Cafe Manager

seek.co.nz; Waikato; On-site; NZD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SEEK seeks a General Manager for a busy café in the Waikato region, overseeing daily front-of-house operations, leading the team, and ensuring a warm, consistent customer experience while driving growth through local promotions and events.

You will work closely with the kitchen, manage rosters, control costs, develop staff, and build strong relationships with locals, travellers and groups. Genuine responsibility and autonomy in a supportive hospitality business.

Qualifications

• Solid café/restaurant or hospitality experience.
• Friendly, approachable and confident with customers.
• Able to lead a team while staying hands-on during busy periods.
• Strong commercial awareness of sales, wages and costs.
• Able to identify opportunities to grow the business.
• Comfortable implementing new ideas.
• Pride in presentation and attention to detail.
• Reliable, organised and accountable.
• Willing to work weekends and other hours.
• Competitive remuneration based on experience.
• Genuine responsibility and autonomy.
• Support from experienced hospitality business owners.
• Influence menu, promotions and future direction.

Responsibilities

• Leading and supporting the café team.
• Creating a warm, friendly and consistent customer experience.
• Getting to know regular customers and building strong local relationships.
• Managing staff rosters, shifts and day-to-day operations.
• Maintaining high standards of service, presentation and cleanliness.
• Working closely with the kitchen team on menu, specials and customer feedback.
• Monitoring sales, labour costs, wastage and operational performance.
• Helping develop promotions and ideas to increase customer numbers and average spend.
• Growing group bookings, functions, community events and catering opportunities.
• Training staff in customer service and upselling.

Skills

Team leadership

Customer service

Hospitality experience

Commercial awareness

Sales growth

Promotions planning

Staff training

Weekend availability

Autonomy

Menu input

Job description

As General Manager, you will have responsibility for the overall customer experience and daily front-of-house operation. The venue has a large dining space, established kitchen and customer base, with significant potential to develop it further as a welcoming place for locals, families, travellers, community groups and social events.

Key responsibilities

• Leading and supporting the café team
• Creating a warm, friendly and consistent customer experience
• Getting to know regular customers and building strong local relationships
• Managing staff rosters, shifts and day-to-day operations
• Maintaining high standards of service, presentation and cleanliness
• Working closely with the kitchen team on menu, specials and customer feedback
• Monitoring sales, labour costs, wastage and operational performance
• Helping develop promotions and ideas to increase customer numbers and average spend
• Growing group bookings, functions, community events and catering opportunities
• Training staff in customer service and upselling

About you

• Has solid café/restaurant restaurant or hospitality experience
• Is naturally friendly, approachable and confident with customers
• Can lead a team while still being hands-on during busy periods
• Has good commercial awareness and understands sales, wages and costs
• Can identify opportunities to grow a hospitality business
• Is comfortable suggesting and implementing new ideas
• Takes pride in presentation and attention to detail
• Is reliable, organised and accountable
• Can work weekends and other hours required by the business
• Competitive remuneration based on experience
• Genuine responsibility and autonomy
• Support from experienced hospitality business owners
• Opportunity to influence the menu, promotions and future direction of the café