Search for your next opportunity

Chef Manager – Daytime Hours – Cork

I am recruiting for an experienced Chef Manager to lead the full operations of a busy, high-quality daytime café in East Cork. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a hands-on leadership role-balancing great food, smooth service, team management, and day-to-day operational oversight.

The café offers an elevated daytime menu featuring gourmet sandwiches, breakfast favourites, freshly baked goods, and bistro-style lunch dishes. The successful candidate will take full ownership of both front-of-house and kitchen operations, ensuring quality, consistency, and an exceptional customer experience throughout the venue.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational & Team Leadership
• Oversee all daily café operations, ensuring smooth, efficient service
• Lead, train, and support both front-of-house and kitchen teams
• Build rotas, manage staffing levels, and ensure labour efficiency
• Maintain a welcoming, friendly environment with excellent customer engagement
• Support FOH during busy periods and lead by example on the floor
• Oversee cash handling, daily reporting, and light administrative duties
• Drive customer satisfaction, repeat business, and overall profitability
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness, organisation, and presentation throughout the café

Kitchen Responsibilities

• Prepare and deliver high-quality breakfast, brunch, and lunch dishes
• Lead menu planning with a focus on fresh, local, gourmet daytime food
• Oversee prep, service flow, and kitchen organisation
• Manage stock, waste, ordering, and supplier relationships
• Ensure consistency in quality, flavour, and presentation
• Maintain excellent HACCP and food safety standards

What You’ll Bring

• Experience as a Chef Manager, Café Manager, Senior Chef, or similar leadership role
• Ability to manage full café operations, not just the kitchen
• Strong cooking skills with a passion for fresh, high-quality daytime dining
• Confident leadership and the ability to inspire and manage a small team
• Excellent organisational and communication skills
• Strong knowledge of HACCP and food safety
• Flexibility to work weekends and busy seasonal periods
• Bonus: baking/pastry experience or background in menu development
• Experience in a daytime café, gourmet deli, or high-volume casual dining venue

This is a fantastic opportunity for a Chef Manager who wants ownership, leadership, creativity, and the balance of daytime hours, all within a vibrant East Cork setting.

#HospSenior