Elior UK
Catering Manager (Chef-led)
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Caterplus – Food That Feels Like Home
Real food. Real comfort. Real connection. That’s what we do every day at Caterplus.
We cook fresh, honest meals that bring people together in over-55 communities across the UK. Food that means something — not just something on a plate.
If you care about food, people, and doing things properly, you’ll feel right at home here. Because we don’t just serve meals. We create moments.
Caterplus is part of Elior UK — giving you the personality of a specialist brand with the opportunities and support of one of the UK's leading contract catering businesses.
At Elior, the safety, dignity and wellbeing of the people we support is our priority. As part of our recruitment process, this role is subject to satisfactory references and an Enhanced DBS check (where applicable).
We're looking for a hands-on, Chef-led Catering Manager
With strong cooking ability to lead the kitchen and catering operation at our site. You'll be cooking and running the kitchen day-to-day, while a dedicated Front of House Supervisor manages the dining room and service — so this role is firmly food-focused.
You'll be serving up…
- Cooking and leading kitchen production, ensuring food is prepared and presented to a consistently high standard
- Managing food costs, stock, wastage and purchasing to hit budget and GP targets
- Leading, training and developing the kitchen team
- Creating rotas that meet operational needs within labour budget
- Maintaining full compliance with food safety, HACCP and health & safety standards
- Working alongside the FOH Supervisor to align kitchen output with service and events
- Building genuine relationships with residents, getting out into the dining room to talk food and take feedback, even though FOH handle day-to-day service
- Reviewing weekly/monthly performance against budget and identifying opportunities to improve profitability
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The ingredients you'll bring...
- Solid chef/kitchen management background — able to cook to a high standard, not just supervise
- Previous experience in catering, hospitality, contract catering, restaurants or hotels
- Commercial awareness — comfortable with budgets, labour, stock and GP
- Strong food safety and allergen knowledge
- Confident leading and developing a kitchen team
- Warm and approachable, comfortable building relationships with residents and enjoys spending time with them, not just running the pass
- Organised, proactive, and comfortable taking ownership of the kitchen operation
- Genuine passion for food and cooking
- Strong organisational skills, able to manage competing kitchen priorities
- Flexibility — some evenings, weekends and bank holidays may be required around events
What's on the menu for you…
At Elior, we believe people do their best work when they feel supported, valued and able to thrive. That's why we offer a benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, career, finances and life outside of work.
Here’s a taste of what you can expect when you join us:
- Free meals on shift
- Flexible and part-time working opportunities
- 28 days holiday, increasing to 31 days after two years' service
- Enhanced family, personal and compassionate leave policies
- Paid volunteering days
- Training, development and career progression opportunities
- Pension scheme, life assurance and financial wellbeing support
- Salary Advance, giving you access to a portion of your pay before payday
- A supportive, inclusive culture where everyone can thrive
- Plus access to Elior Spark, our enhanced wellbeing platform, offering support for you and your immediate family, including:
- 24/7 virtual GP appointments
- Mental health support, counselling and therapy sessions
- Physiotherapy services and second medical opinions
- Online gym and workout programmes
- Legal and financial advice
- Nutrition, fitness and lifestyle guidance
- Meditation and mindfulness resources
- Dedicated wellbeing helplines and expert support whenever you need it
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Fancy being part of the recipe?
At Elior, over 10,000 colleagues come together every day with one purpose: to enrich lives everywhere, every day.
We're proud that 87% of our colleagues are proud to work here — and we think that's because people are given the support, trust and opportunities they need to thrive.
Don't tick every box? Don't rule yourself out. We're looking for people with potential, passion and the right attitude, not just a checklist of experience.
We're committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels they belong. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know.
Ready to join us? Hit ‘Apply Now’ and let’s chat!
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