Development Chef

2 weeks ago

London Area, United Kingdom The Salad Project Full time £45,000 - £55,000 per year

Location:
 London

Type:
 Full-time

About The Salad Project

At The Salad Project, we're on a mission to become the most iconic salad bar in London - serving food that's fast, fresh, and seriously delicious. We believe in food that fuels you, kitchens that care, and people who want to make an impact.

We're growing quickly and looking for a Development Chef to join our Culinary Team, working alongside our Culinary Director and Culinary Executive to develop, test, and implement the next generation of The Salad Project recipes.

The Role

This is a hands-on role for a chef who thrives at the intersection of creativity, consistency, and customer insight. Reporting to the Culinary Director, you'll take ownership of our test kitchen and spend most of your time developing recipes, refining them for scale, and ensuring they perform brilliantly in our site kitchens.

You'll play a key role in keeping our menu evolving - testing new ideas, responding to guest feedback, and making sure our food always outperforms competitors on taste, freshness, and quality.

What You'll Do

  • Own our test kitchen:
     Lead all testing, trials, and development sessions, ensuring every new idea aligns with The Salad Project's brand and standards.
  • Turn ideas into reality:
     Translate creative concepts into detailed recipes and operational specs ready for rollout.
  • Champion consistency:
     Work in-site to validate that recipes are scalable, efficient, and deliver consistent results.
  • Respond to customer feedback:
     Action customer and operational feedback to refine existing dishes and continuously improve the menu.
  • Benchmark the market:
     Work with the wider Culinary team to stay ahead of trends and competitors - understanding how to elevate our offer through flavour, innovation, and presentation.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally:
     Partner with the Culinary Director, Culinary Executive, Operations, and Training teams to bring new dishes to life across the business.
  • Drive quality and efficiency:
     Support teams during launches, provide kitchen training, and maintain clarity through detailed documentation and recipe cards.

Who You Are

  • A Development Chef, Senior Sous, or NPD Chef with 2 years' experience in recipe development and multi-site operations.
  • You've worked in or with QSRs, fast casual brands, or high-volume kitchens and know how to balance creativity with scalability.
  • You're obsessed with flavour, detail, and process - from testing and documentation to training and launch.
  • You're responsive and data-driven - you use guest and operator feedback to make dishes even better.
  • You're collaborative, curious, and competitive - motivated to make The Salad Project the category leader in taste and consistency.

Why Join Us

  • Be part of a fast-growing, mission-driven brand redefining what healthy fast food can be.
  • Take ownership of our test kitchen and the development process from idea to execution.
  • Collaborate with an experienced, ambitious culinary team where your ideas have real impact.
  • Competitive salary and benefits package, including free salads every day

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