Temporary & Permanent · London + UK-Wide
Catering Staff Agency — Vetted Kitchen, Waiting & Event Staff, Often Within Hours
Catering.Jobs is a catering staff agency in London placing chefs, kitchen porters, waiting staff and event teams into restaurants, hotels, wedding venues and corporate kitchens. Tell us who you're missing — we'll send someone who's already been checked.
- Food-safety checked
- Right-to-Work verified
- 24/7 booking line
- 5.0★ rating
- 2–6 hrsUrgent cover confirmed
- 24–48 hrsRecurring shifts filled
- 10,000+Professionals connected monthly
What our catering staff agency actually does
Three jobs, mostly. Filling a hole someone left this morning, building a kitchen brigade that lasts, and staffing events where the guest count only works if the numbers are right.
Last-minute cover
Someone rings in sick at 6am and service starts at 11. We keep a standby pool who can travel, so you get a name and a arrival time rather than a maybe.
Book last-minute catering staff solutionsChef & kitchen staff hire
Head chefs, sous, pastry, prep cooks and kitchen porters — for one shift or a full brigade. Every chef is trade-tested before we put them in front of you.
Arrange urgent chef and kitchen staff hireEvent & wedding teams
Front-of-house, bar, waiting and back-of-house for weddings, conferences and festivals. Tell us guest numbers and service style; we'll tell you the headcount.
Hire event catering staff for weddings and functionsCatering staff agency facts, numbers and rates
Everything below comes off our own booking desk log, not an industry average. If a figure looks too good, ask us on the phone and we'll show you the working.
| Placement type | Typical turnaround | Coverage window | Where we work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent / same-day cover | 2–6 hours | 24/7, including weekends | Central, Greater and Outer London |
| Recurring temporary shifts | 24–48 hours | Mon–Sun, early to late | catering staff in Enfield, Feltham, Hampton Hill, Heston and Ashford Common |
| Permanent placements | 1–2 weeks | Standard business hours | UK-wide, including Edinburgh, Coventry, Cambridge, Exeter and Guildford |
| Executive / head chef search | 3–4 weeks | By appointment | UK-wide |
| Metric | Figure | How it's measured |
|---|---|---|
| Client satisfaction | 97–99% | Post-placement survey |
| Candidate satisfaction | 97–99% | Shift feedback |
| Repeat booking rate | 93–97% | Rolling 12-month clients |
| Shift fill rate | 95%+ | Requests filled per period |
| Time-to-first-CV | Under 60 mins | Booking desk log, urgent briefs |
| Role | Typical hourly band (£) | Notes | Where to go next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen porter | 11.50 – 14.00 | Entry level, no experience often fine | Kitchen porter role in Enfield |
| Waiting / event staff | 11.50 – 15.00 | Weekend uplift common | Event and waiting staff role in Wembley |
| Commis / prep cook | 13.00 – 17.00 | Food Safety Level 2 usually required | Prep cook event roles in Reading |
| Pastry chef | 15.00 – 22.00 | Strong demand across London | Pastry chef recruitment in London |
| Chef de partie | 16.00 – 24.00 | Agency rates sit above salaried equivalents | Temporary chef jobs in London |
| Head chef (agency) | 25.00 – 40.00 | Trial shift standard before a longer booking | Head chef recruitment |
Bands are updated quarterly — always confirm the live rate on the job listing, and read the full chef salary guide for the UK if you're benchmarking a permanent role. For a wider market view, our sister desk also publishes on top catering recruitment agencies in London, and we keep a shortlist of the top 5 chef agencies in London for anyone comparing suppliers.
