Garden Centre Restaurant Manager

Hillier Nurseries Limited; Little Marlow; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Training

Employee discounts

Free parking

Employee assistance programme

Company Christmas gifts

Discount on restaurant menu

Job summary

Hillier Garden Centre at Marlow, Buckinghamshire, is seeking an experienced Restaurant Manager to oversee daily restaurant operations, ensuring top customer service, food quality, and efficiency. You will lead a hands-on team, manage stock and costs, and work with the Garden Centre Manager to drive success.

The role is full-time, 37.5 hours weekly, with daytime shifts on a rota basis. The position offers a competitive annual salary up to £31,000, pension, life assurance, training, and extensive

Qualifications

• Experience managing hospitality operations in a restaurant or café setting.
• Ability to cover front and back of house when needed.
• Thorough understanding of allergens and food safety requirements.
• Strong Health & Safety knowledge and incident prevention.
• Excellent communication with staff and external contacts.
• Calm, adaptable, and able to work under pressure.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily restaurant operations and service quality.
• Lead and develop the restaurant team and rota planning.
• Control costs, manage stock and supplier relationships.
• Collaborate with Garden Centre Manager to drive sales and guest experience.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety and allergen management policies.

Skills

Hospitality management

Front of house

Back of house

Allergens knowledge

Health and Safety

Team leadership

Communication

Time management

Calm under pressure

Job description

• Location: Marlow, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

Our Hillier Garden Centre at Marlow is a well-established and popular destination for gardening enthusiasts, offering a wide range of plants, gifts, and outdoor living products. Our on-site restaurant is a key part of the experience, providing our customers with delicious, freshly prepared meals, light snacks, cakes, and beverages.

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Restaurant Manager to oversee the daily operations of our restaurant. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring the highest standards of customer service, food quality, and operational efficiency. You will lead a dedicated team, manage stock and supplies, control costs, and work closely with the Garden Centre Manager to maximize the restaurant’s success.

This is a full‑time, permanent position, working 37.5 hours per week. Hours are scheduled on a rota basis and averaged over a two‑week pattern.

We offer:

• Annual salary of up to £31,000 (depending on experience)
• Sociable hours (daytime only)
• Enhanced pension Scheme
• Life assurance
• Full training
• Employee discount of 20%
• Discount of 50% on restaurant menu whilst on shift
• 31 days annual leave (pro-rata if part time)
• Free on-site parking
• Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme for both you and your immediate family, including free counselling onhealth, financial, legaland personal/family matters.
• Company Christmas gifts (eligibility based on start date with Company)
• Free access to exclusive retail discounts, deals and coupons, plus extra cashback on your Amazon and food shop
• Free solo entryto the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey and deals at other gardens nationally

We are looking for a candidate with the following skills and experience:

• Worked in hospitality at management level for both front and back of house.
• A good level of kitchen experience and food knowledge with the ability to ‘step in and support’ if and when required.
• Thorough understanding of allergens.
• Knowledgeable in maintaining and monitoring Health and Safety in department.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to deal with employees at all levels, as well as external contacts.
• Able to be responsive to challenges and demonstrate a ‘can do’ approach.
• Remains calm under pressure.
• Effective time management.
• Eager to support and contribute to the wider team.
• Work with energy, pace and passion.
• Good organisation and prioritisation skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and forward-thinking ethos.
• Demonstrate a professional, enthusiastic and flexible approach.
• Able to promote excellent team work to achieve exceptional customer experience.

You will be joining a renowned and established family business of over 150 years, working in a fun and friendly environment with an amazing bunch of people.We also place great value on all our team members and how they contribute to the ongoing success and growth of our Company.

Please note that we will only consider candidates who are already located in the UK and have right to work status.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age.