Restaurant jobs in Worcester WR1

Ready to take ownership and lead from the front?

We’re not a corporate chain. We’re an ambitious, independently owned Garden Centre with a busy restaurant and deli, a reputation for exceptional food and friendly service, and a loyal customer base.

We’re looking for an experienced, hands-on Hospitality Manager to take full ownership of the day-to-day running of our restaurant and deli.

This is not a role for someone who wants to manage from an office.

You’ll be visible, approachable and involved throughout the day — leading the team on the floor, talking to customers, keeping service running smoothly, supporting during busy periods, making decisions and ensuring the restaurant and deli are presented and operated to the standards we expect.

You’ll be the face of our restaurant and deli and the person who takes responsibility for making sure everything works as it should.

Alongside the day-to-day operation, you’ll manage the commercial performance of the business, develop the team and work closely with our Head Chef and owners to help take the restaurant and deli into their next stage of growth.

What You’ll Be Doing

Leading the Restaurant & Deli Every Day

Your priority will be making sure the restaurant and deli run brilliantly every day.

You’ll be expected to:

• Be highly visible and present on the restaurant and deli floor.
• Lead service from the front, setting the standard for the whole team.
• Welcome and engage with customers and build relationships with our regulars.
• Know what is happening across the restaurant and deli throughout the day.
• Step in wherever needed during busy periods to keep service moving.
• Make confident day-to-day operational decisions.
• Ensure the restaurant and deli are properly prepared before opening and maintained throughout the day.
• Monitor service, queues, table turnover, staffing levels and customer flow.
• Make sure counters, displays, tables and customer areas always look their best.
• Deal personally and professionally with customer feedback and complaints.
• Identify problems quickly and take responsibility for resolving them.
• Ensure consistently high standards of food, service, cleanliness and presentation.
• Create an atmosphere where customers feel genuinely welcomed and want to return.

You won’t simply oversee the operation — you’ll be part of it.

Leading and Developing Our People

A great restaurant needs a great team. You’ll take responsibility for building, developing and motivating ours.

You’ll:

• Recruit, onboard and develop an outstanding restaurant and deli team.
• Lead by example and set clear expectations for customer service and performance.
• Create a positive, energetic culture where people enjoy coming to work.
• Coach team members during service rather than relying solely on formal training.
• Hold performance reviews and support individual development.
• Work alongside HR on employee relations and people matters.
• Build strong staff retention through good leadership, communication and recognition.
• Produce effective weekly rotas based on anticipated trade.
• Manage holidays and staffing requirements.
• Ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time.
• Deliver ongoing training and identify future supervisors and team leaders.

Taking Ownership of Operations

You’ll take responsibility for the details that make the difference between an average operation and an exceptional one.

This includes:

• Opening, closing and daily operating procedures.
• Ensuring service standards are maintained throughout the day.
• Food safety, hygiene and cleanliness.
• Restaurant and deli presentation.
• Stock availability and product displays.
• Equipment and maintenance issues.
• Daily communication between front of house, deli and kitchen teams.
• Ensuring the team is prepared for busy periods, weekends and seasonal peaks.
• Continually looking for practical ways to make the operation faster, smoother and better.

When something isn’t right, you’ll take ownership of it and make sure it gets sorted.

Driving Business Performance

Being hands-on doesn’t mean losing sight of the numbers. You’ll understand that strong hospitality and strong commercial performance go together.

You’ll:

• Manage labour costs and staffing budgets.
• Monitor Gross Profit (GP) and identify opportunities to improve margins.
• Understand daily and weekly sales performance.
• Match staffing levels to customer demand.
• Identify opportunities to increase average customer spend.
• Reduce unnecessary costs and waste without compromising quality.
• Analyse what is and isn’t working and take action.
• Look for opportunities to increase restaurant and deli revenue.
• Help turn great customer experiences into repeat visits and long-term loyalty.

You’ll be trusted to make sensible commercial decisions and will be expected to understand how those decisions affect both the customer and the profitability of the business.

Supplier, Stock & Deli Management

You’ll take an active role in making sure we have the right products, in the right quantities, at the right quality and price.

You’ll:

• Build strong relationships with suppliers.
• Negotiate value while protecting product quality.
• Manage ordering and stock control.
• Monitor stock levels personally and ensure availability.
• Maintain effective stock rotation.
• Minimise waste and investigate unnecessary losses.
• Review product performance and identify slow and fast-selling lines.
• Ensure deli displays are attractive, well stocked and commercially effective.
• Look for new products and opportunities that will interest our customers.

Menu & Business Development

You’ll work closely with our Head Chef and owners to continue developing the restaurant and deli.

You’ll:

• Contribute to menu development and seasonal menu changes.
• Bring customer feedback and sales insight into menu decisions.
• Help identify new products, promotions and opportunities.
• Design and update menus using Canva.
• Look for practical ways to improve the customer journey.
• Contribute ideas for the future development of both the restaurant and deli.
• Take ownership of turning agreed ideas into action.

We want someone who notices opportunities rather than waiting to be told what needs changing.

What We’re Looking For

You’ll already have experience managing a successful restaurant, café or hospitality operation and, importantly, you’ll enjoy being on the floor and involved in the business.

You’ll bring:

• Proven restaurant, café or hospitality management experience.
• A genuinely hands-on management style.
• Confidence leading a busy operation from the front.
• Excellent leadership and people-management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness, including GP, labour costs and profitability.
• Confidence making decisions and taking responsibility for them.
• Experience recruiting, coaching and managing team performance.
• Excellent customer-service skills and the confidence to engage naturally with customers.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience with suppliers, ordering, stock control and waste management.
• High standards and strong attention to detail.
• The ability to remain calm, organised and decisive during busy services.
• A positive attitude and genuine passion for hospitality.

Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who takes ownership.

You’ll see the restaurant and deli as your operation to run — noticing the details, knowing your customers and team, making good decisions and constantly looking for ways to make the business better.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to have genuine influence within an independent and growing business.

Your ideas will matter, your decisions will make a difference and your contribution will be recognised.

Think You’re the Right Fit?

If you’re an experienced hospitality manager who loves being on the floor, leading a team, talking to customers and taking responsibility for making a business run brilliantly every day, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply with your CV and a short covering letter telling us about your experience and why you’re the right person to lead our restaurant and deli into its next chapter.

Benefits:

• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Application question(s):

• You are located within Worcestershire or Herefordshire

Experience:

• Hospitality management: 3 years (required)
• Retail management: 3 years (preferred)

Language:

• English (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person