General Manager

Loungers plc; Sefton; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Bonus scheme

Overtime pay

Free meals on every shift

Christmas & Boxing Day off

Career development

Employee discounts 50% from day one

No uniform policy

Loungefest-style events

Early access to pay via Stream

Support from Licensed Trade Charity

Job summary

Loungers plc is hiring a full-time General Manager to lead Occulo Lounge, a local café bar. You will build and manage a hands-on team, ensuring exceptional hospitality and operate the lounge as the heart of the community.

The role offers a competitive base salary with bonus, overtime, and development opportunities, with options for a 40-hour or 48-hour contract and progression within the Loungers family across England and Wales.

Qualifications

• You’ll have management experience in restaurants, bars, cafés or coffee shops, with a proven track record of building and leading teams.
• You lead from the floor, coach in the moment, and drive development and progression for team members.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of Occulo Lounge, leading shifts and ensuring standards are never compromised.
• Build, recruit and develop a strong team with clear development plans for growth.
• Work with Head Chef on food quality, wait times, stock, NSF standards and cross-training.
• Know your GP, labour, stock and KPIs and use them to drive continuous improvement.
• Lead weekly HOD meetings and align across all 14 shifts.
• Engage with the local community and maintain relationships with regulars and neighbours.
• Schedule rotas at least two weeks in advance and oversee shift reporting and safety.

Skills

People leadership

Community-minded

Hands-on leadership

Commercially minded

Experienced and adaptable

Job description

We're hiring a full-time General Manager to lead Occulo Lounge, a local café bar. Part of Loungers, proudly named Casual Dining Group of the Year 2026. With competitive salary, plus bonus, paid overtime, and real progression opportunities, this is a great next step for an experienced hospitality general manager, or assistant general manager.

About the General Manager Role

Lounges are pretty special places, and what makes them so special is the brilliant people who run them.

As General Manager you'll lead your own Lounge. We're looking for a hands-on hospitality General Manager who loves building teams, delivering great hospitality, and running a business like it's their own. You'll be responsible for ensuring your lounge is the heart of the community and every customer leaves happy, It's the small things done brilliantly that make all the difference; from a perfectly made flat white to a little treat for our fluffy friends.

We're a growing hospitality brand across England and Wales with over 300 sites already and quickly growing. How far you go is really up to you.

What’s in it For You?

• Competitive base salary + bonus + overtime
• Permanent full-time role; 48-hour contract (40-hour contract option available)
• Overtime pay for every hour worked
• Achievable bonus scheme, paid twice a year
• Tips shared equally across the team, based on hours worked
• Free meal on every shift no matter the length
• Christmas and Boxing Day off
• Genuine career development with our in-house training courses and ‘Future Ops’ development programmes
• 50% discount on food and drinks from day one. Including alcohol across all our brands (Lounge, Cosy Club, & Brightside) from day one
• No uniform policy
• The most talked-about staff party in hospitality — Loungefest!
• Long service awards – Vouchers/Extra money
• Early access to your pay with Stream
• Emotional and practical support via the Licensed Trade Charity

What You’ll do

• Take full ownership of Occulo Lounge - leading a variety of shifts, making sure the right people are in the right place and standards never slip
• Build, recruit and develop a strong team, with clear development plans for your team members so people know how to grow with you
• Work shoulder-to-shoulder with your Head Chef to stay across everything from food quality and wait times to stock, NSF standards and cross-team training
• Know your numbers inside out — GP, labour, NPS, stock counts and use them to make smart decisions and drive continuous improvement
• Lead weekly HOD meetings, keeping everyone aligned, motivated and pulling in the same direction across all 14 shifts
• Put Occulo Lounge at the heart of the local community — through an active social media presence, community events, and building genuine relationships with your regulars and neighbours
• Schedule fair rotas at least two weeks in advance and take the lead on all shift reporting, including performance, customer issues and safety

What You’ll Bring

• A natural people leader — you build loyal, motivated teams by understanding what makes people tick. You create a one-team culture between front of house and kitchen, where people back each other and do their best work.
• Community-minded — you see your Lounge as part of the local area and build genuine relationships with guests, neighbours and the widercommunity.
• Hands on Leader — you lead from the floor, coach in the moment, and spot the details that make a difference. You help people grow, with clear development and real progression.
• Commercially minded — you’re confident with GP, labour, stock and KPIs, and use them to make smart decisions without losing sight of the customer. You treat your Lounge like it’s your own and understand how it fits into the bigger brand.
• Experienced and adaptable — you’ll have management experience in restaurants, bars, cafés or coffee shops, whether as a General Manager, Bar Manager, Assistant Manager, Deputy Manager or Restaurant Manager. You’re comfortable recruiting, training and developing teams, and you’re as happy running a shift as you are reviewing performance.