line cook

line cook/prep cook

server

cuisinier à la chaîne

cook

Plant Matter Kitchen

The work itself is very easy. Many simple prep items come already done which I've never seen a kitchen order before. Considering they asked for 5 years previous experience to apply for the job, I'm sure someone is qualified to pickle some onions, roast asparagus or peel carrots. This was a big factor in what gave me the fast-food vibes. 

I found it even more odd that I was instructed not to wash any lettuce, fruit and other produce despite it being clearly written on the packaging to wash thoroughly. Their explanation for this was that the dirt on them is all part of a healthy microbiome. If you are like me and would have a hard time ignoring the seriousness of  that request then this is likely not the team/kitchen for you. This is a huge contributor to the high turnover - great cooks that handle food safely would be labelled insubordinate in this environment. 

The job culture, management team and quality of ingredients definitely fall short of what's promised during the interview process. I find it surprising that I was told they were going to get a michelin star. I did not see anything during my 5 weeks that would suggest they are on that path at all - which was also a big factor in why I accepted the job in the first place. 

Great starting wage but when you consider the very high turnover and no tip out for the first three months it doesnt look so generous afterall. Make sure you manually keep track of all your hours from day one because I was missing an entire shift from my first pay and needed to advocate for myself to get fully and acurately compensated. Good luck. 

While the team was very friendly while I worked there, it was a struggle to get regular hours or even a schedule posted. The management was friendly, but they often played favourites, who were allowed to behave terribly and get no repercussions for their behaviour (which would often interfere with work duties for that day). There would be a lot of difficult customer demands to deal with, some which were an interesting challenge and others were infuriating. Some days were very quiet and others had rushes of customers, there was not much of a comfortable in between. Unfortunately, the kitchen's design is very poor (and claustrophobic) so that makes the busier times especially difficult. And often the owner would place large take out orders right during the height of the dinner rush and complain extensively, which was always very stressful. Long story short, it was a very chaotic/unorganised environment that was difficult to settle in to. Some of the requests from management were in conflict with labour laws, so it was always important to keep an eye out for those (not being allowed to discuss wages with coworkers, under 3 hour work days, etc). However, most of the staff were very kind there and were trying their best to manage.

Working as a line cook at Plant Matter Kitchen was stressful due to an expectation to work like a donkey for very little money, understaffed conditions where you may be working more than one station in an overwhelmingly busy and demanding service, little to no recognition for hard work, breaks are not calculated into your work day unless you are a smoker than you get as many breaks as you like.  Additionally work distribution is frequently unbalanced, scheduled and pre-assigned shift are frequently cancelled or shortened with less than 12 hours notice or on the spot and  poor management/employee communication.  Less than ideal workplace.

Every person takes in there own experiences differently. 
Id would say mine were 50/50 both positive and negative.

Everyday was was very different from the next, the hardest part of the job was getting all the jobs done for catering, weddings,on top of cooking a full restaurant with a very noticeably understaffed team.

Often when the line was clear I would help support FOH, running food, clearing tables and washing dishes as we were an open concept restaurant , so being clean and working as a team was very important at the time of my employment.

I worked both BOH and FOH so intimately familiar with company policy and procedures .

My biggest complaint is the lack of support, and the unprofessional demeanour of the company owners.

I worked at Plant Matter Kitchen for about five years and had the chance to see it transition to new ownership over the last year. The difference has honestly been night and day.
It’s a great spot to work, and I only left because I moved into a new field. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a solid restaurant job in London. The kitchen is open-concept, there’s lots to learn, and the work can be fast-paced in the summer while slowing down a bit in the winter.
They prioritize proper days off, and one of the biggest perks is that there are no late nights or early mornings. Overall, it’s probably one of the better restaurant jobs in London.

The work environment at Plant Matter Kitchen varied in different energies. Certain people worked great together while others weren't too fond of each other. For the most part, everybody in the back of house(BOH) respected on another. The main problem that I had working at PMK(Plant Matter Kitchen) was the lack of organization which lead to a high stress level and an uneasy work environment overall. I felt extremely under appreciated for the amount of work that i put in.

You can't help but make friends here in this holistic workplace, but the loose management and lack of leadership make it hard to excel. Job descriptions are kept vague and as for training you basically have to figure it out yourself. As for advancement opportunities, the responsibility stacks but the pay remains the same. It's a good learning experience for cooking vegan and the people are kind and accepting.

Working at Plant Matter was fun, Great people and a good owner. However they lack management and communication among employees. Recently notice a high employee turnover and do not have good benefits. Salary is average minimum wage and tipping is not shared evenly among other employees (ex. Kitchen Staff and Dishwashers.

In the three years I worked here we saw a couple different managers. Earlier GMs had a bad managerial style and lowered moral but stiff moral seems to have gone way up since then. 
I liked the coworkers a lot and the environment was always good. Would recommend this job

Lots of opportunities to learn however ; very understaffed, loose job descriptions so as time went on extra duties stacked without compensation,poor training, lack of job security. Unclear expectations. Very poor management.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Line cook 4 salaries reported	$19.53 per hour
Line cook/prep cook 1 salary reported	$18.10 per hour
Server 2 salaries reported	$17.20 per hour
Cuisinier à la chaîne 2 salaries reported	$19.05 per hour
Cook 1 salary reported	$17.20 per hour

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