Restaurant & Bar Manager

Hand Picked Hotels Ltd; Maidstone; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Share of service charge

28 days holiday

Uniform provided

Onsite parking

Wellbeing support

Pension scheme

Employee discounts

Annual loyalty awards

Job summary

Hand Picked Hotels in Maidstone is seeking a Restaurant and Bar Manager at Chilston Park Hotel. You will lead the full Restaurant and Bar operation, ensuring staff are resourced, trained and delivering consistently high service standards, while aligning with budgets and brand guidelines.

The role requires previous luxury hotel experience, strong knowledge of food and wine, and a proactive, coaching leadership style.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a similar role within a luxury hotel setting.
• Excellent knowledge of food and wine.
• Able to lead a full Restaurant & Bar operation and manage rotas.

Responsibilities

• Lead full Restaurant & Bar operation, ensuring staffing and service standards.
• Manage rotas and provide strong leadership across outlets, align with budgets and forecasts.
• Contribute to menu development, pricing, and new F&B concepts; act on guest feedback promptly.
• Oversee stock control, ordering, records, and secure storage; run daily briefings and department meetings.
• Champion employee development through coaching, reviews and appraisals; foster a positive culture.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Customer service

Food & wine knowledge

Education

Experience in luxury hospitality industry

Job description

Hand Picked Hotels

Restaurant and Bar Manager – Chilston Park Hotel
Location: Maidstone, Kent, ME17 2BE
Salary: Starting at £38,000 per annum + service charge + excellent colleague benefits
Job Type: Full-time | Permanent | 5 days out of 7

Come and join our Team...

We are currently seeking an enthusiastic Restaurant and Bar Manager at Chilston Park Hotel, part of Hand Picked Hotels.

Set within 77 acres of breathtaking parkland, Chilston Park Hotel is more than a captivating country house hotel - it's a place where hospitality professionals thrive. Tucked away along tranquil, tree-lined avenues, our team delivers unforgettable weddings, stylish escapes, and exclusive events, all with a seamless blend of heritage, contemporary flair, and refined elegance.

As a member of our team, you will help create unforgettable moments for guests as they explore our tranquil parkland, celebrate special events, and enjoy our personalised service, with an emphasis on service excellence & consistency.

If you're passionate about hospitality, thrive in a supportive environment, and enjoy making a real difference to someone's stay, Chilston Park Hotel offers an inspiring place to grow your career.

What will the role involve?

You'll lead the full Restaurant & Bar operation, ensuring the team is effectively resourced, trained and multi-skilled to deliver consistently high service standards. A key part of the role is managing rotas and maintaining strong leadership presence across all outlets, aligned with budgets and forecasts. You'll contribute to menu development and pricing, support new food and beverage concepts, and ensure guest feedback is acted upon promptly.

You'll oversee stock control, ordering, maintaining accurate records and secure storage. Strong communication is essential — you'll run daily briefings, share F&B targets and results, and represent the department at hotel meetings. You'll champion employee development through coaching, reviews and appraisals, fostering a positive, motivated culture with high levels of pride and commitment.

Commercial awareness is central: you'll drive sales opportunities, build productive supplier and business relationships, and actively promote the hotel's F&B offering. Above all, you'll ensure brand standards and operating procedures are consistently met, creating a guest-focused environment built on flexibility, teamwork and exceptional service.

This is a full-time role working 5 days out of 7 including weekends on a rota basis, 40 hours per week, which may vary depending on business.

Flexible working hours can be accommodated where possible.

What's in it for you?

• A competitive salary of £38,000 per annum plus a share of service charge.
• A welcoming, inclusive culture where long-term friendships and diversity are celebrated.
• Ongoing career development with in-house and external training, including apprenticeships and industry-recognised courses.
• 28 days holiday per year including bank holidays, increasing to 33 days including bank holidays with length of service.
• Uniform and meals on shift provided.
• Free onsite parking (where applicable).
• Access to wellbeing support through our Employee Assistance Programme.
• Company pension, enhanced sick pay & Life assurance scheme.
• Online retail discount platform offering thousands of savings with high street retailers and restaurants as well as a health and well-being platform.
• Discounted stays in our hotels and on food, drink, spa treatments & products.
• Annual loyalty awards (like afternoon teas and overnight stays).
• Introduction bonus for new colleague recommendations.
• Colleague of the Month awards, which leads to our annual awards ceremony.
• Regular team gatherings and appreciation events.

Are you Hand Picked?

• We are looking for proactive and enthusiastic candidates that have a willing attitude and a welcoming and friendly nature. We thrive on excelling together to ensure as a team we deliver service, excellence and consistency, fostering a culture of collaboration, partnership & teamwork.
• You will have passion and pride in delivering exceptional, high-quality, personalised service to ensure our guests experiences are memorable.
• You will have previous experience in a similar role within a luxury hotel setting.
• Having excellent knowledge of food and wine, will be key to this role.

Who we are…

Hand Picked Hotels was founded in 2001 by owner and Chairman, Julia Hands MBE, and today still remains a family-owned group which has 21 unique luxury country houses and coastal retreats, each hand-picked for their individuality. Architecturally distinctive and quintessentially British, every hotel boasts an extraordinary location from Scotland to the Channel Islands, offering breathtaking views from vast countryside to expansive beaches, to lush woodlands.

Dedicated to creating unique and enchanting stays, curated personalised service runs through the heart of every hotel. Whilst each hotel is individual, each property fulfils the company values of family, individuality, community and care, with a team commitment to aiming higher and delight their guests with magical experiences that offer a true escape from the every day.

Hand Picked Hotels are committed to protecting the environment for a sustainable future, and all of our hotels have received the ‘Green Tourism’ accreditation. A Recognition of our progress in reducing energy use and waste, supporting biodiversity, and sourcing responsibly from local and ethical partners.

Hand Picked Hotels is an Equal Opportunities employer. Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.