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Kitchen Manager – Veld & Vine Bistro

Location: Claremont, Cape Town
Position: Kitchen Manager
Employment Type: Full-Time

Lead. Organise. Inspire. Deliver.

Veld & Vine Bistro is looking for an experienced, hands-on, and highly organised Kitchen Manager to take ownership of our kitchen operations and lead our kitchen team.

We are looking for an individual with strong restaurant and kitchen management experience who understands that a successful kitchen is built on consistency, organisation, communication, teamwork, quality, and accountability.

The ideal candidate will be confident managing a busy kitchen environment (primarity in the mornings from 06h30 until 16h00), leading and motivating kitchen staff, coordinating orders during service, maintaining food and hygiene standards, and ensuring that the kitchen operates efficiently from preparation through to close.

This is a hands-on management position suited to someone who takes pride in their work and has the experience and leadership skills to maintain a high-performing kitchen.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate should possess:

• At least 3–5 years of professional kitchen experience, with previous supervisory or management experience.
• Strong knowledge of restaurant kitchen operations and service procedures.
• Proven experience managing, training, and motivating kitchen staff.
• Excellent knowledge of food preparation, cooking techniques, portion control, and presentation.
• Strong understanding of food safety, hygiene, health, and sanitation regulations.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• The ability to remain calm, focused, and decisive during busy services.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with both front- and back-of-house teams.
• Excellent attention to detail and a strong commitment to consistency.
• The ability to manage multiple orders and priorities efficiently during service.
• Strong stock control and inventory management skills.
• Experience with ordering, receiving, storing, and rotating stock.
• A strong work ethic, reliability, punctuality, and professional attitude.
• The ability to identify problems quickly and take appropriate action.
• A genuine passion for food, hospitality, and delivering a consistently high standard.

Key Responsibilities

Kitchen Operations

• Oversee the day-to-day running of the kitchen focussing on breakfast and lunch services but the occasional dinner service management may be required.
• Ensure the kitchen is fully prepared and organised before each service.
• Coordinate kitchen operations throughout mainly breakfast and lunch, and/or dinner (occasionally) service as required.
• Monitor guest orders and ensure dishes are prepared accurately, efficiently, and to specification.
• Maintain consistent standards of food quality, portioning, presentation, and timing.
• Ensure smooth communication between the kitchen, management, and front-of-house team.
• Step into service and assist with food preparation and cooking when required.

Kitchen Team Management

• Lead, supervise, and motivate the kitchen team.
• Allocate daily duties and ensure staff understand their responsibilities.
• Train new kitchen employees and ensure all team members understand recipes, procedures, and standards.
• Monitor staff performance and address issues professionally and appropriately.
• Foster a positive, respectful, disciplined, and team-oriented kitchen environment.
• Manage kitchen opening, service, and closing procedures.

Stock & Cost Control

• Monitor stock levels and ensure sufficient ingredients are available for service.
• Assist with ordering and receiving stock.
• Ensure correct storage, labelling, dating, and rotation of food products.
• Minimise wastage and maintain effective portion control.
• Monitor food costs and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary expenditure.
• Communicate stock shortages, wastage, equipment issues, and operational concerns to management.

Hygiene & Kitchen Standards

• Maintain exceptional standards of cleanliness, organisation, and hygiene throughout the kitchen.
• Ensure all food is stored, prepared, and handled in accordance with food safety requirements.
• Conduct regular checks of refrigeration, preparation areas, equipment, and storage spaces.
• Ensure cleaning schedules and daily kitchen procedures are consistently followed.
• Maintain a professional, organised, and safe working environment at all times.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for more than just someone who can cook.

We are looking for a leader who can take responsibility for the kitchen, inspire their team, solve problems under pressure, and consistently deliver a high standard of food and service.

The right person will be hands-on, dependable, disciplined, solutions-oriented, and passionate about hospitality. They should be comfortable taking initiative, making decisions, holding themselves and others accountable, and working closely with restaurant management to ensure the overall guest experience remains exceptional.

If you are an experienced kitchen professional who is ready to take ownership of a kitchen and make a meaningful contribution to a growing restaurant team, we would love to hear from you.

To Apply

Please send your CV, along with a brief introduction outlining your relevant kitchen management experience, to:
leonita.louw@gmail.com

Please use “Kitchen Manager Application – Veld & Vine Bistro” as the subject line.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Pay: R14 000,00 - R17 000,00 per month

Work Location: In person