Duty Manager - Cafe Operations

AlFuttaim; Dubai; On-site; AED 133,920 - 200,880; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Restaurant Management

Job summary

Al-Futtaim is hiring a Duty Manager - Cafe Operations in Dubai to lead daily cafe activities, ensure top-tier customer service, uphold food safety standards, and drive profitability. The role requires strong leadership, practical knowledge of HACCP, stock control, labour planning, and a focus on delivering a welcoming dining experience.

The ideal candidate has 4–6 years in hospitality or food retail, with supervisory experience and a track record of improving service quality and operational

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management or related discipline preferred.
• 4–6 years experience in hospitality, cafe, restaurant, catering or food retail operations.
• Minimum 2 years in supervisory or management role.
• Experience leading cafe or restaurant teams in premium environments.
• Strong understanding of food preparation, kitchen workflows and front-of-house ops.
• Knowledge of HACCP, food hygiene, municipality regulations and safety practices.
• Experience managing food inventory, ordering, stock rotation and waste reduction.
• Ability to control food costs and labour schedules.

Responsibilities

• Lead cafe team during daily operations and motivate staff.
• Ensure high service standards, food quality and customer experience.
• Manage opening/closing procedures, cash handling and SOP adherence.
• Plan staffing levels based on forecasted demand and promotions.
• Monitor stock, ordering, storage, and inventory accuracy.
• Conduct coaching conversations and performance reviews.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP and health & safety regulations.

