Food Director, Arcade

📢 We’re Hiring: Food Director at Arcade

About Arcade:

Arcade is a global food and drink destination built on original, chef-led brands created in-house with a focus on bold global flavours, creative execution, setting Arcade up for growth.

We are now hiring a Food Director to oversee our food brand portfolio and kitchen teams, advance our creative food landscape through in-house brand creation and chef partnerships, and lead the next evolution of Arcade’s culinary vision.

The Role:

The Food Director needs to have a passion for food that extends well beyond their professional career; food is an important part of how they live and who they are. A fascination for global food, and dining culture, have a finger on the pulse with popular food cultures, and finding chef partners to work with.

About You:

• Proven Expertise: Extensive experience in senior culinary leadership roles (e.g. Culinary Director level) within a high-volume, multi-site, or multi-brand environment.
• Track record in: Scouting, high potential chef partners and food brands with the UK and internationally.
• Creative yet Pragmatic: Ability to balance bold creativity with the demands of consistency, scalability, and profitability in a high growth, multi-site operation.
• Michelin Star Bonus: Experience in a Michelin-starred kitchen or equivalent high-Caliber setting is highly desirable, showcasing your ability to deliver excellence.
• Culinary Passion: A deep love for global cuisines and street food culture, with a keen understanding of the London and international food scene and emerging trends.
• Inspiring Leader: A natural communicator with exceptional leadership skills, capable of building and motivating diverse teams to achieve excellence.
• Commercial Acumen: Strong operational and financial expertise, with a track record of running successful, scalable food businesses.

Key Responsibilities

• Curate a Dynamic Brand Pipeline: Scout, assess, and onboard high-potential food brands that strengthen Arcade’s portfolio, ensuring each concept aligns with our vision and market direction.
• Shape a Global Food Vision: Define and continually evolve Arcade’s food landscape, drawing from global cuisines and street-level food culture to keep our concepts bold, relevant, and forward-thinking.
• Drive Product Creation: Partner with chefs and collaborators to create new food products and ensure smooth rollout across all sites, maintaining brand clarity and consistency from development to execution.
• Lead Kitchen Culture: Build and maintain a high-performing kitchen environment that champions talent, collaboration, and accountability across all teams.
• Uphold Exceptional Standards: Guarantee best-in-class food quality, consistency, and presentation across every site, ensuring each dish reflects Arcade’s standards.
• Create and Evolve Menus: Work with chefs and brand partners to design menus, launch new offerings, and deliver seasonal updates that keep our portfolio fresh and commercially effective.
• Own Financial Performance: Manage budgets, food costs, and profitability while balancing creative ambition with commercial discipline and operational reality. 
• Develop Leadership: Mentor and develop senior kitchen leaders, shaping a cohesive, scalable team capable of delivering Arcade’s vision across multiple brands and locations.

If you meet the requirements for this role and you’re excited by the idea of steering a multi-brand culinary powerhouse and leaving a lasting mark on London and the international dining landscape, apply now, we’d love to meet you!