Rick's Garage & Rick's Bakehouse, Palmwoods, Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Rick's Garage has been a Sunshine Coast institution for more than 20 years. It's a big American-style diner and bar, and a magnet for car and motorbike lovers. Classic cars and bikes are part of the furniture, inside and out.

About the role
Head Chef at Rick's Garage, a 200-seat beer garden, retro diner and whiskey bar in Palmwoods, open seven days with live music. The kitchen produces 3,000 burgers a week, over 5,000 through Christmas. You'll lead a team including a Sous Chef, Prep Chef, and experienced line team, running service hands-on at the pass, not from an office.
Key responsibilities

Ensure food to table in under 30 minutes, every service
Maintain consistency: every plate to spec, at volume
Manage the numbers: GP, yields, waste and labour, with real data reviewed weekly
Lead and develop the team, and help shape the station-by-station training program
Run service hands-on at the pass




Manage specials and refinements from day one

About you

Cert III Commercial Cookery (Cert IV or management qualification preferred)
Current Food Safety Supervisor certificate
Senior experience in a high-volume kitchen
Confidence with food cost, waste and labour
Track record of developing people
Calm, visible leadership through peak service

Benefits

$100,000 + super, rostered to 42 hours
Kitchen closes at 9pm. No late finishes, no split shifts
Set days off, published in advance
Separate in-house cleaning crew, so no end-of-night deep cleans
Contemporary, well-equipped kitchen
Meals on shift and staff discounts across both venues
15 minutes from the beach

About us
Rick's Garage is a 200-seat beer garden, retro diner and whiskey bar on the main street of Palmwoods, open seven days with live music. Twenty years established.

📌 Head Chef (Palmwoods)
🏢 Ricks Garage
📍 Palmwoods