Cafe Manager

Café Manager – House of Social, Manchester

Contract: Permanent, 45 hour per week

Salary: £30,000 per annum plus generous benefits.

Working Patterns: Open 7 days a week, our Management Team work collaboratively throughout the full week. Shifts can start as early as 7am and finish as late as 2am. Days and hours will rotate weekly subject to demands and team availability.

House of Social Food Hall is Manchester's newest and most exciting food hall. A collection of five independent kitchens, serving food and drink to suit every taste and time. We're looking for an accomplished Supervisor to provide leadership support, steering the on-site team to deliver to our premium standards.

Located on two levels of Vita Group's purpose built student accommodation concept House of Social, the new venue spans 12,000 square feet of brand new dining and drinking space.

We're looking for an experienced and passionate Café Manager to take ownership of the daytime operation at House of Social Manchester. But this isn't your average coffee shop. House of Social is an all-day food, drink and social destination – bringing together great coffee, five independent kitchens, bars, co-working, live music, events and late-night hospitality all under one roof.

Our Café Manager

• Lead and oversee the day-to-day daytime operation.
• Deliver an exceptional guest experience, ensuring high standards of hospitality and service.
• Manage, train, coach and develop the daytime team, fostering a positive and accountable culture.
• Maintain coffee quality, product consistency, presentation standards and equipment care.
• Manage stock control, ordering and wastage to support operational efficiency.
• Develop seasonal drinks, product offerings and new daytime initiatives.
• Monitor market trends and introduce innovative ideas to enhance the customer experience.
• Drive daytime sales growth by identifying commercial opportunities and increasing guest engagement.
• Develop and promote co-working, resident engagement and community-focused initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with regular guests, residents and local businesses.
• Collaborate with food vendors and internal teams to enhance the daytime food and beverage offering.
• Support the delivery of daytime events, meetings and venue activations.
• Maintain compliance with food safety, health & safety and company standards.
• Analyse and report on operational and commercial performance, identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Take ownership of key commercial metrics, including sales, labour costs, gross profit, stock management, productivity and average spend.
• Work closely with the General Manager and wider management team to establish House of Social as a leading daytime destination.

Who We're Looking For...

We're seeking a passionate hospitality professional who combines strong operational leadership with excellent coffee knowledge and a genuine commitment to guest experience. This individual will be comfortable taking ownership of a busy daytime operation, developing a high-performing team, and using commercial insight to drive growth. Equally capable of delivering exceptional standards and introducing new ideas, they will play a key role in shaping House of Social as a leading all-day hospitality destination.

Professional Experience

• Previous experience as a Café Manager, Assistant Manager, Head Barista or in a similar hospitality leadership role.
• Strong coffee knowledge and understanding of barista operations.
• Proven experience leading, coaching and developing teams.
• Passion for hospitality, customer experience and service excellence.
• Experience managing ordering, stock control and inventory levels.
• Good understanding of labour costs, gross profit, wastage and commercial performance.
• Confidence managing and taking ownership of an operation.
• Strong organisational, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.
• Ability to identify opportunities to grow sales and enhance the guest experience.
• Strong awareness of food, beverage a