Cafe Assistant

Huntingdonshire District Council; Huntingdon; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 22,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexitime

Hybrid working

Job summary

Huntingdonshire District Council is seeking a friendly Cafe Assistant to join our team at Hinchingbrooke Country Park. You will help run our community café and gift shop, serve food and refreshments, and ensure visitors receive excellent customer service.

Experience in customer service is preferred; food hygiene knowledge is desirable. You will work flexibly, including weekends and bank holidays, and contribute to a welcoming visitor experience within our Leisure, Health & Environment team.

Qualifications

• Experience in a customer service environment.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience working as part of a team.
• Ability to work independently and stay organised in a busy environment.
• Ability to follow food hygiene requirements.
• Flexibility to work weekends, evenings and bank holidays.
• Desirable: Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification and First Aid at Work.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and serve food and refreshments to a high standard with food safety in mind.
• Provide friendly, welcoming and helpful customer service to visitors.
• Support day-to-day cafe operations, including serving, washing dishes and maintaining cleanliness.
• Maintain food displays, keeping them well stocked, clean, tidy and attractive.
• Support the gift shop, monitor sales and stock, liaise with suppliers.
• Check deliveries, rotate stock and minimise food waste.
• Assist in the external catering van when required and at events.
• Follow cleaning schedules and maintain hygiene records.
• Develop knowledge of Hinchingbrooke Country Park to assist visitors.
• Work flexibly as part of the Countryside Services team.

Skills

Customer service experience

Communication

Teamwork

Organisation

Attention to detail

Food hygiene knowledge

Education

Level 2 Food Hygiene

First Aid at Work

Job description

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is passionate about providing high-quality services to our communities, residents and businesses. This means we must employ and retain the most talented and dedicated people.

Situated within the heart of the Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area, Huntingdonshire is a beautiful district that boasts thriving market towns and many attractive villages, each with its own identity. We are an innovative and forward-thinking local authority whose residents are at the heart of our decision-making.

At HDC we want to employ staff who embody our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising), all of which support our ultimate purpose of putting our customers first.

As local government continues to evolve, Huntingdonshire District Council is preparing for an exciting period of change through Local Government Reorganisation. While organisational structures may change in the coming years, our commitment to delivering excellent services for our communities remains unchanged.

Joining HDC now gives you a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact today whilst helping to shape the future of local government across our area. We are looking for people who are motivated by public service, embrace innovation, and want to play a part in building the organisation of tomorrow.

Job details

Are you friendly, enthusiastic and passionate about providing great customer service? Do you enjoy working in a busy environment where every day can be different?

Huntingdonshire District Council is looking for a Cafe Assistant to join our team at Hinchingbrooke Country Park.

Our cafe is an important part of the visitor experience, providing a friendly and welcoming service to members of the public visiting the country park. You will play a key role in helping us deliver a high-quality cafe and visitor experience, while also supporting the wider work of the Leisure, Health & Environment team.

About The Role

As a Cafe Assistant, you will help run our community-focused café and gift shop, preparing and serving food and refreshments and ensuring visitors receive excellent customer service.

Your duties will include:

• Preparing and serving food and refreshments to a high standard and in accordance with food safety requirements
• Providing friendly, welcoming and helpful customer service and developing positive relationships with visitors
• Supporting the smooth day-to-day running of the cafe, including serving customers, washing dishes and maintaining high standards of cleanliness
• Maintaining food displays so they are well stocked, clean, tidy and attractive
• Supporting the gift shop, including monitoring sales, managing stock and liaising with suppliers
• Checking deliveries, rotating stock and helping to minimise food waste
• Working in the external catering van when required
• Supporting additional catering and visitor activities during events
• Following cleaning schedules and maintaining appropriate hygiene records
• Using kitchen and other equipment safely and carrying out daily equipment checks
• Developing your knowledge of Hinchingbrooke Country Park, its facilities and the work of the ranger team so that you can provide helpful information to visitors
• Working flexibly as part of the wider Countryside Services team and supporting colleagues when required.

About You

We are looking for someone who is friendly, reliable and enthusiastic, with a genuine commitment to providing excellent customer service.

You will have:

• Experience of working in a customer service environment
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience of working effectively as part of a team
• The ability to work independently, prioritise tasks and remain organised in a busy environment
• The ability to follow instructions, procedures and food hygiene requirements
• Confidence when dealing with customer enquiries and complaints
• A flexible and adaptable approach to work
• Good attention to detail and a positive approach to supporting colleagues and visitors.

Experience of working with food, stock handling, retail or volunteering would be advantageous. A Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification, First Aid at Work qualification and knowledge of health and safety/COSHH are also desirable, but not essential.

The role requires a willingness to work flexibly, including weekends, evenings and bank holidays, and to travel to other Countryside Services sites where required.

An offer of employment is conditional upon having the right to work in the UK. HDC does not hold a Sponsorship Licence and is unable to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) or take over sponsorship for any role.

The closing date is 9am 5 October 2026 and interviews will be held the week commencing 12 October.

We recognise that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. While we welcome the use of technology to help present your experience and achievements, we ask that the content of your application remains an accurate reflection of your own skills, knowledge and experience. In particular, we encourage candidates to demonstrate how they meet the criteria for the role by providing specific examples from their own experience. This helps us to better assess your suitability for the position.

For many of our roles, our hybrid work model enables employees to work remotely while allowing for in-office collaboration opportunities across the district, with an expectation of being in the office at least two days a week. However, please note that some positions may require a more consistent presence in the office due to the nature of the work.

Please note that the official closing date is as above, and will be the correct date. Some third-party websites may have different dates. Please refer to the HDC website for the official closing date to ensure you do not miss out on applying.

Working for the council

As an employer who values diversity of thought, we seek to employ candidates from a range of backgrounds in order to make our organisation more innovative. We are seeking candidates who are looking for their next career opportunity and are supportive employers, enabling our staff to work in an environment that produces high standards of work in an employee-led environment.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our recruitment and along with our values we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment, where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity. We therefore welcome applications from all sections of the community and we offer a range of benefits, including flexitime, to encourage a work-life balance.