Case Study: Supporting a Head Chef Placement Through Early Structural Change
Recently, we partnered with a café venue in Camberwell to recruit a Head Chef into a business with strong potential, but limited operational structure.
The brief wasn’t simply to improve the food.
The underlying challenge sat across several areas:
Inconsistent systems
Limited stock control
Labour inefficiencies
A lack of clear day-to-day leadership structure in the kitchen
The candidate we placed had the technical capability and leadership experience required. However, as is often the case in hospitality, the first few weeks surfaced early challenges.
Not around skill or intent, but around alignment while communication channels were still forming.
Expectations had not yet been clearly structured. Decisions were being made, but not always contextualised. Feedback was occurring informally rather than consistently, which slowed momentum on system implementation and created friction on both sides.
This is where recruitment often ends.
For us, it doesn’t.
At the one-week check-in, both client and candidate raised concerns around communication flow, prioritisation, and the pace of change.
Once these issues were identified, we increased our involvement beyond the standard milestones, checking in weekly to ensure alignment held and progress continued in the right direction. The aim wasn’t to interfere, but to prevent small gaps from becoming structural problems.
We facilitated structured conversations to reset expectations. This included:
Clarifying communication rhythms and decision-making channels
Aligning priorities for system rollout
Agreeing on what success looked like in the first 30, 60, and 90 days
Ensuring accountability was clear on both sides
By the one-month check-in, the shift was evident.
Stock processes were stabilising.
Labour control was improving.
Daily leadership routines were becoming more consistent.
Communication between venue and Head Chef was clearer, more deliberate, and fit for growth.
Most importantly, trust had strengthened.
Today, the venue is seeing tangible improvements in structure, clarity, and performance, and both client and candidate are aligned on the long-term direction of the business.
This is why post-placement involvement matters.
The right hire doesn’t always mean an easy first month.
It means having the judgement and accountability to support the hire until it holds.
