Kitchen / Front of House Manager

Market related Monthly Basic Salary (Market related)

KITCHEN / FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER
Somerset West

My client, a premium Italian-style restaurant operating in an open-kitchen environment, is seeking an experienced Kitchen / Front of House Manager to take on a senior, hands on leadership role with real responsibility and influence. Working closely with supportive, values driven owners, the successful candidate will play a key role in maintaining high standards, shaping a disciplined kitchen culture, and ensuring consistent food quality and service delivery. This is a stable, long term opportunity offering competitive remuneration based on experience.

To lead and manage the kitchen operation while overseeing front of house flow in an open kitchen setting, ensuring strict adherence to recipes, preparation methods, and service standards. The role requires a steady leader who protects quality daily, trains teams to work to system, and ensures the guest experience consistently reflects the restaurant's values.

• Leading the kitchen team with calm, consistent, hands on leadership
• Ensuring strict adherence to recipes, prep methods, portion control and Italian cooking techniques
• Maintaining disciplined mise en place, storage, labelling and stock rotation
• Monitoring heat control, timing and technique to prevent waste, burning or poor execution
• Tasting food daily and correcting quality issues immediately
• Training and retraining staff to ensure standards are followed automatically
• Preventing shortcuts and poor prep practices through proactive supervision
• Overseeing kitchen cleanliness, organisation and operational efficiency
• Managing stock control, ordering, waste reduction and prep planning
• Maintaining a visible, professional presence in an open kitchen environment
• Overseeing front of house flow, pacing and communication to support smooth service
• Stepping in early to address service or communication breakdowns between kitchen and FOH
• Leading by example with punctuality, professionalism and attention to detail
• Providing feedback and operational input to the owners to support continuous improvement

• Proven experience in a kitchen leadership or kitchen management role
• Strong background in Italian or Italian style cuisine, with pizza and pasta experience a distinct advantage
• Disciplined approach to systems, standards and consistency
• Confident and fair leader able to correct staff and hold standards without aggression
• Experience managing kitchen teams, prep schedules, stock control and service delivery
• Comfortable working in an open kitchen environment and representing the brand daily
• Solid understanding of health, safety and hygiene standards
• Organised, observant and detail focused
• Able to remain calm, focused and effective under pressure
• Formal culinary training is advantageous