Location: OCUS Medley Mall, Dwarka Expressway, Gurugram
Cuisine: Modern Indian, North Indian, Continental, Bar Food & Live Grill
Experience Required: 10–15+ Years
Employment Type: Full-Time
About the Role
Sky Route is seeking an experienced, commercially focused Head Chef to lead the kitchen operations of our flagship rooftop restaurant and bar at OCUS Medley Mall, Dwarka Expressway. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in high-volume Indian and Continental dining, experience in restaurant launches, menu engineering, food cost management, and building high-performing kitchen teams.
This is a leadership role requiring both culinary excellence and operational discipline. The Head Chef will be responsible for ensuring consistent food quality, profitability, hygiene compliance, innovation, and guest satisfaction while managing a dynamic kitchen operation serving families, corporate guests, and evening bar clientele.
Key ResponsibilitiesKitchen Leadership & Operations
- Lead and manage all kitchen operations across hot kitchen, cold kitchen, tandoor, continental section, prep kitchen, and service.
- Build, train, mentor, and retain a high-performing kitchen brigade.
- Develop kitchen SOPs and ensure strict adherence by all staff.
- Conduct daily briefings and service planning meetings.
- Maintain discipline, productivity, and professional standards within the kitchen.
- Ensure smooth coordination between kitchen, bar, service, and management teams.
Menu Development & Innovation
- Design and execute innovative Indian and Continental menus aligned with Sky Route's positioning.
- Develop signature dishes and seasonal menu offerings.
- Create rooftop-friendly sharing plates, bar snacks, grills, kebabs, and premium family dining options.
- Standardize recipes and portion controls for consistency.
- Continuously monitor food trends and competitor offerings.
Food Quality Control
- Ensure every dish leaving the kitchen meets established presentation, taste, and quality standards.
- Conduct regular quality audits of ingredients and finished products.
- Monitor guest feedback and implement corrective actions.
- Maintain consistency during peak service periods.
Food Cost & Profitability Management
- Maintain food cost targets established by management.
- Control wastage, pilferage, over-portioning, and inventory losses.
- Develop recipes with accurate costing and yield calculations.
- Optimize menu mix to improve contribution margins.
- Analyze daily consumption reports and variance reports.
- Work closely with purchasing teams to achieve cost efficiencies.
Inventory & Procurement
- Manage vendor relationships and sourcing of quality ingredients.
- Monitor stock levels and forecast purchasing requirements.
- Conduct regular stock counts and inventory reconciliation.
- Ensure FIFO and proper storage procedures are followed.
- Minimize stock expiry and wastage.
Hygiene & Food Safety
- Ensure compliance with FSSAI regulations and food safety standards.
- Implement HACCP-based food handling procedures.
- Maintain the highest standards of kitchen cleanliness and sanitation.
- Conduct hygiene training for all kitchen staff.
- Ensure readiness for internal and external audits.
New Outlet Launch Responsibilities
- Assist in kitchen planning, equipment selection, and workflow design.
- Participate in recruitment and training of the opening team.
- Develop opening menus, recipes, and kitchen manuals.
- Establish inventory systems and operational controls before launch.
- Lead soft launch and opening operations.
Candidate ProfileEssential Experience
- 10–15+ years of professional culinary experience.
- Minimum 3–5 years as Head Chef, Executive Chef, or Sous Chef in a premium casual dining restaurant.
- Proven experience managing Indian and Continental cuisine simultaneously.
- Experience in rooftop restaurants, bars, breweries, lounges, or destination dining concepts preferred.
- Previous experience opening or scaling restaurant outlets is highly desirable.
- Strong understanding of both family dining and bar food operations.
Technical Skills
- Advanced knowledge of Indian, North Indian, Tandoor, Continental, and Fusion cuisine.
- Strong recipe development and menu engineering skills.
- Expertise in food costing and kitchen profitability management.
- Understanding of inventory systems and kitchen controls.
- Knowledge of modern plating and presentation techniques.
- Familiarity with kitchen management software and POS systems.
Leadership Competencies
- Strong team management and coaching ability.
- Ability to lead large kitchen teams under pressure.
- Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Commercial mindset with focus on profitability and guest satisfaction.
- Hands-on leadership style with attention to detail.
Performance Metrics (KPIs)
The Head Chef will be evaluated on:
- Food quality and consistency scores
- Food cost percentage achievement
- Kitchen labour cost management
- Guest satisfaction and reviews
- Hygiene audit scores
- Staff retention and training effectiveness
- Inventory variance and wastage control
- Menu performance and profitability
- Speed of service during peak periods
Ideal Candidate
We are looking for a chef who combines culinary creativity with strong business acumen. The ideal candidate has successfully led high-volume Indian and Continental restaurant kitchens, understands rooftop dining and bar operations, and can build a scalable kitchen system as Sky Route expands into a multi-outlet hospitality brand.
Pay: ₹30,000.00 - ₹40,000.00 per month
Application Question(s):
- What is your current CTC?
- What is your expected CTC?
Work Location: In person