Food Runner & Gatekeeper Lead

Job Details

At Vacherin we celebrate diversity and embrace individuality. We genuinely like the people we work with, and love coming together to reset , refresh and have fun. We empower our people through togetherness , we give them the chance to shine and unlock their potential, and they fuel our strength and growth.

Are you passionate about food ,drink and service ,want to be part of an award-winning hospitality team- and still make it home for dinner? We are looking for a Food Runner & Gatekeeper Lead to join our team in London .

Location: London, 33 Grosvenor Pl, London SW1X 7HY

Rate of Pay: £35,000 per annum

Working Pattern: 5/7, 37.5 hours per week

Key Responsibilities:

Supervision & Leadership

• Lead, schedule, and coordinate the activities of food runners and tray line staff during meal periods.
• Train new team members on food safety, tray accuracy, patient identification, and customer service.
• Monitor staff performance, provide coaching, and escalate performance issues when needed.
• Ensure adequate staffing coverage for meal service operations.
• Serve as the primary point of contact between kitchen operations, nursing units, and dietitians.

Meal Service Oversight

• Ensure meal trays are assembled correctly based on diet codes, allergies, food textures, and patient preferences.
• Verify compliance with patient identification protocols before tray delivery.
• Oversee the timely distribution and collection of patient trays across all wards.
• Coordinate delivery exceptions, late trays, and diet changes with nursing teams and the diet office.
• Respond to and resolve patient meal issues or concerns in a professional, efficient manner.

Food Safety & Quality Control

• Enforce hospital policies on infection control, temperature monitoring, hygiene, and safe food handling.
• Conduct daily inspections of food carts, tray lines, and service areas to ensure cleanliness and compliance.
• Ensure all documentation (temperature logs, cleaning checklists, delivery records) is accurate and up to date.
• Report equipment faults or operational risks promptly.

Operational Support

• Assist with tray line operations during peak periods or when staffing is limited.
• Support basic food prep tasks, portioning, and restocking as required.
• Coordinate special diet requests, patient meal substitutions, and late meal orders with the dietetics team.

Patient Experience

• Promote excellent customer service standards among staff.
• Act as a liaison to address patient concerns regarding meals, preferences, or dietary restrictions.
• Maintain confidentiality and adhere strictly to safeguarding and privacy protocols.

What's in it for you?

Working with Vacherin has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we've developed a range of benefits to keep you happy.

• Personal Development and Training opportunities
• Life assurance scheme
• Pension scheme
• Holiday allowance
• Access to Healthcare Support App which includes Annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion
• Eye care
• A great wellbeing strategy - including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance
• Family friendly support
• Regular social events and communication with our leaders
• A holiday purchase scheme
• Volunteering days
• Professional subscriptions
• Recognition schemes and people awards
• Long service awards
• Access to some great high street discount vouchers