Cafe Manager - Calshot Activities Centre

Salary Range: £23,703 - £26,401

Work Location: Calshot Café, Calshot Activities Centre
Hours per week: 37

Contract Type: Permanent

Kitchen Lead (Calshot Café)

Job Purpose

Calshot Activities Centre is one of the largest outdoor activities Centres in the UK and is one of four outdoor Centres that makes up Hampshire Outdoor Centres (HOC).

Situated in a unique position on the shores of the Solent, the facilities at the Centre include a state-of-the-art climbing wall, the only indoor velodrome on the South coast, and a dry ski slope.

The café at the Centre is in our main Sunderland Hangar and serves the many thousands of varied visitors throughout the year.

Your role as the Kitchen Lead will include supervising the food prep and cooking, maintaining a fully-stocked kitchen inventory and complying with safety and cleanliness standards. To be successful in this role, you should be able to manage our kitchen staff and guide them to deliver quality food on time.

Ultimately, you will ensure all plates are properly cooked and served and our customers have a pleasant dining experience.

As Kitchen Lead you will also be responsible for menu planning, promotion, and delivery of catering for large corporate bookings. This will include budgeting and liaising with the café manager on how you and your team will ensure a successful experience for our corporate customers.

Role Responsibilities

• Manage kitchen staff and coordinate food orders
• Supervise food prep and cooking
• Check food plating and temperature
• Establish portion sizes
• Schedule kitchen staff shifts
• To comply with all legislation regarding food hygiene standards and ensure that all members of the team are compliant.
• Conduct stock checks and maintain accurate records.
• Price menu items in collaboration with the Restaurant Manager
• Order food supplies and kitchen equipment, as needed
• Train kitchen staff on prep work and food plating techniques
• Store food products in compliance with safety practices (e.g. in refrigerators)
• Keep weekly and monthly cost reports
• Maintain sanitation and safety standards in the kitchen area

Requirements and skills

• Hands-on experience with planning menus and ordering ingredients
• Knowledge of a wide range of recipes
• Familiarity with kitchen sanitation and safety regulations
• Excellent organizational skills
• Conflict management abilities
• Ability to manage a team in a fast-paced work environment
• Flexibility to work during evenings and weekends

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate
• Knowledge and experience of Health and Safety responsibilities in a catering environment
• Experience of cooking in a busy, functional kitchen
• Works well under pressure - the cafe can get busy
• Highest standard of cleanliness and hygiene in and around the café and kitchen areas
• A positive attitude and strong work ethic
• Ability to maintain and build rapport with our amazing customers
• Ability to work under pressure and thrive alone or as part of a team
• Excellent communication skills; both to give and ask for help where required
• Situational awareness within the cafe - you know what is happening around you

Desirable Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate
• Proven work experience as a Kitchen Lead, Restaurant Manager or Head Chef
• Driving license

Additional Information

• You will be required to be aware of current Health and Safety Policy and to take responsibility for your own safety and the safety of others who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work.
• Hours will be worked on a shift rota basis and you will be required to work anti-social hours including weekends, evenings, bank holidays and early starts for events as required as part of the normal working week which is Monday to Sunday inclusive
• Free onsite parking
• Uniform provided.

Working Conditions

The following section provides an outline of the working conditions that may be encountered in this role:

• Regular contact with any chemicals including cleaning chemicals, wood dust, pesticides and oils
• PPE Equipment User

Connect2Hampshire, part of Hampshire & Kent Commercial Services LLP, is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business and positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.