Overview

HOSPITALITY:  FRONT OF HOUSE / KITCHEN MANAGER (ITALIAN RESTAURANT)

Somerset West:  My client, a premium Italian-style restaurant renowned for fresh, high-quality Italian cuisine, is seeking a charismatic and people-focused Kitchen / Front of House Manager to lead daily operations. This is a hands-on role with a strong kitchen focus combined with front-of-house leadership ideal for a culinary professional with a passion for Italian food and an engaging management style.

Purpose of the Role

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.

Key Responsibilities Include but Are Not Limited To
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

Criteria
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

TO APPLY:

https://webapp.placementpartner.com/wi/vacancy/?id=helderbergpersonnel&VacRef=SW006041&preview=a8a77c71c8e825d05bdf40672fc5cd8c