Chef De Cuisine (Japanese Restaurant)
Hotel Indigo
Posted on Feb 25, 2026
Your Day to Day
Key Responsibilities
- Lead daily kitchen operations of the Japanese specialty restaurant, ensuring authentic preparation, presentation, and consistency.
- Develop, execute, and maintain menus reflecting traditional and contemporary Japanese cuisine, respecting seasonality, balance, and technique.
- Play a key role in pre-opening activities, including kitchen setup, SOP implementation, equipment testing, recipe standardization, and trial runs.
- Recruit, train, and develop the culinary team, ensuring strong technical skills and understanding of Japanese cooking fundamentals.
- Ensure compliance with IHG brand standards, LQA, HACCP, and local health regulations.
- Control food cost, labor cost, portioning, wastage, and inventory within approved budgets.
- Work closely with Procurement to source appropriate Japanese ingredients and approved alternatives.
- Collaborate with the Executive Chef on menu engineering, promotions, seasonal offerings, and special events.
- Maintain high standards of cleanliness, organization, and safety in all kitchen areas.
- Act as a culinary ambassador for the Japanese restaurant, supporting guest engagement and live-counter experiences where applicable.
Qualifications
- Diploma or Degree in Culinary Arts or equivalent professional training.
- Minimum 5–7 years of progressive culinary experience, including 2–3 years as Chef de Cuisine or Senior Sous Chef in a specialty Japanese restaurant or luxury hotel.
- Formal training or extensive experience in Japanese cuisine (Washoku).
- Strong knowledge of Japanese techniques such as sushi, sashimi, robata, tempura, ramen, and donburi (depending on concept).
- Pre-opening hotel experience strongly preferred.
- Experience within IHG or other international luxury hotel brands is an advantage.
Skills & Competencies
- Strong leadership and team development skills
- Deep knowledge of Japanese culinary techniques and ingredients
- Excellent food cost control and kitchen financial skills
- Ability to train teams on precision, consistency, and discipline
- Strong organizational and communication skills
- Ability to perform under pressure in a pre-opening environment
- Maintain your department's consistency through the continuous improvement of the qualityof raw and processed ingredients, as well as all relevant costs and expenses.
- To collaborate directly with all support departments—Engineering, Stewarding, andHygiene—regarding the maintenance of the hotel's Fire Life Safety Program, equipmentupkeep, and Hygiene Program to meet the highest IHG standards.
- Actively contribute to the IHG Hotels Food Library and hold regular masterclasses withinthe team to continuously enhance quality.
- Daily, weekly, and monthly planning with your team while delegating skill-based tasks tothe appropriate team members.
- To run a cost-effective operation, maximizing product quality and profitability whileupholding IHG standards and food philosophy.
- Establish unique seasonal identities for the food and ensure that these offerings fulfill ourIHG Guests' needs.
- Ensures customer satisfaction in accordance with the InterContinental Distinction ServiceBehaviors, the Strategic Brand Pillars, and the relevant service standards of the IHGBrand.
- He must ensure that all food offerings at the resort are the most attractive and flavorfulpossible so that we consistently provide the highest quality food to our guests.
- I personally meet with potential event guests for menu planning and discussions. I interactwith IHG guests daily in outlets and create meaningful relationships.
- Personally, I monitor and follow through on VIP guests' and special dietary requirements.