About Toboggan Brewing Company
Toboggan Brewing Company is built around London’s history, local beer, and good food served in a lively, high-volume restaurant environment.
Our name comes from a real part of Forest City history. In the late 1800s, London was known as a tobogganing destination, with clubs, winter gatherings, and massive wooden ramps built throughout the city. One of the most impressive was a 485-foot double chute near Victoria Park, just around the corner from where we are today.
That same spirit of people coming together is what Toboggan is about now: locally brewed beer, strong food, and a busy restaurant that brings Londoners together.
About the Role
Toboggan Brewing Company is looking for a Head Chef / Kitchen Manager to lead daily kitchen operations, strengthen systems, control food cost, and build a high-performing back-of-house team.
This is a leadership role for someone who is highly organized, detail-driven, financially disciplined, and calm under pressure. We are looking for a chef who can run a busy kitchen, hold people accountable, maintain standards, and keep the operation profitable.
The right candidate is not just a strong cook. They are a kitchen operator.
You should understand prep systems, ordering, inventory, waste control, labour management, recipe consistency, station setup, training, and service execution. You should be comfortable leading from the floor, jumping on the line when needed, and making decisions that protect both food quality and profitability.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for a Head Chef / Kitchen Manager who can bring structure, discipline, and consistency to a busy kitchen.
The ideal candidate is organized, calm, direct, and numbers-focused. You care about food quality, but you also understand that food cost, labour control, waste management, and inventory accuracy are what keep a restaurant healthy.
You should be able to lead cooks, train standards, manage prep, control ordering, and create a kitchen culture built around cleanliness, speed, accountability, and consistency.
This role is best suited for someone who enjoys systems as much as cooking.
Key Responsibilities Kitchen Leadership
- Lead, train, coach, and hold BOH staff accountable
- Manage line cooks, prep cooks, supervisors, and support staff
- Build a culture of professionalism, urgency, cleanliness, and respect
- Lead by example during prep, service, and closing
- Maintain strong communication with front-of-house leadership and ownership
- Address performance issues directly and professionally
- Support hiring, onboarding, training, and development of kitchen staff
Food Cost, Inventory & Ordering
- Own food cost performance and actively work to improve profitability
- Maintain accurate ordering based on sales, pars, events, seasonality, and inventory levels
- Monitor food waste, overproduction, spoilage, incorrect portions, and prep errors
- Conduct regular inventory counts and assist with cost analysis
- Enforce FIFO, proper labelling, dating, storage, and product rotation
- Work with vendors to manage pricing, quality, substitutions, and product availability
- Control portioning, yields, batch sizes, and recipe execution
- Identify food cost issues early and correct them before they become expensive habits
Prep Systems & Daily Execution
- Build and maintain clear prep lists, station pars, production schedules, and opening/closing systems
- Ensure stations are properly set up before service
- Maintain consistent recipe execution and plating standards
- Support high-volume service with speed, accuracy, and composure
- Monitor ticket times, station flow, and kitchen communication during service
- Ensure daily specials, features, and menu items are executed consistently
- Jump onto the line when required to support the team and protect service quality
Quality Control & Standards
- Maintain consistent food quality, presentation, portion control, and guest experience
- Ensure all menu items are prepared according to recipes and specifications
- Conduct regular taste checks and station checks
- Maintain clean, organized, and professional kitchen spaces
- Ensure all health, safety, sanitation, WHMIS, and food handling standards are followed
- Keep equipment, smallwares, storage areas, and prep spaces organized and properly maintained
Labour & Scheduling Support
- Assist with BOH scheduling based on sales volume, events, prep needs, and labour targets
- Monitor staffing levels and recommend adjustments when needed
- Improve productivity through better prep planning, station setup, and training
- Reduce unnecessary overtime, inefficient prep, and poor deployment of staff
Menu & Systems Development
- Collaborate on menu updates, specials, seasonal items, and operational improvements
- Cost recipes and ensure menu items are practical, profitable, and executable
- Improve systems for prep, inventory, waste tracking, ordering, training, and service
- Support the continued development of Toboggan’s food program with a focus on consistency, profitability, and guest satisfaction
Performance Expectations
Success in this role will be measured by:
- Improved food cost control
- Better inventory accuracy
- Reduced waste and overproduction
- Consistent recipe and plating execution
- Stronger prep systems and station readiness
- Cleaner, more organized kitchen spaces
- Faster, smoother service
- Better trained and more accountable cooks
- Improved communication between BOH and FOH
- Lower chaos, fewer surprises, and stronger daily discipline
Requirements
- Minimum 5 years of professional kitchen experience
- Minimum 2 years in a kitchen leadership role, such as Kitchen Manager, Sous Chef, Head Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or Senior Lead Cook
- Strong understanding of food cost, ordering, inventory, prep systems, and waste control
- Proven ability to lead and train a kitchen team
- Strong line experience and ability to support service when needed
- Experience in a high-volume restaurant, brewpub, casual-upscale, smokehouse, pizza, or similar concept is an asset
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Strong communication and problem-solving skills
- Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, WHMIS, and safe food handling practices
- Food Handler Certification required or willing to obtain
- Ability to work evenings, weekends, and busy service periods
- Ability to stand for long periods and lift up to 50 lbs
What We Offer
- Competitive salary based on experience
- Opportunity to lead and improve a busy London kitchen
- Real operational responsibility and influence
- Supportive management structure
- Staff meal or meal discounts
- Growth potential within the restaurant group
- Opportunity to build systems, develop staff, and make measurable impact
- A local restaurant and brewery with a strong identity and established guest base
Who Should Apply
Apply if you are a chef or kitchen manager who is serious about standards, systems, and profitability.
This role is for someone who can lead people, control costs, organize a kitchen, and execute consistently under pressure. We are looking for a practical, disciplined operator who understands that a great kitchen is built through structure, training, communication, and follow-through.
If you are highly organized, calm during service, strong with numbers, and comfortable holding a team accountable, this could be the right role.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $40,000.00-$70,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
