Hotel and restaurant chefs in London

Yes, provided the site sits inside W1, EC1-EC4, SE1, WC1 or WC2. We confirm a named chef within two hours of the call and the chef is usually through the staff door inside three to four hours, depending on tube lines and the role tier. For outer London boroughs the realistic window is 4 to 24 hours. Telling us the section, menu style, and hourly rate you want to work to is what makes the turnaround quick.

A portion of our London bench has worked in Michelin-starred or luxury five-star hotel kitchens, mostly at CDP and sous chef level. We tag these chefs internally so when a Mayfair or Knightsbridge venue books, we shortlist from that group. Not every CDP on the roster is suited to fine dining, and we say so openly. Tell us the menu style (classical French, modern British, Asian fusion) and we match on cuisine, not just role.

CDP rates in central London run roughly £17-£22 per hour worked, sous chef £20-£28, head chef £28-£40, commis £13-£16, and kitchen porter £12.50-£14.50. Agency bill rates add employer NIC, holiday accrual, pension, and margin on top, typically 33-50% above the worker rate. London premium runs about 10-15% higher than regional UK rates. We quote by role and shift once we have the brief.

Yes. Breakfast cover is one of the most common London hotel bookings, usually 5am or 6am starts for a 150-400 cover continental and cooked service. We keep a bench of chefs who specifically work breakfast shifts and live close enough to the central postcodes to arrive before first service. Night tube access on Friday and Saturday helps; weekday early starts depend on proximity to the venue, which is why we ask for the exact postcode at booking.

Yes, within reason. Full brigades (head, sous, two to three CDPs, commis, KP) for a London restaurant opening or relaunch are something we have shipped before. Lead time matters: two weeks gives us the best bench, 48 hours gives us whoever is free. For permanent opening teams we offer temp-to-perm conversion so you can trial each chef on the line before committing. The number booked is the number who arrive.