Highway Area Chef

Job Description For Highways Area Chef

Experience: 6-10 years

Salary Range: ₹35,000 - ₹45,000 per month

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Excellence & Quality Control
• Consistency: Conduct regular site visits to ensure food is prepared and presented according to brand specifications.
• New Openings: Lead the kitchen setup and team mobilization for new service area openings or brand rollouts.
• Menu Implementation: Oversee the successful launch of seasonal menus and promotional items across all sites.
• Financial Management
• Waste Control: Monitor food waste levels at each site and implement corrective actions to protect margins.
• Labor Optimization: Review rotas and labor costs to ensure kitchens are efficiently staffed during peak travel periods (bank holidays, summer holidays).
• Inventory: Audit stock takes and procurement processes to ensure sites are buying through approved highway supply chains.
• Compliance & Safety
• Auditing: Perform rigorous Health & Safety and Food Safety (HACCP) audits.
• Environmental Health: Ensure all sites are inspection-ready for local authority health visits, aiming for 5-star ratings across the board.
• People & Training
• Mentorship: Coach and develop Unit Chefs and Kitchen Managers to improve their culinary and management skills.
• Recruitment: Assist site managers in hiring key culinary personnel.
• Retention: Foster a positive work culture to reduce staff turnover in a high-pressure, high-volume environment.
  
  

Required Skills & Experience

• Multi-Site Experience: Proven track record managing multiple kitchens (ideally in high-volume retail, casual dining, or contract catering).
• Branded Experience: Familiarity working with strict brand standards and spec sheets.
  
  

Role Title: Area Chef Department: Operations / Culinary Reporting To: Head Chef / Corporate Chef / Operations Head Role Purpose

The Area Chef is responsible for overseeing culinary operations across multiple outlets, ensuring consistency in food quality, adherence to hygiene standards, cost control, and team capability building. The role also supports new store openings and drives operational excellence through audits, training, and people engagement.

Key Responsibilities1. Culinary Expertise & Menu Management

• Ensure strong knowledge and execution of multi-cuisine menus, with special focus on South Indian cuisine.
• Maintain consistency in taste, presentation, and portioning across all outlets.
• Support menu standardization and periodic updates in collaboration with central culinary teams.
• Ensure availability and correct usage of ingredients as per standardized recipes.
• Food Cost Management & Costing
• Monitor and control food cost across assigned locations.
• Conduct recipe costing and ensure adherence to standard yields and portion sizes.
• Minimize wastage through effective planning, inventory control, and process discipline.
• Analyze variance reports and implement corrective actions.
• Hygiene & Food Safety Compliance
• Ensure strict adherence to food safety and hygiene standards across all outlets.
• Conduct regular hygiene audits and enforce compliance with SOPs.
• Train teams on sanitation, personal hygiene, and safe food handling practices.
• Ensure readiness for internal and external audits.
• Process & SOP Implementation
• Drive implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) across kitchens.
• Ensure consistency in kitchen processes, food preparation, and service delivery.
• Identify gaps in processes and implement improvements for efficiency and quality.
• Maintain documentation and compliance records.
• Training & Team Development
• Conduct regular training sessions for kitchen staff on:
• Food preparation techniques
• Menu knowledge
• Hygiene standards
• Cost awareness
• Mentor and develop second-line leaders (Sous Chefs, CDPs, etc.).
• Identify skill gaps and create structured training plans.
• People Management & Engagement
• Build strong people connect with kitchen teams across locations.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, and performance-driven work environment.
• Address team concerns, motivate staff, and drive engagement initiatives.
• Ensure alignment with company culture and values.
• New Store Openings
• Actively participate in new outlet openings as a core team member.
• Support kitchen setup, staff hiring, and training during pre-opening phase.
• Ensure smooth launch with adherence to brand standards and SOPs.
• Stabilize operations post-opening.
• Audits & Compliance
• Conduct periodic operational and hygiene audits across outlets.
• Identify non-compliance issues and implement corrective measures.
• Train staff to maintain audit readiness at all times.
• Ensure continuous improvement in audit scores.
• Mobility & Flexibility
• Be open to travel across locations as per business requirements.
• Provide on-ground support to outlets during critical periods or challenges.
  
  

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong expertise in multi-cuisine cooking, especially South Indian cuisine
• Sound knowledge of food costing and inventory management
• Deep understanding of hygiene and food safety standards
• Strong training and coaching ability
• Excellent people management and communication skills
• High level of process orientation and discipline
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-location environment
  
  

Qualifications & Experience

• Diploma/Degree in Hotel Management or Culinary Arts
• 6-10+ years of experience in kitchen operations, with multi-unit exposure preferred
• Prior experience in handling multiple outlets or cluster roles is an advantage
  
  

Success Metrics (KPIs)

• Food cost variance
• Audit and hygiene scores
• Training effectiveness and team skill improvement
• Consistency in food quality across outlets
• Successful execution of new store openings
• Employee engagement and retention within teams