Cafe Islington jobs in London

co-assistant General Manager | Zeit für Brot "the German Bakery"

London Flagship and central bakery

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Location: Islington, London (N1 9LQ)

The Philosophy: German Craft. Organic Integrity. Every day Quality. Transparency.

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The Mission

​At Zeit für Brot / The German Bakery, we have always been the "Bakers you Trust" and "The Bakers whose work you can see"

We are not here to be the flashiest brand in London; we are here to set the bar for quality. As a leading German artisan bakery firm, we are 100% organic and are starting to provide provide the handcrafted foundation for some of London’s most quality oriented restaurant tables and retailers.

​Our Islington flagship is a high-volume hub (£40,000+ weekly turnover).

We are looking for a General Manager who values substance and people over style and ego and understands that true quality is found in our raw materials, our slow-fermentation process, and how we treat our people.

​The German Standard: A Different Way of Working

​London hospitality is often synonymous with burnout—but we do things differently.

As a German company, we believe in structure, efficiency, and respect for your time.

• ​Family & Balance: We don’t expect "endless hours." We prioritize a sustainable work-life balance, ensuring our managers have a life outside of work. This is a high-volume role, but it is built on a foundation of mutual respect.
• ​Security & Peace of Mind: We offer Incapacity Insurance that covers 75% of your salary for up to 3 years. We believe in looking after our people when life gets tough—providing long-term security that is rare in the UK hospitality sector
• ​Uncompromising Quality: We are 100% organic. We set a new bar for environmental consciousness, focusing on being the most reliable partner for our customers and wholesale clients alike.

​The Role

• ​Flagship Leadership: Lead a £2m+ annual business, balancing a bustling retail café with a high-stakes wholesale supply arm.
• ​Everyday Excellence: You will manage a diverse team of artisan bakers and front-of-house professionals, ensuring that "quality every day" is a lived reality, not just a slogan.
• ​Performance-Driven Reward: Our transparent KPI structure allows you to earn an additional 20% each quarter, rewarding your mastery of waste control, labor efficiency, and service standards.

Our History

We are the the pioneer in Germany in terms of in store scratch baking and city centre bakery production.

For 17 years we have developed city centre bakeries across Germany from where we supply local clients in our bakery outlet and b2b clients across town. Our competitors build large factories and deliver into town. We stick to small artisanal factories and deliver from within the city. We aim to be the place for bread in the community. If you want to manage a real old school bakery actually selling 30 types of breads daily then read on.

Importantly from day one every one of our products represents not just German quality but 100% organically certified quality. If quality drives you and you then read on.

Who You Are

• ​The High-Volume Specialist: You have managed London sites with >£45k–£55k+ weekly turnover. You are comfortable with scale and own production/kitchens but want to work somewhere with an artisan soul.
• ​The Values-Driven Leader: You are passionate about organic provenance and sustainability.
• ​The Reliable Professional: You lead through calm, structured management rather than "firefighting."

Pay: £16.00-£17.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Store discount

Application question(s):

• have you overseen an organization with both service and food production - please explain to what extent you had to also manage food production / kitchen production / bakery production ?
• are you able to work with MS Excel and plan the business you manage ? Please provide details of your budgeting and planning experience.
• Where have you managed counter sales or quick service operations and for how long?
• What are your favorite bakeries in London and what are your impressions of our bakery having looked at website and Instagram? Hat product do you think you personally Could enjoy?
• As a German firm, we value structure and work-life balance over 'endless hours.' How do you organize your work week to ensure the business thrives without you needing to be on-site 24/7
• We are 100% organic and focused on being 'the bakers you trust.' What does 'everyday quality' mean to you in a high-pressure retail environment?
• Describe a time you managed a site with a weekly turnover of £35k or more. What were your primary levers for controlling labour and waste in that environment?
• Our performance related pay structure is based on quarterly KPIs (up to 20%). Which P&L metrics do you feel most confident in influencing, and how?
• What is the salary you really need to earn at this stage to take over a demanding a time intensive general management position ?
• are you happy managing one multifunctional location where the expectation is to increase sales from b2c, deliveries, catering and b2b - we plan new sites but we do not plan a massive roll out. We need total focus on one location for 2 years.
• What is your current salary and your previous salary and how many hours on average did you work in each company per week ?

Experience:

• Hospitality: 7 years (required)
• Counter sales or quick service sales : 5 years (required)

Language:

• english fluently (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person