Skills

Cafe operations management

Restaurant Management

Team leadership

HACCP compliance

Food safety

Budget support

Microsoft Excel

Point-of-sale systems

Inventory platforms

Education

Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Point-of-sale systems

Inventory platforms

Job description

Duty Manager - Cafe Operations Job Snapshot

Role: Duty Manager - Cafe Operations

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Retail

Function: Restaurant Management

Experience: 4-6 years

Job Type: Full-time

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Dubai

Salary: 12000-18000

Gender: Any

Candidate Nationality: Any

Position Overview

Duty Manager - Cafe Operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a Retail hiring opportunity responsible for leading daily cafe operations, customer service, food safety, team performance, inventory control, and commercial results. The role ensures the Marks and Spencer Cafe delivers consistent food quality, efficient service, regulatory compliance, and a welcoming hospitality experience throughout trading hours. This position is suited to an experienced cafe, restaurant, hospitality, or food retail supervisor with strong leadership ability, sound commercial judgment, and practical knowledge of food preparation, HACCP, labour planning, stock control, and customer experience management.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, coach, and support the cafe team during daily operations.
• Create a positive working environment based on teamwork, accountability, customer focus, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct shift briefings, individual coaching discussions, and regular performance conversations.
• Ensure team members are trained in customer service, food preparation, hygiene, cash handling, operational procedures, and Marks and Spencer standards.
• Identify learning needs and coordinate practical development activities for cafe colleagues.
• Support succession planning and prepare high‑performing employees for future responsibilities.
• Allocate duties clearly and monitor team productivity throughout each shift.
• Manage opening and closing procedures, including equipment checks, stock preparation, safe counts, and cash reconciliation.
• Oversee service flow and ensure the cafe remains fully operational throughout trading hours.
• Plan staffing levels according to forecast demand, trading patterns, promotions, and peak service periods.
• Adjust team deployment during busy periods to protect service speed and customer experience.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness, organization, presentation, and operational readiness across front‑of‑house and kitchen areas.
• Lead by example when welcoming customers and providing attentive, professional service.
• Resolve customer enquiries, complaints, and service concerns promptly and fairly.
• Monitor customer feedback and introduce practical improvements where recurring issues are identified.
• Encourage the team to create welcoming and memorable dining experiences.
• Ensure food is prepared, displayed, stored, and served according to approved quality specifications.
• Maintain full compliance with HACCP, municipality requirements, health and safety legislation, and company food safety policies.
• Monitor cooking, holding, chilling, reheating, storage and display temperatures.
• Review product freshness, food presentation, expiry dates, portion sizes, and preparation standards.
• Complete required food safety audits, temperature logs, cleaning records, and compliance documentation.
• Reinforce safe food handling and hygiene practices through regular observation and coaching.
• Oversee product ordering, receiving, storage, and inventory management.
• Make sure sufficient stock availability without creating unnecessary overstock or waste.
• Apply First In, First Out principles across food storage and preparation areas.
• Conduct stock counts, investigate inventory differences, and complete required reconciliations.
• Review supplier deliveries for quantity, condition, temperature and product quality.
• Monitor food waste and implement actions to improve stock rotation, preparation planning and portion control.
• Deliver cafe sales, profitability, customer satisfaction and labour productivity targets.
• Encourage responsible upselling, cross‑selling and promotion of suitable menu products.
• Review sales patterns and identify opportunities to improve revenue and product availability.
• Support seasonal menus, promotional campaigns, product launches and marketing initiatives.
• Monitor food costs, labour expenditure, waste, discounts and other operating expenses.
• Recommend practical actions to improve margins and operational efficiency.
• Manage daily cash handling, till controls, banking preparation and reconciliation procedures.
• Ensure compliance with approved financial controls and delegation requirements.
• Maintain accurate sales, cash, inventory, labour and operational records.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, scheduling and cost control activities.
• Conduct routine health and safety inspections and address identified hazards.
• Ensure cafe equipment is used safely, cleaned correctly and maintained in working condition.
• Report equipment faults and coordinate follow‑up with the appropriate support team.
• Complete risk assessments and maintain a safe environment for customers and colleagues.
• Follow all standard operating procedures and ensure consistent team compliance.
• Participate in operational reviews, training programmes and continuous improvement projects.
• Provide clear shift handovers covering staffing, stock, maintenance, customer and safety matters.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Hospitality Management, Hotel Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline is preferred.
• 4‑6 years of experience in hospitality, cafe, restaurant, catering or food retail operations.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a supervisory, team leader, assistant manager or management position.
• Previous responsibility for leading cafe or restaurant employees in a premium hospitality or food retail environment.
• Strong understanding of food preparation, kitchen workflows, customer service and front‑of‑house operations.
• Practical knowledge of HACCP, food hygiene, municipality regulations and workplace health and safety.
• Experience managing food inventory, ordering, stock rotation, waste reduction and supplier deliveries.
• Proven ability to control food costs, labour schedules and daily operational expenses.
• Experience using point‑of‑sale systems, inventory platforms and Microsoft Office applications.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel for operational tracking and performance analysis.
• Ability to interpret sales, labour, waste, customer and inventory data.
• Strong leadership, coaching, delegation and performance management skills.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to balance customer experience and profitability.
• Confident decision‑making and problem‑solving skills during demanding service periods.
• Excellent organisation, planning and time‑management abilities.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Good written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Arabic communication skills are an advantage.
• Adaptable and composed when responding to changes in demand, staffing, stock or operations.
• Willingness to work flexible shifts, weekends, evenings and public holidays.

Skills Set

• Restaurant Management
• Cafe operations management
• Hospitality leadership
• Team leadership
• Employee coaching
• Performance management
• Shift planning
• Labour scheduling
• Customer experience management
• Customer complaint resolution
• Food preparation oversight
• Food quality assurance
• HACCP compliance
• Food hygiene
• Municipality regulations
• Temperature control
• Food safety audits
• Inventory management
• Stock ordering
• Supplier delivery management
• Stock reconciliation
• First In, First Out
• Food waste reduction
• Food cost control
• Labour productivity
• Sales growth
• Upselling
• Cross‑selling
• Promotional execution
• Point‑of‑sale systems
• Cash reconciliation
• Banking procedures
• Financial controls
• Budget support
• Microsoft Excel
• Health and safety inspections
• Risk assessments
• Standard operating procedures
• Equipment maintenance reporting
• Operational reporting
• Continuous improvement

Why Join Us

This opportunity provides direct responsibility for people leadership, customer experience, food quality, commercial performance and operational compliance within an established international cafe environment. The broad scope of the position creates a strong platform for progression into senior restaurant, food operations, hospitality or store management roles. The successful candidate will lead a customer‑facing operation where performance can be measured through sales, service, food safety, team development and profitability. Al‑Futtaim Retail also provides the stability, business scale and professional development opportunities associated with a diversified regional organisation.

About the Company

Al‑Futtaim Retail manages a wide portfolio of international brands across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with operations spanning fashion, food, furniture, home improvement, beauty and children’s retail. As a major regional partner of Marks and Spencer, the division operates stores and cafes supported by established hospitality, food safety, merchandising, customer service and operational standards, with teams focused on delivering consistent quality, efficient service and welcoming customer experiences.