Assistant Restaurant Manager

Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd.; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Uncapped store discounts

Access to Stream earnings ahead of pay

Retail Trust support

Dobbies Academy

Thriving culture

Job summary

Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd is seeking an Assistant Restaurant Manager for our Milton Keynes location. You will oversee both kitchen and front-of-house operations, lead a motivated team, and drive excellent guest experiences while upholding food hygiene standards.

The role focuses on commercial performance, stock control, and supporting seasonal events, with close collaboration to ensure smooth centre-wide operations and a safe, welcoming environment for colleagues and customers.

Qualifications

• Proven experience of restaurant management in a hospitality setting.
• Commercial awareness with understanding of budgets and profitability.
• Ability to manage stock controls and ensure health & safety compliance.
• Experience training and coaching staff to deliver a first-class customer experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee fast-paced restaurant operation including kitchen and front of house.
• Lead an engaged team to deliver great customer experience.
• Ensure health and safety regulations are followed at all times.
• Manage stock controls to minimise wastage and ensure the kitchen has what it needs.
• Support delivery of in-store events and seasonal highlights.
• Communicate with central support teams to maintain smooth operations.

Skills

Restaurant management

Budgeting

Stock controls

Training and coaching

Adaptability

Team leadership

Job description

Our Assistant Restaurant Managers play an essential role in delivering an exceptional across our Restaurants – delivering tasty food, maintaining operational standards, smashing commercial targets and ensuring food hygiene, whilst assisting the Restaurant Manager.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the fast-paced restaurant operation, taking responsibility for both the kitchen and front of house operation
• Lead an engaged team, focused on delivering a great customer experience and making it work for our customer
• Ensure strict compliance with health and safety regulations at all times
• Effective stock management controls, to ensure wastage is minimised and the kitchen has everything it needs to deliver to our customers
• Support the delivery of instore events, including seasonal highlights such as Breakfast with Santa, and regular fixtures such as Afternoon Teas
• Communicate effectively with our central support teams to maintain smooth operations and feedback to improve our business
• Work as part of the overall Garden Centre Management team to deliver a safe working environment, commercially successful store and a great place to work for our colleagues

Who we are looking for

• You’ll bring passion for hospitality with proven experience of restaurant management
• Commerical awareness and understanding of budgets, profitability from driving sales and improved ways of working
• A proven ability to manage stock controls and strict adherence to health & safety regulations
• Ability to identify training needs. You’ll be effectively coaching and training all levels ensuring our teams are delivering a first-class customer experience and safe centre environment
• Adaptability. You’ll act quickly and enthusiastically to changing priorities, workload and new regulations or requirements
• Positivity managing change, you’ll lead the team through each session with care and motivation to deliver the best
• Can demonstrate our values at all times - we’re one team, getting better everyday. We bring a smile. We live and breathe gardens. We make it work for our customers.

What we offer

• Generous annual leave entitlement. Use your holidays when you want with limited statutory days off required
• Treat yourself with generous uncapped discount across our stores with 50% off in our Restaurants, 25% off in the Garden Centre and 10% off in our food halls
• Access to Stream - support your financial wellbeing, with ability to access earnings ahead of pay day, save for future and financial advice
• Access to Retail Trust - seek confidential support, access to a virtual GP, free counselling service and discounted retail rewards with our employee wellbeing platform
• Access to Dobbies Academy - continue your development with our eLearning platform and development programmes
• Thriving culture; the Dobbies team are passionate, diverse and committed to making it work for our customers

About Us

At Dobbies, we’re proud to have a history dating back to 1865. We were founded by James Dobbie and are the only garden centre retailer to have stores in every nation across the UK.

Our passion and joy for gardens and plants is what makes us special. In our stores, we showcase this through own brand and branded products,concession partners and services. We champion garden living all-year-round.

Many of our stores feature a restaurant or coffee shop, where customers can enjoy refreshments or meals in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

We offer a calendar of events and experiences that bring people and communities together, and we have a national charity partner that both our colleagues and customers raise money for.

We’re committed to being a great place to work. We’re one team and we encourage our colleagues to be the best version of themselves, every day; to share their wins and celebrate success. Together, we make it work for our customers.