Running a gastro pub in rural Wales comes with unique challenges. During summer tourism, bank holidays and festive weekends, the kitchen is under huge pressure. But outside of peak season, trade is slow.
For the pub owners, hiring a full-time chef year round no longer made financial sense. They needed experienced kitchen support during busy periods, not a permanent salary during quiet months.
The true costs of hiring a full-time chef
Many hospitality businesses underestimate the real cost of permanent employment.
An experienced gastro pub chef in the UK can cost between £38,000 and £45,000 per year in salary alone. But the actual employer cost is much here once additional expenses are included.
Here is the calculated annual cost of employing a full time chef:
- Salary: approximately £45,000
- Employer National Insurance: around £6,750
- Pension contributions: £1,350
- Holiday pay and sick pay (SSP Reserve): £123.25 per week with day one entitlement from 6 April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms (default reserve of 2 weeks is conservative)
- Recruitment, onboarding and admin costs
- Onboarding ramp: a four week reserve at 50% productivity for skilled chefs
Total estimated annual cost: nearly £55,000
Employer National Insurance contributions alone add a major expense for hospitality operators already facing rising overheads.
Hiring chefs only when they were needed
Instead of committing to a permanent hire, the gastro pub has turned to Bookachef to bring in professional chefs during:
- Peak tourist season
- Busy weekends
- Private events
- Holiday periods
- Staff shortages
By partnering with Bookachef, their business now has complete flexibility. Rather than paying for the unused labour during quieter months, they only pay for the chef cover they need.
This past year, the pub has spent almost £20,000 on secondary chef bookings, including £30 per shift booking fee.
Bookachef Case Study:
The pub came to Bookachef asking how to save money as a secondary hire was unnecessary, we recommended one of our experienced secondary CDP/Sous Chef to operate for:
- 4 days per week (Wednesday-Sunday)
- 9 hours per day at £16 per hour, £144 per day, plus £30 BAC fee = £696 per week
- But only when footfall is high:
- 22 weeks in May-September = £15,312
- Easter holidays in April (2 Weeks) = £1,392
- Four weeks over December and Christmas = £2,784
Total Bookachef cover for all peak periods: £19,488*
*The above example is based upon employing a Chef on a self-employed basis under the current IR35 rules and regulations. If employing a Chef on a PAYE basis, an additional 18% charge would be applicable to cover associated costs with Employer National Insurance and workplace pension contributions.
Saving more than £30,000 per year
By partnering with Bookachef and switching to flexible chef hiring, the business reduced staffing costs by more than £30,000 per year.
The savings come from multiple areas:
- No full-time salary commitment
- Only paying for chef cover when required
- No additional administration costs
- For an independent pub operating in a seasonal market, those savings have had a major impact on profitability.
Better service during busy periods
The benefits were not just financial.
Using experienced freelance chefs meant the kitchen could maintain high standards during busy periods without overworking the permanent team. Service has improved, pressure on staff reduced, ant the pub can now confidently handled increased demand.
In today’s hospitality market, flexibility is becoming essential. For many pubs, restaurants and hotels, hiring chefs on demand is no longer a temporary fix but a smarter and more sustainable way to manage costs.
Why more hospitality businesses are using flexible staffing
With rising wages, increased National Insurance costs and ongoing staffing shortages across the UK hospitality industry, businesses are looking for more efficient staffing solutions.
Bookachef allow restaurants and gastro pubs to scale their kitchen teams up or down depending on demand, helping operators protect margins without compromising on quality.