Kitchen shift leader

Your role: at a glance

To support, lead and motivate the team of associates and team leaders to meet sales, profit and compliance targets daily. To prepare, cook and serve food, while, at all times, ensuring the smooth, efficient running of the kitchen.

• To provide excellent customer service.
• To serve all food to the correct specification.
• To adhere to all Wetherspoon standard operating procedures (SOPs) and company policies, to maintain a clean, safe and legal workplace.

Essential requirements

All of the training which we provide will teach you everything you need to know to succeed, but there are a few essential requirements you’ll need to start:

• Have a proof of right to work in the place where you will be based (UK or ROI).
• Have a bank account in your own name in the place where you will be based (UK or ROI).
• Be able to converse in English and to understand the language to complete training and other duties associated with your job role.
• Have a fixed place of residence within reasonable travelling distance of your place of work.
• Basic computer literacy.
• Have completed the Wetherspoon kitchen team leader training programme.

About you

• Demonstrate strong leadership qualities.
• Be able to prioritise tasks and have good organisational skills to ensure that each shift runs smoothly and efficiently.
• Know how and when to delegate tasks and how to feed back, positively, to the person completing the task (identifying any areas for improvement, if necessary).
• Demonstrate passion and enthusiasm in your role and show commitment to your colleagues, your pub and to Wetherspoon.
• Have exceptional time management skills.
• Have a strong work ethic and be self-motivated.
• Have a friendly nature and excellent communications skills.
• Administer and distribute all company communications to the team quickly and effectively, in line with company policies.
• Be honest, trustworthy and respectful.
• Remain calm, when working in a high-pressure environment.
• Adhere to and enforce kitchen uniform standards.
• Seek and receive regular feedback from the management team and achieve any actions agreed on.

A day in the life

Manage the team to deliver consistently high standards of cleanliness, quality, service, maintenance and atmosphere (CQSMA). Proactively manage results which fall below expectations.

• Manage the team to ensure that kitchen opening and closing procedures are adhered to in line with company policy. Ensure that the kitchen is set up correctly each morning and throughout the day and always ready for service.
• Manage the team to ensure that all food is prepared, cooked, served and presented in accordance with company standards.
• Ensure that team members are striving to achieve the food-delivery-time targets at all times.
• Be aware of, and knowledgeable about, all promotions and events, such as new menu launches. Share your knowledge with team members to ensure that they have the latest information. Ensure that all training materials and kitchen documents are up to date and displayed correctly.
• Take pride in maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness by adopting our Clean As You Go (CAYG) philosophy. Ensure that, throughout the day, the kitchen is cleaned and maintained in accordance with guidelines. Ensure that the team actions, in a timely manner, any points raised on kitchen checks.
• Respond to any customer feedback in a positive and helpful manner, seeking support, if required. Review all customer feedback with the management team. Identify and action any training needs.
• Maintain office administration in line with company policies and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), including full, correct and proper use of all duty manager’s log books, storage of paperwork and keys.
• Have good knowledge and use of business systems, including kitchen screen reporting systems, property management systems and personnel systems.
• Ensure that all accidents, incidents and serious food complaints are recorded in line with company procedures.
• Assist in achieving all financial targets set for the kitchen, by taking proactive steps to build sales and control costs (eg daily hours’ allowance in line with sales). Work with the pub manager to:
  • forecast food sales and all associated costs (eg hours).
  • review and manage all aspects of the P&L (eg sales, hours, costs).
  • maximise all sales opportunities.
    • Know your competitors and their current pricing/activities.
    • Know your customer base (local businesses, students, shoppers).
• Assist in achieving positive stock results:
  • Manage the kitchen to ensure that portion sizes and dish specifications are adhered to at all times.
  • Maintain appropriate order levels and receive deliveries in line with company policy, ensuring full product availability at all times. Investigate and report any anomalies, as required.
  • Ensure that daily line checks are completed and all wastage recorded.
  • Carry out manager’s own stock (MOS), analyse and communicate results, introduce and manage any actions required for improvement (eg additional grab tests to control portion size).
• Assist in achieving all people-related targets within the kitchen:
  • Manage and maintain all aspects of the associate promise.
  • Daily management of shifts, including performance, rotas and break allocations.
  • Once trained, conduct new starter inductions to the required standard.
  • Once trained, identify recruitment needs, search and selection activities and the appointment of staff, in line with the company’s recruitment process. Ensure that all paperwork (including proof-of-right-to-work documentation) is certified, copied and filed, in line with UK Home Office or Irish National Immigration Service (depending where your pub is based) and company policies.
  • Hold probation and training review meetings with associates and team leaders. Ensure that all training is completed to the required standard and within set time frames.
  • Record and manage associate and team leader absence by completing return-to-work interviews, in line with the guidance detailed in the people management guide.
  • Effectively and proactively manage the daily performance and attendance of the team, in line with company policies, using performance management tools as detailed in the people management guide.
  • Motivate, train, develop and assist all associates and team leaders to support a strong succession plan in the pub. Make use of performance management tools (eg performance action plans), if applicable.
  • Monitor and manage all maintenance issues and manage maintenance contractors, while on site.
  • Carry out any reasonable task as requested by the pub manager, area manager or Wethercentre, to meet the needs of the business.