Volunteer Café Assistant (Front of House)

Farleigh Hospice; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A community health organization in Chelmsford is seeking a Café Assistant to join their Corporate Administration team. This role involves welcoming visitors, serving food and drinks, and ensuring a friendly and efficient café environment. Ideal candidates will have excellent communication skills, multitasking abilities, and a positive attitude. Full training will be provided for café operations. Applications can be made via [e-mail].

Qualifications

• Previous customer service experience preferred.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Physical ability to meet role requirements.

Responsibilities

• Welcoming visitors and advising on menu options.
• Preparing, making, and serving barista-style coffees.
• Maintaining cleanliness in the café area.

Skills

Excellent communication

Customer service skills

Ability to multitask

Positive attitude

Energy

Tools

Coffee machine

Till

Job description

Overview

This role involves assisting with the front of house running of the Farleigh Hospice Café, working as part of the Corporate Administration team to provide a friendly and efficient service for visitors, patients and staff members in our brand-new café space opening early 2026.

Using your customer service skills, you will be responsible for welcoming visitors to the café, advising on the café menu (including allergens), taking orders, making and serving barista-style coffees, serving food prepared by the catering team, cleaning and clearing tables and ensuring the smooth and efficient running of the front of house area of the café.

You will be provided with all the required training for the role and supplied with an apron to wear and requested to wear suitable clothing and enclosed footwear whilst on shift.

Key Tasks / Responsibilities

• Welcoming visitors and advising on menu options and allergies
• Informing the catering team of any orders or requests
• Delivering orders to the tables
• Preparing, making and serving a variety of barista-style coffees
• Keeping the coffee machine and area clean and tidy
• Assisting in the setup and close down of tables – refills, wiping down, menus etc
• Stock replenishment
• Processing café sales through the till and using a card machine for payments
• Undertaking cleaning activities to ensure that the café area is maintained in line with Environmental Health Regulations and Farleigh Hospice own standards
• Supporting colleagues and working as part of the café and kitchen team by undertaking other activities that may be required to meet demand

Minimum Requirements

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Positive and friendly attitude
• Ability to multitask
• Great energy and customer service skills
• Able to work in a fast-paced environment with service at the forefront
• Able and confident to use a variety of equipment such as a coffee machine and till (full training will be provided)
• Physical ability to fulfil the requirements of the role including safe moving and handling

Other Duties

• To inform the Team Leader as soon as possible if unable to fulfil your commitment so that replacement cover can be arranged
• To attend or contribute to volunteer meetings whenever possible
• To adhere to data protection policies and procedures. Participate in training and attend any courses that may be relevant
• To wear your name badge and any uniform or PPE provided at all times
• To follow standards of hygiene and expectations including handwashing, wearing of jewellery, hair and footwear regulations
• To familiarise yourself and comply with the Health and Safety Policy, Fire Procedure, Equal Opportunities and Disciplinary and Grievance procedure, where appropriate
• To maintain strict confidentiality at all times
• To adhere to the no smoking policy

Thank you for contributing to the valuable work of Farleigh Hospice.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at [e-mail] or call 01245 933735 if you require any further information.