Culinary Operations Manager in London
Culinary Operations Manager

Culinary Operations Manager in London

London Full-Time 36000 - 60000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead culinary operations, ensuring delicious food is consistently delivered across multiple sites.
  • Company: Fast-growing food brand with a vibrant and ambitious culture.
  • Benefits: Market-related salary, annual reviews, 25 holiday days, and a dog-friendly office.
  • Why this job: Join a bold team transforming the food industry with creativity and passion.
  • Qualifications: Experience in multi-site food businesses and a strong understanding of food safety standards.
  • Other info: Opportunity for creative freedom and real ownership in a dynamic environment.

The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.

Salary: Market-related salary, negotiable depending on experience

About atis: We’re a fast-growing food brand with big ambitions and bold ideas. Our mission is to bring real, nourishing, vibrant food to people in a way that feels fresh, modern and full of energy. We don’t do beige. We do colour, creativity, culture – and we’re building a brand that reflects that. Every day, we make powerful food that’s full of flavour, full of colour and full of intention. Real food, done really well – all served fast, in vibrant spaces that move with the rhythm of city life. We’re here to transform people’s health and fuel better days. We are building a community that celebrates good food, good people and good energy – unapologetically.

About the role: As Culinary Operations Manager, you will be responsible for translating atis’ food vision into operational reality. This role ensures that product creativity works at scale, tastes as delicious as it did in the concept tasting, is executable across 16+ sites and is delivered consistently - while maintaining exceptional food safety, food quality standards and profitability. You will sit at the intersection of Product, Operations, Commercial and group Kitchen Management, acting as the ambassador for ensuring our food reaches customers smoothly, to exacting food safety standards, and extremely delicious.

Focus: Your focus is on turning great food ideas into flawless, scalable execution across the atis estate. You will ensure that every dish is delicious, consistent, safe and commercially sound. From early concept through to launch and live performance, you will stress-test, simplify and refine – protecting quality while embedding standards so that what lands in our kitchens works brilliantly in every site.

Typical Work Includes:

  • Operationalisation of all new menu items and collaboration launches
  • Partnering with Product on development and translating concepts into scalable, site-ready recipes
  • Stress testing menus for speed, complexity, waste, margin, and training load
  • For every new menu launch running kitchen trials, pilots & pre-launch validation
  • Creating recipe specs, build guides, prep flows, and equipment requirements
  • Ensuring flawless menu rollouts across the group
  • Being present in the site kitchens during seasonal & core menu launches
  • Setting & maintaining culinary standards across the estate
  • Running regular audits and taste panels
  • Owning corrective actions when standard slips
  • Ensuring all recipes, processes and specs are food-safe compliant, working closely with Ops on HACCP, allergen controls and EHO readiness
  • Embedding food safety as part of great food, not separate from it
  • Partnering with Product, Supply and Commercial on ingredients specs, yield optimisation and profitability, without compromising quality
  • Uplifting culinary capability across the business
  • Working with the L&D team to build and deliver simple but engaging training for the BOH teams
  • Coaching kitchen managers and leaders on standards, execution and compliance

Skills/Experience:

  • Experience in multi-site food businesses, ideally 8-30+ sites (QSR, fast casual, casual dining, premium cafe groups)
  • Experience working with fresh food, scratch-cooking, short shelf life product
  • Hands-on experience across various facets of the business; test kitchen, head office, service
  • Team player, used to working closely with Product Development, Ops, Supply Chain, and Commercial
  • Excellent palate and understanding of flavour balance
  • Strong understanding of all fundamental food safety and health and safety standards
  • Has personally delivered or heavily supported menu rollouts and major menu changes at scale
  • Has owned or heavily influenced recipe specs, guides, kitchen SOPs, launch playbooks
  • Experience opening new sites from a food readiness perspective
  • Comfortable working in businesses going through rapid growth
  • Understands GP, labour, throughput and waste management
  • Deeply quality-driven but operationally pragmatic
  • High standards, low ego
  • Obsessed with making things work, not just designing them
  • Experience coaching and upskilling kitchen leaders and teams

Mindset: You’re obsessed with making things better, not just acceptable. Naturally proactive, you spot issues before they escalate and take full ownership of the process end-to-end. You are commercially curious, not purely culinary, demonstrating a balanced perspective that marries food excellence with business reality. A pragmatic idealist, you care deeply about food whilst accepting the constraints of what is operationally possible. You value consistency as much as creativity and you thrive at the centre of things - collaborating across teams. You like to be in the middle of things, not operating in a silo.

