The Riverside Restaurant & Bar is located in the Rockhampton Riverside precinct and offers a refined yet welcoming dining experience for both in-house guests and the local community. Our venue combines quality cuisine, thoughtful service, and a strong focus on consistency and guest satisfaction.
We are now seeking a Head Chef to lead the day-to-day kitchen operations across our hotel food & beverage operation. This is a hands-on leadership role suited to a passionate chef who enjoys mentoring teams, delivering great food, and maintaining high operational standards.
Key Responsibilities
As Head Chef, you will take full ownership of the culinary direction and daily kitchen operations for Riverside Restaurant & Bar, a vibrant seven-day dining venue delivering breakfast, dinner, and events in a stunning riverside setting.
This role balances hands-on service leadership with strong operational control, ensuring Riverside consistently delivers memorable dining experiences that showcase quality produce, confident flavours, and exceptional presentation.
Your responsibilities will include:
* Leading all kitchen operations across a 7-day trading restaurant, including à la carte dining, terrace service, functions, and special events
* Championing HACCP food safety systems, ensuring all procedures, records, audits, and training are maintained to the highest standard
* Ensuring full compliance with food safety, hygiene, WHS, and local council regulations, with a strong focus on risk management and continuous improvement
* Designing and executing menus that celebrate seasonal produce, premium Australian meats, fresh seafood, and bold, classic flavours
* Delivering steak and grill excellence, ensuring consistency and quality.
* Overseeing preparation and service for a diverse menu offering, including meat, fish, pizza, and house-made sauces and condiments
* Managing kitchen labour, rosters, ordering, stock rotation, and food cost control to meet commercial targets
* Building strong supplier relationships to ensure access to fresh, quality ingredients aligned with Riverside's positioning
* Leading, mentoring, and developing the kitchen team to perform confidently across busy services and peak trading periods
* Working closely with the Hotel leadership teams to align menus with guest expectations, seasonal promotions, and events
* Fostering a positive, professional kitchen culture that values teamwork, accountability, and pride in every plate served
About You
You are a confident, organised, and hands-on Head Chef who leads from the front. You take pride in your food, your team, and your ability to deliver consistent results in a busy hospitality environment.
You will bring:
* Proven experience as a Head Chef or strong Sous Chef ready to step up
* Background in hotels, restaurants, or high-volume venues
* Strong people leadership and communication skills
* Solid understanding of food cost control and kitchen administration
* A practical, hands-on approach with strong attention to detail
* Knowledge of current food trends and a passion for quality ingredients
* Cert IV in Commercial Cookery (or equivalent)
What We Offer
* The opportunity to lead and shape a dedicated kitchen team
* Career development within a growing hospitality group
* Team Member discounts across Accor and La Vie Hotels & Resorts network
* Onsite parking