Summary: Newly created, full time role for a small, ambitious café, located front and centre in the ground floor of our mixed use hospitality and workspace building in Peckham. The role will be hands-on, running and operating the café on a day to day basis and overseeing the café & floor team, to create an excellent, well established neighbourhood destination with the support of the Venue Manager and wider management team. . With expert training offered, this is a great opportunity for someone who has been a successful cafe assistant manager or head barista for at least 2 years, and is looking to take the next step in their career. It’s a chance to come in at the beginning and help create and shape the new team as part of a collaborative, progressive venue which is full of life and open to all.
We’re looking for an organised, engaging, business-minded person who fully understands our customers. Applicants should have spent at least 2 years in specialty coffee, with 1 year in cafe management or 2 years at a senior level. SCA Intermediate is preferable.
Company Description: Rye Lane Cornerhouse is home to a huge number of independently operated small businesses in the centre of Peckham. We run a shared workspace (via our sister company Market Peckham) and food hall, as well as acting as landlord and building manager to a music venue, gym, rooftop bar and restaurant. We’re a multifaceted, independent business focussing on offering an evolving, high quality platform for a diverse group of businesses and operators, which translates into an energetic and varied local destination for our customers. As we evolve and grow our operations to launch a new café in May, we’re looking for a professional and engaged Café & Assistant Venue Manager who can embed themselves in the life of our building, and work in a structured and creative way to maximise our collective offer, customer service, local appeal and footfall.
Key Tasks: Responsibility for the day to day running and operation of the café set within our ground floor food hall, supported by the Venue Manager and wider management team, as well as assisting in the oversight and operation of the food hall. Responsibilities include; 1. Operational leadership –overseeing day to day operations of the café, managing a team to embed a motivated and enjoyable culture, implementing SOPs to ensure highly consistent, excellent standards, and monitoring inventory and supplies (all supported by the Venue Manager) 2. Customer experience –providing an exceptional, welcoming and memorable experience for every single customer, ensuring the space always looks beautiful, proactively engaging with customers and community to gather feedback and address concerns, and implementing initiatives to enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction 3. Financial management –adhering to budgets, exceeding sales targets and generating sustainable, healthy margins for the café, as well as feeding into strategic decision making to improve customer experience and business performance 4. Quality control – ensure the consistent delivery of a high-quality full hot and cold food and drinks menu, created and supported by a collective of creative, highly experienced industry professionals, as well as implementing and enforcing health and safety and general upkeep standards
Required Skills; Commercial Awareness • Strong understanding of café operations and financials. • Ability to set achieve sales and revenue targets. • Experience in cost control and menu pricing. • Knowledge of current trends and innovations in the UK hospitality industry.
Leadership & Team Management • Self-starting and highly motivated • Proven ability to oversee, motivate, and encourage a diverse team. • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build positive relationships with team members, collaborators and customers. • Ability to promote a positive and supportive work environment for maximum productivity.
Customer Service & Operations • Exceptional customer service skills with a focus on exceeding guest expectations, and setting a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for all. • In-depth knowledge of coffee as well as preparation techniques and equipment. • Good knowledge of UK food hygiene and safety regulations. • Ability to handle customer complaints and resolve issues in a professional and timely manner. • Detail-focussed, with a proven track record in maintaining high standards of service, cleanliness, and presentation throughout venues.
Problem-Solving & Decision-Making • Ability to make sound decisions under pressure and in fast-paced environments. • A proactive approach to anticipating and mitigating potential risks and challenges. • Excellent organisational and planning skills to ensure smooth daily operations and event execution.
Additional Skills • Proficiency in relevant POS systems. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Ability to work independently and as part of a team. • Commitment to continuous learning and development within the hospitality industry.
If you’re interested we’d love to hear from you!
