Head Chef - Riverside East

JOB DESCRIPTION 

HEAD CHEF, RIVERSIDE EAST, STRATFORD

PEPPERMINT EVENTS LIMITED

Salary: £55k – £60k p/a (dependant on experience) + tronc + benefits

45 hours per week

What is Riverside East?

Riverside East is a vibrant hospitality venue in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Our food offering includes a popular brunch café with Sunday roasts in the cooler months, two street food units serving smash burgers and handmade pizza, and a bespoke catering arm delivering exceptional food for private and corporate events across two flexible event spaces.

We’re now looking for a talented and driven Head Chef to lead our kitchen team, evolve our menus, and deliver operational excellence across all our F&B touchpoints.

The Role

As Head Chef, you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day management of our kitchen operations, menu development, team leadership, food safety, and delivering an exceptional and consistent food offer across all parts of the venue. From a busy weekend brunch service to large-scale canapé and bowl food events, you’ll take pride in delivering food that’s creative, seasonal, and high quality.

Who is Peppermint?  

Peppermint is a multi-award-winning events business, founded in 2003 by Alex Brooke and Adam Hempenstall – passionate in providing first-class bars and drinks-led solutions to the UK’s greatest events & venues. Today, Peppermint services over 50 events and venues every year and has developed long-standing relationships with the likes of AEG, IMG, Brand Events and Live Nation. Events include BST Hyde Park, Camp Bestival, Mighty Hoopla, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, All Points East, Lytham, Rewind festivals and many more.

Peppermint has recently partnered with Levy UK and supports venues with premium F&B experiences – including The O2, Wembley Arena, Dreamland (Margate), The Piece Hall (Halifax) and the Johan Cruff Arena in Amsterdam.  Peppermint operates the hugely popular Between The Bridges venues on the Southbank and has just opened a brand new venue in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park called Riverside East. Peppermint’s success has been driven by its relentless passion for its people, innovation and sustainable practices – with 20 years’ operational experience – it’s a powerful combination. https://www.peppermintbars.co.uk/

Key Responsibilities

Cafe Operations (Wed–Sun)

• Lead the café kitchen, serving a high-quality brunch menu and seasonal Sunday roasts
• Manage GP%, portion control, and kitchen costings
• Oversee prep and service, ensuring consistency, quality, and pace

Street Food (Match Days & Events):

• Manage and prep for smash burger and pizza kiosks in the Yard
• Coordinate with event teams to meet high-volume demand during peak periods

Event Catering:

• Deliver high-standard canapé, bowl food, and plated meals for sit-down events (up to 120 guests) and standing receptions (up to 225 guests)
• Develop and execute bespoke BBQ menus and outdoor catering for private hire and corporate functions
• Liaise with clients as needed to tailor menus and support bespoke event delivery

Team & Operations:

• Lead, train, and develop the kitchen team
• Maintain a strong food safety and hygiene culture (achieving/maintaining 5* rating)
• Collaborate with the GM and FOH team to ensure smooth service and communication across departments
• Manage rotas, recruitment, and labour budgets for the kitchen
• Oversee stock control, ordering, and supplier relationships

What we’re Looking For

• Proven experience as a Head Chef or Senior Sous in a similar multi-outlet venue
• Strong organisational and leadership skills – able to run multiple kitchen formats simultaneously
• Experience with high-volume service, especially for events or match days
• Passion for seasonal, quality food and creative menu development
• Knowledge of allergens, HACCP, and food safety compliance
• Ability to thrive under pressure and remain calm and solution-focused
• A collaborative and positive attitude – a real team player

Desirable:

• Previous experience with bespoke BBQ or live-fire cooking
• Confidence delivering food tastings and engaging with clients
• Familiarity with commercial pizza ovens and burger stations

Benefits & Entitlements

• 28 days holiday
• Overtime paid
• Birthday day off
• Access to employee discounts, wellbeing tools and private healthcare plan through Medicash
• Company Sick pay
• Enhanced Parental Leave
• Access to some of the UK’s best events, festivals & sports venues

APPLY NOW

To apply, please send your CV and a short cover note outlining why you’d be a great fit for RSE to [email protected]