Food & Beverage Assistant Manager

Chester-Zoo; Chester; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff pass for zoo visits

Pension scheme with employer contribs

Healthcare plan

Annual leave 33 days

Cycle to work scheme

Discounts on cinema, dining and shops

Job summary

The Square, Chester Zoo, is seeking an experienced Food & Beverage Events Assistant Manager to lead the front-of-house events team, delivering exceptional guest experiences for weddings, corporate functions and daily operations.

You will oversee the daily running of The Square, recruit and develop staff, manage EPOS and stock, monitor budgets and safety compliance, and work closely with the Head Chef to maintain high service standards in a busy, high-volume venue.

Qualifications

• Experience operating in a high-volume business at management level.
• Exceptional guest service skills in a guest-focused environment.
• Experienced people manager who can lead and inspire a team across disciplines.
• Awareness of current food & beverage and event trends with benchmarking ideas.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily management of The Square to ensure smooth service and guest satisfaction.
• Lead, motivate, recruit, train and manage the events team to uphold service excellence.
• Manage food & beverage systems including EPOS, stock, cash handling and health & safety compliance.
• Use sales data to set goals, monitor performance and react to trading trends.
• Maximise revenue by managing payroll, spend, upselling and waste control.
• Ensure adherence to food safety, health and safety, and licensing laws.
• Coordinate occasional events at The Oakfield with regular pub operations.

Skills

Guest service

People management

Budgeting

Forecasting

Excel

Communication

Health & safety

Event trends

Performance monitoring

Microsoft Office

Tools

EPOS

Job description

Food & Beverage Events Assistant Manager

We have an exciting opportunity to join our growing team at The Square, set within the UK's number 1 zoo. As part of the Food and Beverage team, the Assistant Manager will be responsible for the daily management of the events team in this unique event space, ensuring an outstanding experience for every guest. This is a fantastic chance to work in a truly special environment, where you’ll help deliver exceptional food and drink service in the heart of Chester Zoo.

The Role

As an Assistant Manager at The Square, our stunning wedding and event space set in the heart of Chester Zoo, you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day running of the front of house operations. You’ll work closely with our Head Chef and wider food and beverage team to deliver exceptional service, maintain high standards, and ensure our guests have a memorable experience every time they visit.

You will:

• Oversee the daily management of The Square, ensuring smooth service and an exceptional guest experience at all times
• Lead, motivate, and develop the events, supporting recruitment, training, and performance management to uphold service excellence
• Manage all food and beverage systems including EPOS, stock control, cash handling, and health and safety compliance
• Utilise sales and performance data to inform decisions, set clear goals for the team, and react quickly to trading trends to drive results
• Maximise revenue and profitability by monitoring payroll and spend, encouraging upselling, and minimising waste and shrinkage
• Ensure all team members adhere to policies and procedures, including food safety standards, health and safety legislation, and licensing laws
• Support the delivery of occasional events held within The Oakfield, ensuring they are integrated seamlessly with regular pub operations

This is a hands-on leadership role ideal for someone with previous experience in a management role in hospitality, who thrives in a high-quality, guest-focused environment.

The Package

You’ll be working a variety of shifts, including days and evenings for events such as weddings and corporate functions. Contract hours are 40 hours per week, 5 days out of 7 on a rota basis including weekends and bank holidays.

• Permanent contract
• £30,750 per annum based on 40 hours per week
• 33 days annual leave
• Annual holiday buy/sell scheme
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off, plus multiple complimentary tickets for your friends and family
• Cycle to work scheme
• Healthcare plan and employee assistance programme
• Discounted gym membership
• Discounts on cinema tickets, restaurants, high street shops and more via Perks
• Pension scheme with generous employer contributions up to 9%

Our Requirements

• Experience operating in a high-volume business, at a management level.
• Exceptional guest service skills within a guest focused environment
• Experienced people manager who is able to lead and inspire a team in a range of disciplines
• Awareness of current food & beverage and event trends with the ability to benchmark against competitors and able to present ideas for improvement to introduce best practice ahead of the game
• In depth knowledge and experience of Health & Hygiene Safety legislation processes
• Good practical knowledge of budgets, forecasting and setting targets
• Excellent written and verbal communication with the ability to liaise to people at all levels
• Computer literate with working knowledge of Excel and other Microsoft products
• Knowledge of balancing guest requirements and service capabilities with the need to return a profit
• Knowledge of effective performance monitoring systems

Although not essential, the following would be desirable

• Experience of food & beverage in a leisure or visitor attraction environment
• Experience of delivering events.
• Hold a relevant vocational qualification in food & beverage

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

Well, where do we start? Here goes…

We’re a huge team of conservationists, scientists, educators, animal welfare experts, marketeers, visitor experience professionals, environmental policy influencers; the list goes on. Each and every one of us is on a mission to make Chester Zoo the best in the world, and our planet a better place.

As the UK’s biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans, and there’s always lots going on here. We’re an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of nearly 500 permanent and 500 seasonal team members, and we know how important it is to invest in our colleagues to help boost their career development. We have ambitious goals, and we want you to be with us for the long term on our exciting journey.

Our working environment could not be more different from a typical office – where else can you see critically endangered orangutans from your office window, or stroll among rare giraffes and tigers on your lunch break?

Please be aware we reserve the right to close our vacancies earlier than the listed date if we have received a high level of applications. We would recommend that if you do wish to be considered that you complete the application as promptly as possible as shortlisting and interviews may be taking place whilst the advert is live.