Kitchen Manager Trainee Programme

We are itsu, the leading Asian-inspired quick-service retail and grocery brand with over 80 restaurants across the UK and Belgium and a growing wholesale business across Europe and beyond. Our renowned delicious food made fresh in every restaurant, every day, has made itsu a top choice for healthy eating.

In addition to our restaurants, itsu [grocery] offers a range of high-quality Asian-inspired foods available online and in supermarkets. We are excited to be one of the leading brands in this specific group and have ambitious plans for continued growth both domestically and globally.

With its best-in-class-food, latest technology, innovation, and talented workforce, itsu is the future of fast food.

this is the programme

At itsu, we are proud to develop our people and have many examples of leaders who have created their own career path and have successfully grown in our restaurants, operations, and our academy. 90% of our General Managers and 30% of our Academy team [head office] started working in our shops... you could be one of them!

We have developed an exciting 10-week development leadership programme for supervisors, team leaders, or junior kitchen managers. You will be working closely with a General Manager in a training kitchen, before moving to your own itsu restaurant. The programme has a clear progression roadmap to ensure you develop a full suite of skills to become a successful kitchen manager- including shift essentials, business essentials, hospitality at itsu and leadership skills.

You will join as a Team Leader on £15.05 [including hourly bonus], and after a successful 10- week programme, you will graduate as a Kitchen Manager on £35,000 per year.

this is the role

Our Kitchen Managers are the key to a successful shop operation. The Kitchen Managers support the General Manager by managing the kitchen and the team within the kitchen, and are accountable for People, Quality, Standards and Profitability within their shop.

As a Kitchen Manager, you will manage the kitchen through constant MBWA (Managing By Walking Around) and your performance will be measured against the KPIs set for your store, alongside other key responsibilities. You will look after the training and development of your team through succession planning to ensure the shop structure is always stable and the individual team members potential is maximised.

you put people at the heart of everything you do by displaying the 4 itsu qualities:

I take pride [in what I do]

I genuinely care [for people]

I want to grow [myself & others]

I build trust [around me]

this is what we offer

• Your breaks are paid, and your beautiful healthy lunch is on us every day!
• Invite your family and friends over for a meal with a 50% discount in every itsu shop.
• Enjoy 28 days of paid holidays
• We will pay for when you are unwell and can’t work with our income & critical protection.
• We care about your health, so we offer free-to-you online GP and access to mental health therapists 24/7. For your welfare, our managers are fully trained in Mental Health First aid.
• If you enjoy shopping or exercising you will love our discounts at major retailers and gym memberships!
• At itsu, we love having fun and recognize our teams. We offer one of a kind social, family and sport events.

Just like you, we are very passionate about sustainability, please check our sustainability milestones here: https://www.itsu.com/sustainability-sourcing/sustainability-milestones/