Catering Manager - Stewarts Abbey Titchfield

Nestled in the heart of our popular garden centre, our coffee shop is a welcoming destination for gardeners, families and coffee lovers alike. We take pride in serving exceptional coffee, freshly prepared food and delicious homemade treats, all delivered with warm, friendly service in a relaxed environment.

We’re looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Catering Manager to lead our busy coffee shop at Stewarts Abbey.

This is a hands-on management role where you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day running of the coffee shop, leading and developing your team, maintaining high standards and delivering an excellent experience for every customer.

You’ll have a real opportunity to make your mark, from developing an exciting food and drink offer and identifying opportunities to grow sales, to creating a positive team culture and ensuring the coffee shop operates smoothly, efficiently and profitably.

Responsibilities:

Leading the day-to-day operation of the coffee shop, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently.
Managing, motivating and developing your team, ensuring everyone understands what is expected of them and has the support they need to succeed.
Planning staff deployment and rotas to ensure we have the right people in the right place at the right time.
Recruiting and selecting great people who share our passion for customer service and quality.
Managing performance, attendance and any employee issues in line with company procedures.
Delivering consistently high standards of food, drink, service, cleanliness and presentation.
Ensuring food is interesting, exciting and produced to the highest appropriate standard.
Maintaining excellent hygiene, health and safety, COSHH and security standards across the coffee shop, kitchen and storage areas.
Regularly walking the whole department, including the kitchen and storage areas, and maintaining a visible and hands-on presence.
Managing stock levels, stock rotation, stocktake and wastage effectively.
Identifying opportunities to increase sales, improve margins and develop the coffee shop offer.
Monitoring customer feedback and using it to continually improve the experience we provide.
Ensuring displays, pricing and signage are attractive, inspirational and maintained to our standards.
Planning and implementing seasonal changes and making the best use of available space to maximise sales.
Maintaining fixtures, fittings, equipment and materials to a high standard.
Authorising and processing invoices accurately and efficiently.
Authorising payroll and holidays in line with rotas, budgets and company procedures.
Contributing to the successful delivery of events and seasonal activities.
Working closely with the Group Catering Manager and other Catering Managers across the business to maintain consistency in product quality, range and pricing.
Identifying and resolving issues relating to customers, stock, team members or the day-to-day operation of the department.

What You'll Need:

Previous management or supervisory experience within a busy café, coffee shop, restaurant or hospitality environment.
A genuine passion for great food, quality drinks and excellent customer service.
Experience of leading, motivating and developing a team.
The confidence to make decisions and take ownership of the day-to-day operation.
Good commercial awareness and an understanding of how to increase sales, manage costs and minimise waste.
Experience of stock control, ordering and managing stock levels.
A good understanding of food hygiene, health and safety and allergen requirements.
Excellent organisation skills and the ability to prioritise when things get busy.
Strong communication skills and the ability to build positive relationships with both customers and colleagues.
A practical, hands-on approach — you’ll be happy getting stuck in alongside your team when needed.
The ability to remain calm, positive and solutions-focused in a busy environment.
Good attention to detail and pride in maintaining high standards.
The flexibility to work across a busy seven-day operation, including weekends and seasonal periods.

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role?

The most successful person in this role will be someone who:

Leads from the front
You’ll be visible, approachable and hands-on, setting the standard for your team rather than managing from the sidelines.

Puts customers first
You’ll genuinely care about creating a great experience and will encourage your team to do the same.

Takes ownership
You’ll spot problems before they become bigger issues, make decisions and take responsibility for getting things done.

Builds a great team
You’ll know how to get the best from people, recognise good performance and create a team where people enjoy coming to work.

Thinks commercially
You’ll constantly look for ways to improve sales, reduce waste, manage costs and make the most of opportunities.

Has high standards
From the quality of the food and coffee to the cleanliness of the kitchen and the way customers are greeted, you’ll take pride in getting the details right.

Embraces change
Our business is constantly evolving, and you’ll be someone who enjoys developing new ideas, improving the way we work and responding to changing customer expectations.

Enjoys being busy
Our coffee shop can be fast-paced, particularly at weekends, during school holidays and around seasonal events. You’ll thrive under pressure while keeping your team positive and your customers well looked after.

What's It Like Working At Stewarts?

Supportive, close-knit team.
A family-run business with strong values and heritage.
An opportunity to make a real impact on both the customer journey and the success of the centre.
Be part of a business that values personal development and supports its people to grow and succeed.

Benefits:

Generous staff discount in garden centres and coffee shops.
Free on-site parking.
Additional day off to celebrate your birthday!
Opportunities to attend seasonal events.

The Practical Details:

Contract Type: Permanent – 40 hours per week (including alternate weekends)

Location: Stewarts Abbey Garden Centre, Mill Lane, Titchfield, Hampshire, PO15 5RB.

Reports to: Garden Centre Manager

How to Apply:

If you’re an experienced hospitality manager who loves leading from the front, takes pride in high standards, enjoys a busy environment and has a passion for great food, drinks and customer service, we’d love to hear from you!

To apply, please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter to:

HR Department, D Stewart & Son Ltd, 8 Christchurch Business Park, Radar Way, Christchurch BH23 4FL

Or e-mail: [email protected]

Please Note: CVs that do not have an accompanying cover letter will not be considered.