General Manager

Restaurant Associates UK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension scheme

Career Pathways & MyLearning

Digital GP and broader healthcare

Travel discounts with major brands (TU

Food shopping discounts

Cinema savings up to 44%

Cash rewards across brands

Wellness and fitness classes

Discounts for friends and family

Job summary

Restaurant Associates UK is seeking an experienced, people-focused General Manager to take overall responsibility for a dynamic contract catering account in London. The role oversees staff dining, hospitality and vending, with a team of around 20; a hands-on leader who delivers exceptional customer service across multiple service areas.

You will lead a busy operation, develop the team, manage budgets and KPIs, and build strong client relationships while driving food quality, safety and

Qualifications

• General Manager/Restaurant Manager or Hospitality Manager with contract catering experience.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Commercial awareness including budgets, labour and financial performance.
• Excellent client and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Experience across staff dining, hospitality and vending services.

Responsibilities

• Oversee staff dining operation and maintain high hot food and buffet standards.
• Manage the coffee bar operation and ensure service quality.
• Plan and deliver hospitality and event services.
• Lead regular meetings with stakeholders across multiple timezones.
• Ensure services operate efficiently, commercially and to client standards.
• Build strong client relationships and key stakeholder engagement.
• Manage budgets, labour costs and KPIs.
• Oversee rotas, recruitment, training and team development.
• Ensure food safety and health & safety compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Staff dining

Budget management

Client/stakeholder management

Hospitality operations

Food safety

People development

Vending/coffee bar ops

Job description

We’re looking for an experienced and people-focused General Manager to take overall responsibility for a dynamic contract catering account in London. The account offers a diverse range of services including staff dining, hospitality and vending, with a team of circa 20 employees. At the heart of the operation is a vibrant staff dining service, offering a variety of hot food and buffet options, alongside a dedicated coffee bar. With a strong focus on sustainability, the site has recently invested in a number of exciting and innovative ideas to further enhance the customer experience and develop the operation! This is a hands‑on leadership role for an experienced hospitality professional who thrives in a busy environment, enjoys developing teams and is passionate about delivering an outstanding customer experience across multiple service areas.

A great opportunity for an experienced contract catering professional to take ownership of a varied and exciting account, lead a strong team and make a genuine impact across the operation.

Main Responsibilities

• Oversee a vibrant and varied staff dining operation, ensuring consistently high standards across hot food, buffet and other food offers.
• Manage the coffee bar operation, ensuring excellent service, product quality and customer experience.
• Plan and deliver high-quality hospitality and event services.
• Manage regular meetings between various stakeholders and clients on a variety of timezones
• Ensure all services operate efficiently, commercially and to agreed client standards.
• Build and maintain a strong relationship with the client and key stakeholders.
• Manage financial performance, budgets, labour costs and key account KPIs.
• Oversee rotas, recruitment, training and team development.
• Ensure excellent standards of food safety, health & safety and compliance.
• Be visible and hands‑on within the operation, leading by example.
• Support the continued development and growth of the account.

Person Specification

• Previous experience as a General Manager/Restaurant Manager/Hospitality Manager within contract catering preferred
• Strong experience in staff dining, workplace catering or hospitality environments preferred
• Proven leadership experience
• Commercially aware, with a good understanding of budgets, labour, costs and financial performance.
• Excellent client and stakeholder-management skills.
• A confident, visible and hands‑on leadership style.
• Passionate about food, service and delivering an excellent customer experience.

Benefits

• 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

Restaurant Associates provides brilliant hospitality through our food, drink and services. We work with our partners and collaborate with our clients to achieve great things together. Every day, our teams of passionate hospitality professionals strive for excellence in delivering employee dining and hospitality to some of the UK's leading workplace as well as inspiring exceptional experiences in iconic cultural and heritage destinations.

Job Reference: com/2708/97728001/52829771/IN/SU #RA Group

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!