Our FAQs are designed to answer the most common questions we receive from both chefs and hospitality businesses.
To make things clear and easy to navigate, this page is split into two sections. One is for clients enquiring about temporary or permanent chef support, and the other is for chefs looking to work with us.
As an experienced chef agency, we provide permanent placements nationwide and temporary relief chef cover primarily across the East Midlands, including Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Sheffield, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire. If you cannot find the answer you are looking for, please get in touch and a member of our team will be happy to help.
FAQs
For Clients
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Where possible, we encourage forward planning. Early booking gives us the best chance to match the right chef to your kitchen.
For kitchens using us on a week-to-week basis, we ask for requirements for the following week by Wednesday afternoon, allowing us to assign the best suited chefs for each site. -
Yes. Many of our chefs build strong working relationships with our clients. If there is a specific chef you would like to book, let us know and, if they are available, we will happily assign them to your kitchen.
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Yes. Bookings can be cancelled up to 24 hours before the shift start time.
Cancellations within 24 hours are charged at 8 hours at Chef de Partie rate, which is paid to the chef to protect their earnings. -
This depends on how your kitchen is structured and what support you need:
Chef de Partie
A strong section chef and team member for the day. Ideal for maintaining service and supporting an existing brigade.Sous Chef
Capable of running the kitchen in the Head Chef’s absence or operating as a lone working senior chef where appropriate.Head Chef
Best suited for longer term support. Can take responsibility for rotas, compliance, menu development, supplier management, maintenance coordination, and overall kitchen leadership.
We are always happy to advise if you are unsure which level is most appropriate.
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Yes. Relief bookings have a minimum of 8 hours. We do not operate split shifts unless expressly agreed in advance with the chef.
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We provide relief chefs at Chef de Partie, Sous Chef, and Head Chef level, as well as permanent placements across all hospitality roles, including kitchen and front of house. We work with hospitality businesses of all sizes, from independent venues to multi-site operations.
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Our regular relief coverage focuses on the Midlands and Northern England. That said, we can support outside these areas depending on requirements. Permanent placements are handled nationwide.
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Yes, we will always make every reasonable effort to support you. While we are not an emergency service, we understand that things change quickly in hospitality. We will do everything we can to help and will always be clear and honest about what is achievable.
Our Services
Booking Relief Chefs
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We advertise across multiple platforms and use our internal chef directory. We apply proven techniques to maximise reach and visibility, while also manually searching for and approaching ideal candidates directly rather than relying solely on applications.
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We begin advertising on the day of instruction. Our aim is to identify suitable candidates, pre-screen them, and provide first redacted CVs within the first few days. From there, interviews are arranged as quickly as possible to suit your availability.
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Relief work is charged on an agreed hourly rate only.
Permanent placements are charged at an agreed percentage of the first year’s annual salary, with full details confirmed upfront.
Permanent Recruitment
Working Relationship
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We have been where you are. We are a small office team with professional kitchen backgrounds, and in many cases, we have worked directly alongside chefs we now place.
Our approach is rooted in service. We take time to understand how your kitchen runs, and we know our chefs properly, not just on paper. By matching the right people to the right environments, we help kitchens run more smoothly and consistently.
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We do not sell additional services, but we are always happy to offer honest, informal advice as part of our working relationships. That might be guidance on staffing structure, rota resilience, kitchen workflows, or even which kit we genuinely think is worth buying. If it helps your kitchen run better, we are happy to talk.
For Chefs
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To register, you will complete our onboarding process, which includes your personal details, right to work checks, confirmation of experience, and acceptance of our terms.
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No. All chefs working relief shifts operate on a self-employed basis.
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You will need to provide either a UTR number or a limited company number. If you do not yet have this in place, you can still sign up and provide the details once they are issued.
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For relief work, we place chefs at Chef de Partie, Sous Chef, and Head Chef level.
For permanent placements, we recruit across all hospitality roles, including kitchen and front of house positions. -
Yes. As part of registering with Optimal Chef Services, chefs agree not to accept permanent work directly with a client they have been introduced to through us, unless a release agreement has been reached.
If a client wishes to hire you permanently following a relief booking, a release fee would need to be agreed between Optimal Chef Services and the client before you could start.
Getting Started
Certification and Compliance
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All chefs must hold:
Level 3 Food Hygiene and Safety
Level 3 Allergen Awareness
If you do not already have these, we can provide links to approved online courses at a cost of £10 per course.
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Having your own car is highly recommended, as many venues are in rural or countryside locations. Some chefs have used public transport successfully, but this will depend on the site and shift times.
Transport and Location
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Relief shifts have a minimum length of 8 hours. Most shifts are between 8 and 12 hours, although longer shifts of up to 16 hours have occurred. You would never be expected to work a double shift if you did not want to.
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Live-in accommodation is mostly not available but may be offered on rare occasions depending on the venue.
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Yes. Clients have the right to cancel a booked chef up to 24 hours before the start time.
If a cancellation happens within 24 hours of the shift starting, the client is charged 8 hours at Chef de Partie rate.
If we are unable to offer you suitable alternative work, those 8 hours will be paid to you.
Types of Work
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Chefs invoice weekly. Invoices and timesheets must be submitted by 10am on the Monday following the working week.
Provided everything is submitted on time, payment will be made by bank transfer by 10am the following Monday.We have been operating for over 10 years and have never missed a payment.
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As a self-employed chef, you are responsible for managing and paying your own tax, National Insurance, and any other liabilities.
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No. We do not offer advances.
Pay and Invoicing
Flexibility and Availability
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We use an app called Connecteam as our workforce management system. You set your availability in the job scheduler, which allows us to offer you shifts that match when you are free to work.
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Shifts are usually published around Friday lunchtime for the following week via the job scheduler.
For chefs in ongoing positions or those who may have been specifically requested, they may find out sooner. -
You must call and message us as soon as you know you will not be able to attend. We understand that people are not well every day and that life happens. Chefs who communicate clearly and remain reliable are always best looked after.
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You are expected to bring:
Chef whites
Apron
Appropriate footwear
Knives
A timesheet
The timesheet can be found in the Knowledge Base within the Assets section of the app.
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We expect chefs to be punctual, professional, adaptable, and respectful of the existing team and systems.
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We encourage open communication. If something is not working, speak to us early so we can address it properly.
Unless there is a serious issue, we would usually ask you to complete your current booked shifts at that site and aim to move you to a different venue from the following week.
Expectations on Site
Permanent Opportunities
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Yes. We place chefs into permanent roles across hospitality, including kitchen and front of house positions.
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The client would need to pay a release fee, agreed between Optimal Chef Services and the client. You would not be able to start permanently until an agreement has been reached.
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No. Relief and permanent work are treated separately. Any move into a permanent role is always by choice.