Latest hospitality & catering jobs
Fresh catering jobs posted by our team, not scraped from anywhere else. Filter by role, city or shift, then apply straight through to the listing.
| Role | Venue type | Location | Shift | Status | Apply | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Event waiting staff | Hotel / banqueting | Wembley | Weekend, long shift | 13.00 | Urgent | Apply |
| Today | Event catering staff | Wedding venue | Guildford | Day shifts | 12.50 | Open | Apply |
| 1 day | Kitchen porter | Contract catering | Enfield | Mon–Fri, 7am–3pm | 12.00 | Urgent | Apply |
| 1 day | Pastry chef | Fine dining | Northampton | Thu–Sun | 18.00 | Open | Apply |
| 2 days | Prep / commis cook | Events | Reading | Rolling | 15.00 | Open | Apply |
| 2 days | Catering assistants | Multiple venues | Coventry | Part-time | 11.75 | Urgent | Apply |
| 3 days | Hospitality manager | Hotel | Coventry | Permanent | On request | Open | Apply |
| 3 days | Catering staff | Various | Exeter | Flexible | 12.00 | Open | Apply |
| 4 days | Chef roles | Restaurants | Derby | Various | 16.00 | Open | Apply |
| 5 days | Catering staff | Schools / education | Tower Hamlets | Term-time, daytime | 13.00 | Open | Apply |
No roles match that combination right now. Clear a filter, or browse all live catering jobs.
Why clients keep the number saved
Vetted before they walk in
ID, Right-to-Work, food-safety certificates, references and a skills check. Nobody joins the active pool on a promise. More on our process is set out on the why us page.
One booking desk, open 24/7
Same number for a 6am emergency and a Sunday banquet. If you're comparing suppliers, our notes on catering staff hiring agencies explain what to ask each one.
You only pay for hours worked
Transparent agency rates, no hidden placement fee on temporary shifts. Permanent briefs are quoted up front through our catering recruitment service.
Roles we place, and the towns we place them in
Every line below is a live desk with its own consultant. If your city isn't listed, ring the 24/7 number — we cover the rest of the UK for permanent work.
Kitchen & back of house
Porters, commis, chef de partie, sous and head chefs, plus pastry and prep. Start with hiring a cook or kitchen team.
Front of house & event staff
Waiters, bar staff, hosts and wedding servers for banqueting and private functions — covered under urgent chef and kitchen staff hire.
Catering staff in Coventry
Hotels, contract catering and university venues across the city. See premier hospitality jobs in Coventry.
Hospitality & catering staff in Edinburgh
Festival season is the busy one. Book early through our catering staff agency in Edinburgh or the Edinburgh hospitality staff recruitment desk.
Catering staff in Enfield, Feltham and Ashford Common
Outer London contract catering and school kitchens: Enfield, Feltham and Ashford Common.
Catering recruitment in Birmingham & Oxford
Midlands hotels and college catering. Talk to the catering recruitment agencies desk in Birmingham or the catering staff recruitment agency in Oxford.
Event staff in Guildford & Surrey
Wedding venues, marquees and corporate days out. Book event catering staff in Guildford.
General hospitality cover
Mixed front and back of house across sites, arranged through our temporary hospitality staff recruitment agency, with a directory of catering recruitment agencies if you want to compare.
How booking works
-
Send the brief
Role, venue, date, hours. Two minutes on the phone or through the form. We'll ask about uniform and parking because it matters on the day.
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We shortlist and check
Candidates come from the vetted pool. We re-confirm Right-to-Work and certificates against your site rules before anyone is assigned.
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Staff arrive, you sign off
They turn up briefed. You approve the hours at the end of the shift and we invoice per hour worked — nothing else.
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Same team next time
Tell us who you liked and we'll keep them on your preferred list, so your regulars already know the kitchen.
Before you book — five things to have ready
- Exact start time and finish time, plus break arrangements
- Site address, nearest station and where staff should report
- Uniform requirements (blacks, whites, safety shoes)
- Certificates you need on site — see the compliance checklist in our downloadable resources
- Who signs the timesheet
Looking for work?
Become part of our catering staff agency pool. You choose the shifts; we handle the contracts, payroll and the chasing.
- Weekly pay, every Friday
- Flexible shifts — accept or decline, no penalty
- Support with food-safety refreshers
- Work near you, not across the county
Where to find us — Ilford head office, London bookings
Head office in Ilford, bookings across London and the UK. Drop in, or call the 24/7 line.
