Kitchen lead

Kitchen Lead

The Uncommon | Knightsbridge, London
Full-time | Competitive pay, depending on experience

The Uncommon is coming to London.

Born in the UAE and known for its striking design, specialty coffee and immersive hospitality, The Uncommon is opening its first London location in Knightsbridge.

Our food offer will focus on quality pastries, freshly prepared bagels and toasties, delivered simply, consistently and to a high standard.

We’re looking for an experienced, hands-on Kitchen Lead to take ownership of the day-to-day food operation and help establish our kitchen from the beginning.

This is not a traditional restaurant kitchen or large brigade. It’s a focused café operation where organisation, consistency, food safety and great preparation are key.

What you’ll be doing

• Taking day-to-day ownership of the kitchen operation
• Preparing and serving bagels, toasties, pastries and other menu items
• Planning daily prep levels based on expected trade
• Ensuring all food is prepared consistently to recipe and presentation standards
• Organising mise en place and making sure the kitchen is ready for service
• Leading and supporting the Kitchen Assistant during shifts
• Monitoring stock levels and communicating ordering requirements
• Receiving, checking and correctly storing deliveries
• Maintaining accurate stock rotation, labelling and date control
• Monitoring food waste and helping improve efficiency
• Maintaining excellent kitchen cleanliness and organisation
• Ensuring food safety, allergen and HACCP procedures are followed
• Completing daily opening, closing and compliance checks
• Supporting stock counts and helping maintain accurate inventory
• Working closely with the General Manager and front-of-house team
• Helping improve prep systems, kitchen workflow and service efficiency
• Supporting training and development of additional kitchen team members as the business grows

Who we’re looking for

You don’t need to come from a fine-dining or traditional restaurant background.

Experience within a quality café, bakery, deli, brunch concept, premium grab-and-go operation or similar environment would be particularly relevant.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Has previous kitchen or food preparation experience
• Is confident taking responsibility for a small kitchen
• Is highly organised and comfortable planning prep
• Understands food safety, HACCP and allergen management
• Is confident managing stock, deliveries and rotation
• Understands portion control and waste management
• Works cleanly, efficiently and methodically
• Is calm and organised during busy services
• Takes pride in consistency and presentation
• Can work independently and make sensible day-to-day decisions
• Communicates well with both kitchen and front-of-house teams
• Is comfortable supporting and guiding a Kitchen Assistant
• Wants to help build a new operation from the beginning

Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who understands that a simple menu still needs to be executed exceptionally well.

Why The Uncommon?

You’ll be joining our opening team from day one and helping establish the food standards, kitchen routines and culture of our first London location.

You’ll have genuine ownership of a focused café kitchen and work closely with the General Manager as we establish and grow the operation.

Knightsbridge, London
Full-time
Weekend availability required
Competitive pay, depending on experience

If this sounds like the kind of kitchen you’d enjoy leading, send us your CV and a short introduction telling us about your experience.

We’d love to hear from you.

Pay: From £14.00 per hour

Expected hours: 15.0 – 35.0 per week

Benefits:

• Employee discount

Work Location: In person