Cafe Assistant Manager

Are you an experienced and enthusiastic person ready to take the next step in their hospitality career?

We're looking for a new Café Assistant Manager to help drive the expansion and development of our Greenhouse Café in our Chelmsford branch! You will work under the Café Manager to help provide the best service possible to all of our valued guests, ensuring the smooth running of both the front and back of house. You will be expected to work with our closeknit team to keep morale up and ensure the best possible customer service.

Longacres Garden Centre aims to be the destination of choice for garden enthusiasts, offering exceptional service and high-quality products at competitive prices. Established in 1979 as a family-run business, Longacres has grown to include six stores across the South East of England, employing over 700 staff in 2026. As a growing company, we provide ample opportunities for personal development and learning within a supportive, inclusive, and friendly team environment. We are deeply committed to our loyal customers, delivering high quality products while maintaining affordability. Guided by our core values - trust and integrity, family, teamwork, accountability, and retail excellence - we strive to continuously enhance the customer experience and foster lasting relationships

• Free onsite parking
• 15% Staff discount (Increase to 20% after 5 years of service)
• Training and development with opportunities to forge a career with us
• Holiday entitlement of 28 days, including bank holidays
• You will benefit from retail style hours with no evenings or split shifts

Contract: Full Time

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• Effectively manage a large team whilst running front of house in the managers absence
• Maintain high catering standards
• Welcome guests on arrival and bid them farewell
• Have good knowledge of the food and drinks we offer
• Ensure you and your team have high standards of food hygiene and follow the rules of health and safety
• Overseeing day to day operations of the café
• Managing the front and back of house team
• Menu costing and planning
• Meeting all KPI's set by Café Manager and Catering Manager
• Train new team members in company standards, customer service, and job duties
• Connect with customers and develop strong relationships to encourage repeat visitation
• Motivate, guide, and mentor team members to exceed goals and create a positive environment during shifts

Key Skills and Competencies

• You must have at least 2 years' experience within hospitality
• Previous experience in catering is preferred but not essential
• Strong understanding of Health and Safety and Risk Assessments
• Previous experience managing a large team
• Good verbal and written English communication skills are essential
• Good personal appearance and hygiene
• Good understanding of COSHH
• You must be flexible in terms of the working hours required of you