- Office
- Catering Jobs / Catering.Jobs
344-348 High Road, Ilford IG1 1QP - [email protected]
- Phone
- 020 3086 9080
- 24/7 booking line
- +44 333 2422 711
- Full contact details
- Contact the Catering.Jobs booking desk
What clients and staff say
★★★★★
"Staff arrived on time, fully briefed and ready to go. We've used four other agencies and none of them come close on turnaround."
★★★★★
"Rang at 7am on a Saturday needing two kitchen porters by noon. Both arrived, both knew what they were doing. That's what you want from a catering staff agency."
★★★★★
"I pick the shifts that fit around college and I'm paid every Friday without having to chase anyone. The consultants actually answer the phone."
Free tools and resources for hiring managers
Built for the people who plan the rota. Use them, print them, embed them — a credit link back is appreciated but not required.
UK Catering Staff Pay Rate Index
Every band on this page, broken down by city and shift type, with a year-on-year change column.
Download the rate indexShift Cover Calculator
How many servers, chefs and porters you need for a given guest count and service style.
Open the calculatorCatering Compliance & Right-to-Work Checklist
What to see, copy and file before a temporary worker starts a shift on your site.
Get the checklistEvent Staffing Ratio Cheat Sheet
One server per N guests, by service style — plated, buffet, canapé and bar-only.
Grab the infographicEmbeddable badge: vetted catering staff in 4 hours
For venue partners and event blogs who want to show their staffing is agency-backed.
Copy embed codeShift cover calculator
Rough guide based on our booking desk averages. Confirm on the phone for anything over 250 guests.
Cite this page
Using our figures in a blog post or report? Here's the citation line — and the canonical URL if you'd rather link straight to the source.
Catering.Jobs (2026) Catering Staff Agency: UK Pay Bands and Placement Speed. Available at: https://catering.jobs/recruitment-solutions/find/catering-staffCatering staff agency FAQs
How quickly can a catering staff agency send someone?
For urgent cover we typically confirm a candidate within 2–6 hours. Recurring temporary shifts fill in 24–48 hours, and permanent roles take one to two weeks. The 24/7 line means we can take a brief at 5am on a bank holiday — see last-minute catering staff solutions.
Do you cover my area?
We cover Enfield, Feltham, Hampton Hill, Heston and Ashford Common across outer London, plus Coventry, Cambridge, Exeter, Guildford, Reading, Northampton, Derby, Oxford and Birmingham. Scotland is handled by our Edinburgh catering staff agency desk. Permanent searches run UK-wide.
How much does agency catering staff cost?
Rates depend on role and shift. Kitchen porters run £11.50–£14.00 an hour; agency head chefs sit between £25 and £40. You pay for hours worked with no placement fee on temporary shifts. Full bands are in the pay table above, with benchmarks in the UK chef salary guide.
Are your staff food-safety trained and Right-to-Work checked?
Yes. Every candidate has Right-to-Work verification, ID checks, references and at minimum a Food Safety Level 2 certificate before they reach the active list. Skills assessments are role-specific — a chef de partie is trade-tested, a porter is not. Our vetting process is set out in full here.
Can I hire event catering staff for a single wedding?
Yes, and plenty of clients do. One-off bookings are a core part of the business — weddings, private parties, corporate dinners and festivals, with no minimum contract. Tell us guest numbers and service style and we'll size the team. Start with event catering staff hire.
What's the difference between agency and permanent catering staff?
Agency staff are employed by Catering.Jobs and placed with you per shift. You pay an hourly rate; we handle payroll, holiday and compliance. Permanent placements join your own payroll after a one to two week search. Both routes run through our catering recruitment desk.
What do temporary catering staff get paid?
Pay depends on role, location and shift time, from £11.50 an hour for entry-level kitchen and waiting work up to £40 for agency head chefs. Everyone receives at least the National Minimum Wage plus weekend or night uplifts. Live rates are shown on each listing at our jobs board.
How do I register as a candidate?
Browse the open roles, apply to anything that fits, and a consultant will call you back the same day. Bring ID, proof of right to work, and your food-safety certificate if you have one. New starters often begin with event and waiting work in Wembley.
Need a catering staff agency today? The desk is open.
Give us the role, the venue and the start time. If we can cover it, you'll know within the hour.