Why atis: We’re building a bold, flavour-first brand that is shaking things up in the food space. You’ll have creative freedom and real ownership of your work. Work with a growing, ambitious team that cares deeply about food and people. We move quickly, trust generously and love big ideas. Lots of real, bold food to fuel your ideas.

What we offer you:

  • Prime central London office location
  • Dog-friendly office
  • Weekly travel card Zones 1-2
  • Annual salary reviews
  • 25 paid holiday days + 8 days

Culinary Operations Manager in London employer: Atisfood

At atis, we pride ourselves on being a vibrant and innovative food brand that champions creativity and quality in every dish. As a Culinary Operations Manager, you'll thrive in a dynamic work culture that values collaboration and empowers you to take ownership of your projects, all while enjoying the perks of a prime central London location, including a dog-friendly office and generous holiday allowances. Join us in our mission to transform people's health through delicious, nourishing food, and experience unparalleled growth opportunities within a passionate team dedicated to making a difference.
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Contact Detail:

Atisfood Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Culinary Operations Manager in London

✨Tip Number 1

Get to know the company inside out! Research atis' mission, values, and recent projects. This way, when you chat with them, you can show off your passion for their vibrant food culture and how you can contribute to their goals.

✨Tip Number 2

Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. Building relationships can give you insider info and might even lead to a referral, which is always a bonus!

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to culinary operations. Think about how you can demonstrate your experience in multi-site management and food safety standards – they’ll want to see that you can handle the heat!

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of the atis family.

We think you need these skills to ace Culinary Operations Manager in London

Operational Management
Menu Development
Food Safety Standards
Recipe Specification
Quality Control
Training and Development
Collaboration
Problem-Solving
Multi-Site Management
Culinary Creativity
Cost Management
Flavour Balance
Audit and Compliance
Coaching and Upskilling

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion for Food: When you're writing your application, let your love for vibrant, nourishing food shine through. We want to see how your culinary creativity aligns with our mission at atis. Share your experiences that reflect your passion for making delicious, fresh food!

Be Specific About Your Experience: We’re looking for someone who’s been in the trenches of multi-site food operations. Make sure to highlight your hands-on experience with menu rollouts and how you've tackled challenges in fast-paced environments. The more specific you are, the better we can see you fitting into our team!

Emphasise Team Collaboration: At atis, we thrive on collaboration across various teams. In your application, mention how you've worked closely with product development, operations, and kitchen staff. Show us that you’re a team player who values communication and teamwork as much as culinary excellence.

Keep It Professional Yet Personal: While we love a bit of personality, remember to keep your application professional. Use a friendly tone but ensure your skills and experiences are front and centre. And don’t forget, applying through our website is the best way to get your foot in the door!

How to prepare for a job interview at Atisfood

✨Know Your Flavours

Dive deep into the culinary world and understand flavour profiles that resonate with atis' vibrant food vision. Be ready to discuss your favourite dishes and how you would enhance them, showcasing your creativity and passion for food.

✨Operational Insight is Key

Familiarise yourself with the operational challenges of multi-site food businesses. Prepare examples from your past experiences where you successfully managed menu rollouts or improved kitchen processes, demonstrating your ability to translate creative ideas into scalable operations.

✨Safety First!

Brush up on food safety standards and regulations, especially HACCP and allergen controls. Be prepared to discuss how you’ve implemented these in previous roles, ensuring that quality and safety go hand in hand in your culinary operations.

✨Collaboration is Crucial

Highlight your experience working across different teams, such as Product Development and Operations. Share specific instances where your collaborative efforts led to successful outcomes, showing that you thrive in a team-oriented environment and can bridge gaps between departments.

Culinary Operations Manager in London
Atisfood
Location: London

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