Cafe Manager

Chartwells Independent; Southampton; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension

Digital GP & wider healthcare

Travel discounts

Cinema discounts

Cash rewards

Wellness & mindfulness

Job summary

Compass Group UK&I is opening a brand-new café in Southampton, offering a first‑hour rush and long‑term growth. As Café Manager, you’ll set the standards, lead by example and shape how the site looks, feels, and operates from day one.

You’ll recruit, train and develop a strong team, ensuring exceptional service and consistent quality across food, coffee and presentation while managing stock and operational processes.

Qualifications

• Experience running a café, retail unit, or fast-paced food environment.
• Strong leadership, team-building and operations shaping.
• Organised, proactive and calm under pressure.
• Passionate about good food and great coffee.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day running of a newly opened café.
• Recruit, train and develop a strong team.
• Set and maintain high standards across food, coffee and presentation.
• Manage stock, performance and operational processes.
• Create a warm, relaxed and welcoming space from day one.
• Embed consistency – because the little details matter.
• Ensure Health & Safety standards are met.

Skills

Hands-on leadership

People management

Organised

Calm under pressure

Job description

Café Manager – Southampton

£34,000 per annum 5 out of 7 days 40 hours per week

A brand-new café. A blank canvas. An opportunity to build something special from day one.

Simple moments, made special.

Great coffee. Freshly baked pastries. Proper food done well.

Taste Café is about creating the small, everyday moments people genuinely look forward to — a quick coffee that turns into a catch-up, a bite to eat that hits the spot, and a space that feels easy, comfortable, and just right.

This is a new café opening within a busy retail environment — fast-paced, full of energy, and with huge potential. From day one, it’s a place designed to feel local, welcoming, and worth coming back to.

The Role

This is a start-up opportunity within an established business.

As Café Manager, you’ll play a key role in bringing a brand-new site to life — setting standards, building a team, and shaping how the café looks, feels, and operates from the very beginning.

If you’ve managed a café, retail unit, or fast-paced food operation before, this is your chance to truly make it your own.

You’ll lead from the front, set the tone, and turn a brand-new café into a space people love — from the first morning coffee rush to the final close-down of the day.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading the day-to-day running of a newly opened café, keeping everything smooth, organised and on point
• Recruiting, training and developing a strong team that delivers great service (and enjoys doing it)
• Setting and maintaining high standards across food, coffee and presentation
• Managing stock, performance and operational processes
• Creating a space that feels warm, relaxed and welcoming from day one
• Embedding consistency — because the little details matter
• Ensuring Health & Safety standards are always met and maintained

About You

If you’ve run a café, retail unit, or fast-paced food environment, you’re well-suited to this role — especially if you enjoy building teams and shaping operations.

You’ll also be:

• A hands-on leader who sets the pace and leads by example
• People-focused — great with both your team and your customers
• Organised, proactive and calm under pressure
• Passionate about good food, great coffee and doing things properly
• Comfortable taking ownership and continuously improving performance

Why This Role?

This isn’t just another café management role.

It’s a chance to open a new site, shape the culture, and create a destination — somewhere customers return to for the coffee, the food, and the atmosphere.

You’ll have real ownership, support from a wider business, and the opportunity to build something that genuinely feels like yours from the ground up.

Internal

Why Join Us?

As part of Compass Group UK & I, you’ll be working within our One Retail sector, delivering food experiences across some of the UK’s busiest and most recognisable environments.

We ensure you're rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Receive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families

About Us

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

Job Reference: com/2708/45055001/52824858/SU #One Retail

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!