Head Chef

About us

Since 2011, the Bike Shed has been a place of Common Ground, where people from all walks of life come together over a shared love of two wheels, whether they ride or not. Our Shoreditch home brings together a restaurant and bar, barbershop, store, members’ club and event space under one roof, and we’ve taken the Bike Shed across the Atlantic with our sister venue in Los Angeles.

The kitchen is at the heart of it all. We serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts Tuesday to Sunday, with weekend brunch from 9am, alongside a busy calendar of live music, DJ nights, themed parties, club events and private hire.

Our menu is honest, generous food, from full breakfasts and weekend brunch to burgers, steaks, salads, sharing plates and house desserts. Everything is cooked to order, we make plenty in-house, and our meat comes from a family-run butcher working with free-range British farmers.

We’re looking for a Head

Chef to lead that kitchen

someone who cooks great food, runs a tight and profitable operation, and builds a team that people want to be part of.

What you’ll be doing

Menus & food

Developing and evolving seasonal menus across breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and desserts

Recipe development and testing, with clear recipe specs and plating guides for every dish

Costing every dish accurately and engineering menus for quality and margin

Creating specials and food that fits the Bike Shed’s welcoming, inclusive identity

Keeping standards consistent across every service

Running the numbers

Hitting and protecting target food GP%

Managing labour percentages through smart rota planning in line with covers and event forecasts

Stock control, ordering, weekly stock takes and keeping waste to a minimum

Building strong supplier relationships and negotiating the best value

Prep & kitchen operations

Planning food prep so the team is set up for everything from a Saturday brunch rush to a late Friday service

Running the pass and leading from the front when it’s busy

Keeping the kitchen clean, organised and well maintained

Events & venue hire

Planning and delivering food for our events programme, from live music nights and themed parties to club gatherings

Creating and costing menus for private hire, corporate events, launches and functions in our event space

Working closely with the events and front-of-house teams on logistics, timings and guest numbers

People & training

Recruiting, training and developing your team

The opportunity to bring in new team members and build your own kitchen team as part of our ongoing growth and improvement

Building training plans so every dish is cooked the same way, whoever’s on

Creating a positive, respectful kitchen culture that reflects the Bike Shed’s “leave your differences at the door” ethos

Running team briefings, reviews and performance conversations

Compliance & safety

Full ownership of food safety, HACCP and kitchen documentation

Accurate allergen management and labelling, including Natasha’s Law compliance

Maintaining a 5-star food hygiene rating

Health and safety, COSHH and safe working practices

Working with the business

Partnering with the Operations director and senior team on sales, budgets and growth

Bringing ideas for promotions, collaborations, social media content and new revenue streams

What you’ll get

Performance bonus linked to GP and labour targets

Mondays off generally, as the venue is closed - there may be rare occasions where Monday work is required for events or the annual show

Staff meals and discount across the restaurant, bar and Bike Shed store

Discount at our Barbershop, Retail store and Restaurant

Real creative ownership of the food in one of London’s most distinctive venues

The chance to grow and flourish within a great, friendly company with venues in London and Los Angeles