefs.
• A culinary culture that attracts, develops and retains the industry's best talent.

Why Join Parogon?

• Join one of the UK's most ambitious independent hospitality groups.
• Play a key role in shaping the future direction of the business.
• Lead multiple award-winning concepts and brands.
• Work alongside a high-performing senior leadership team.
• Significant opportunity to influence growth, innovation and future openings.
• Develop and leave a lasting legacy through the people, standards and culture you create.

In Summary

As Executive Chef, you will be responsible for the food, the people, the standards and the future of the kitchens across the Parogon Group. You will be a visible leader, a mentor, a strategist and a guardian of quality, ensuring every guest receives an experience that keeps them coming back.