Restaurant and Catering Manager

About Us

Our client is an award\-winning independent hospitality business based in the Surrey Hills.They are a founder\-led business operating as a daytime café that transforms into a restaurant for evening and event service, alongside an established catering arm, afternoon tea experiences, freezer meal retail, private events and cookery experiences.They are known for warm hospitality, strong storytelling, memorable food experiences and a genuinely personal approach to customer service.As the business continues to grow, our client is looking for an experienced Restaurant and Catering Manager to support the day\-to\-day running of the business and help strengthen operational systems, team performance and customer experience.

The Role

This is a hands\-on operational hospitality management role responsible for the day\-to\-day running of the café, restaurant and catering operation, including front\-of\-house service, customer experience, staffing, events delivery and overall operational efficiency across the business.The successful candidate will be actively involved in managing daily café service and evening restaurant service, while also overseeing the smooth delivery of catering orders, private events, afternoon teas, workshops and hospitality experiences.You will work closely with the founder and senior team to improve systems, support sales growth, strengthen team performance and maintain high service standards across all areas of the business.This role requires someone who is operationally strong, commercially aware, highly organised and naturally warm with customers.

Key ResponsibilitiesDay\-to\-Day Café, Restaurant \& Front\-of\-House Operations

• Take responsibility for the day\-to\-day running of the café by day and the restaurant for evening and event service


• Lead service during busy trading periods and ensure smooth daily operations


• Manage customer flow, service quality and operational organisation during service


• Ensure smooth communication between kitchen and front\-of\-house teams


• Maintain consistently high customer service standards


• Handle guest feedback and service recovery professionally


• Create a warm, welcoming and efficient customer experience

• Oversee the operational delivery of private events, afternoon teas, workshops and hospitality experiences


• Ensure operational readiness for busy weekends and large\-scale events


• Coordinate staffing and service flow for events and hospitality experiences


• Maintain consistency in customer experience across café, restaurant, catering and events operations

• Oversee the day\-to\-day running of the catering operation, including drop\-off catering, corporate orders and event catering


• Manage catering enquiries, quotes, bookings and client liaison from initial contact through to delivery


• Coordinate catering production schedules with the kitchen team to ensure timely preparation and dispatch


• Plan logistics for catering deliveries, on\-site set\-up and service where required


• Support growth of the catering business through repeat client relationships, service quality and consistent delivery


• Maintain food safety, hygiene and allergen compliance across all catering activity

• Manage and support front\-of\-house and operational teams


• Assist with recruitment, onboarding and staff training


• Develop younger and less experienced staff members


• Prepare rotas and support labour cost management


• Improve accountability, efficiency and service consistency

• Help create and improve operational systems and SOPs


• Ensure smooth operational flow across café, restaurant, catering, events and freezer meal operations


• Identify inefficiencies and implement practical improvements


• Maintain health, safety and operational compliance standards

• Support growth in café, restaurant, catering, retail and event sales


• Monitor labour, stock and operational costs


• Help identify opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability


• Use sales and operational data to support decision\-making

• Oversee stock ordering, inventory control and stock accuracy


• Monitor wastage and improve stock management processes


• Coordinate with kitchen and operational teams to maintain smooth service

• Previous hospitality or food \& beverage management experience


• Strong front\-of\-house experience across café, restaurant and catering operations


• Experience managing teams within busy hospitality environments


• Experience overseeing hospitality events or multi\-service operations


• Experience managing catering operations, including bookings, production planning and delivery logistics


• Excellent customer service and communication skills


• Strong organisational and problem\-solving ability


• Experience with staffing, rotas and labour management


• Experience with inventory and operational systems


• Ability to work calmly under pressure


• Commercial awareness and a proactive attitude


• Comfortable working within a fast\-moving founder\-led business

£29,000 per annum Full\-time position.

Location

Surrey Hills Due to the rural location, access to your own transport is preferred.

Working Hours

Full\-time role including weekends, evenings and event\-based hospitality hours where required.

Pay: £29,000\.00 per year

Work Location: In person

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