Catering Manager

Houston & Hawkes; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday leave

Free meals

Pension

Life assurance

EAP

CODE Hospitality membership

Socials & events

Job summary

Houston & Hawkes is seeking an outstanding Catering Manager to lead a busy, high-quality food and beverage operation in Central London. You’ll be highly visible on the floor, driving exceptional customer service while delivering strong commercial performance.

With a bubbly, energetic personality, you’ll coach a front-of-house team, manage rotas and leverage Excel to monitor sales, labour and performance data, ensuring food quality and presentation remain exceptional across all counters and

Qualifications

• Previous management of premium contract catering or high-volume food retail.
• Bright, confident, engaging personality with passion for people.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to work with sales, labour and budgets.
• Excellent Excel skills with ability to present operational data.
• Understanding of coffee and barista standards.
• Experience leading and developing a customer-facing team.
• Organised and able to manage a fast-paced operation and multiple priorities.
• Attention to presentation and the small details that shape the customer experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day retail food and beverage operation.
• Create an energetic, welcoming environment and deliver exceptional customer service.
• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing front-of-house team.
• Take ownership of the coffee offer and ensure consistently high barista and beverage standards.
• Ensure counters, displays and service areas are beautifully presented, fully stocked and ready for every service.
• Monitor sales, labour, wastage, stock and operational performance.
• Use Excel confidently to manage figures, reporting, forecasting and performance data.
• Manage rotas and deploy the team effectively around business needs.
• Work closely with the kitchen team to ensure food quality, availability and presentation remain exceptional.
• Build strong relationships with clients, customers and the wider site team.
• Identify opportunities to grow sales, improve the customer journey and develop the retail offer.
• Maintain the highest standards of food safety, health and safety and operational compliance.

Skills

management experience

commercial awareness

people leadership

presentation skills

attention to detail

proactive ideas

Tools

Excel

Job description

Houston & Hawkes | Central London |
£42,000 – £44,000 per annum | Monday to Friday

Bring energy, commercial thinking and
exceptional hospitality to a premium workplace food operation.

Houston & Hawkes is looking for an
outstanding Catering Manager to lead a busy, high-quality food and beverage
operation within one of our prestigious Central London locations.

This is a role for someone who loves the
pace of retail hospitality and understands how to combine brilliant customer
service with strong commercial performance. You'll be highly visible on the
floor, leading from the front, developing your team and making sure every
counter, coffee and customer interaction reflects the standards we are known
for.

We're looking for someone with personality - warm, confident, energetic and naturally engaging - but equally comfortable
behind the scenes working with figures, spreadsheets, labour, sales and
performance. You'll understand that a successful retail operation is about both
the experience customers see and the detail that makes it commercially
successful.

THE ROLE

• Lead the day-to-day retail food and
  beverage operation
• Create an energetic, welcoming environment
  and deliver exceptional customer service
• Lead, motivate and develop a
  high-performing front-of-house team
• Take ownership of the coffee offer and
  ensure consistently high barista and beverage standards
• Ensure counters, displays and service areas
  are beautifully presented, fully stocked and ready for every service
• Monitor sales, labour, wastage, stock and
  operational performance
• Use Excel confidently to manage figures,
  reporting, forecasting and performance data
• Manage rotas and deploy the team
  effectively around business needs
• Work closely with the kitchen team to
  ensure food quality, availability and presentation remain exceptional
• Build strong relationships with clients,
  customers and the wider site team
• Identify opportunities to grow sales,
  improve the customer journey and develop the retail offer
• Maintain the highest standards of food
  safety, health and safety and operational compliance

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Previous management experience within
  premium contract catering, workplace dining, high-volume cafés or quality food
  retail
• A bubbly, confident and engaging
  personality with a genuine passion for people
• Strong commercial awareness and confidence
  working with sales, labour, budgets and performance figures
• Excellent Excel skills and the ability to
  understand and present operational data
• Strong knowledge of coffee and barista
  standards
• Proven experience leading, coaching and
  developing a customer-facing team
• Excellent organisation with the ability to
  manage a fast-paced operation and multiple priorities
• A sharp eye for presentation, standards and
  the small details that shape the customer experience
• A proactive approach with the confidence to
  bring forward new ideas and continuously improve the operation

WHY JOIN HOUSTON & HAWKES?

• Monday to Friday working pattern
• Birthday off every year
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption
  leave
• Free meals on duty
• Contributory pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• CODE Hospitality membership
• Foodie Socials bringing our teams together
  to discover new food, drink and coffee ideas
• Ongoing learning, development and genuine
  career progression
• Summer Awards Party celebrating our people
  and achievements
• An unforgettable Christmas Party at one of
  London's outstanding venues

ABOUT HOUSTON & HAWKES

Houston & Hawkes is an award-winning
independent caterer creating exceptional food and hospitality experiences
across some of the UK's most prestigious workplaces.

We're proud to be ranked No. 14 in The
Caterer's Best Places to Work in Hospitality, recognition that reflects the
culture we've built around our people. As a Certified B Corp and recipient of
the King's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2026, we're
ambitious about doing things differently – from the food and experiences we
create to the way we support, develop and celebrate our teams.

If you're a commercially minded retail
leader with great energy, exceptional people skills and a passion for creating
brilliant customer experiences, we'd love to hear from you.

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Catering Manager London, England, United Kingdom