At a Glance
- Tasks: Coach restaurant teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences and maintain high operational standards.
- Company: Join Dobbies, a leading garden centre retailer with a rich history and vibrant culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy 33 days holiday, generous discounts, and access to professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for career growth and team celebrations.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in hospitality while working with passionate teams across Scotland and the North.
- Qualifications: Experience in coffee shops or branded restaurants, strong coaching skills, and commercial awareness required.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 40000 £ per year.
We have an exciting opportunity for a Regional Restaurant Coach to join our Restaurant team working field-based supporting our restaurants across Scotland and the north of England, with regular travel to our Central Support Office in Lasswade. This is a hands-on, in-store role coaching our restaurant teams to deliver brilliant customer experience, sharp operational standards, and the commercial performance behind both. The role sits within the hospitality team and is led by the Head of Restaurant Operations. Day to day you’ll support the Regional Manager on the ground, while working closely with the wider coach team to land the hospitality strategy consistently across the estate. It’s a role for someone who’s spent real time on the floor in branded hospitality, who knows what good coffee, good food and good service look like at lunchtime in a busy restaurant.
Responsibilities
- Standards and compliance: Drive consistent standards across the region - food safety, brand standards, and customer experience. Use store visits, audit checks and coaching to keep teams ahead of legal, food safety and brand requirements. Support seasonal menu launches, new openings and operational change programmes on the ground.
- Commercial performance: Work site by site on profit, margin, waste, labour and sales-driving initiatives. Review monthly performance against targets with the Head of Restaurant Operations and Regional Manager; build and follow through on action plans. Help teams to see the links between service, standards and the bottom line.
- People and coaching: Coach with empathy and clarity - develop store managers and their teams while holding the line on standards. Build trust, motivate teams, and champion a high performance culture rooted in Dobbies values. Share best practice across stores and across the wider coach team.
- Collaboration: Work hand in hand with the Regional Manager and other regional support functions. Partner with Operations and People teams to land change well on the ground.
- Hospitality strategy and projects: Support delivery of the wider hospitality strategy - translating it into clear, practical actions in the region's restaurants. Identify and drive cost savings - on waste, labour, supply chain and operational processes without compromising standards or guest experience. Lead key projects on behalf of the hospitality team, from trial to roll-out, bringing the coach team and Regional Managers with you.
Measures of success
- NPS: YOY growth across the region, driven by strong operational standards.
- EBITDA: YOY profit growth through efficient operations.
- Waste and food cost: effective controls in place across the region.
- Gross Margin: healthy margin delivery within supplier and operational frameworks.
- Audit: strong store and region audit outcomes.
- People: strong manager and stakeholder feedback; visible development of the teams in your region.
Who we are looking for
- Coffee shop experience: hands-on time in a coffee shop environment, with a clear understanding of speciality coffee standards, throughput and front-of-house experience.
- Branded restaurant experience: multi-site or single-site experience in a branded restaurant or hospitality group, with a feel for how brand standards translate into daily operations.
- Kitchen experience: real time worked in a kitchen, with credibility on food safety, cost control, prep, and the pressures of a service.
- Strong coach: clear, direct and able to land feedback that sticks.
- Commercially literate: comfortable reading P&L, working through margin, waste and labour, and prioritising the action that moves the number.
- Methodical and organised: able to plan a region's worth of visits and follow through.
- Full UK driving licence and comfortable with regular regional travel, including occasional overnights. Based within the North region or prepared to relocate.
What we offer
- Holiday – enjoy a well-deserved break with 33 annual leave days per year (pro-rata for part time).
- Discount – treat yourself with generous uncapped discount across our stores with 50% off in our Restaurants, 25% off in the Garden Centre and 10% off in our food halls.
- Pension – save for the future with our company contributed enhanced Group Pension Plan.
- Season ticket loans – spread the cost of travel with an interest-free loan.
- Access to Stream – support your financial wellbeing, with ability to access earnings ahead of pay day, save for the future and financial advice.
- Access to Retail Trust – seek confidential support, access to a Virtual GP, free counselling service and discounted retail rewards with our employee wellbeing platform.
- Access to Dobbies Academy – continue your development with our eLearning platform and development programmes.
- Study assistance – invest in your professional development with funded courses and qualifications.
- The little things to keep you going through the day – free tea, coffee, and milk.
- Collaborative office space – with access to our wellbeing room, learning resources and even a book swap.
- Invites to our annual company conference, summer and Christmas social events.
About us
At Dobbies, we’re proud to have a history dating back to 1865. We were founded by James Dobbie and are the only garden centre retailer to have stores in every nation across the UK. Our passion and joy for gardens and plants is what makes us special. In our stores, we showcase this through own brand and branded products, concession partners and services. We champion garden living all-year-round. Many of our stores feature a restaurant or coffee shop, where customers can enjoy refreshments or meals in a relaxed and welcoming environment. We offer a calendar of events and experiences that bring people and communities together, and we have a national charity partner that both our colleagues and customers raise money for. We’re committed to being a great place to work. We’re one team and we encourage our colleagues to be the best version of themselves, every day; to share their wins and celebrate success. Together, we make it work for our customers.
Regional Restaurant Coach - North in Edinburgh employer: Dobbies Central Support Office
At Dobbies, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that values collaboration and personal growth. As a Regional Restaurant Coach, you'll enjoy generous benefits including 33 days of annual leave, substantial discounts, and access to professional development through our Dobbies Academy, all while working in a supportive environment that champions high performance and employee wellbeing across Scotland and the north of England.
Contact Details:
Dobbies Central Support Office Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Regional Restaurant Coach - North in Edinburgh
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research Dobbies, its values, and the hospitality strategy. This way, when you chat with them, you can show you're not just another candidate but someone who genuinely gets what they're all about.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. A friendly chat can sometimes lead to insider info or even a referral, which can give you a leg up in the hiring process.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview by practising common questions related to coaching and operational standards. Think of examples from your past experiences that highlight your skills in these areas, so you can impress them with your hands-on knowledge.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the Dobbies team!
We think you need these skills to ace Regional Restaurant Coach - North in Edinburgh
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experience that match the Regional Restaurant Coach role. Highlight your hands-on experience in hospitality, especially in coaching and operational standards.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about this role. Share specific examples of how you've driven commercial performance or improved customer experiences in previous positions.
Showcase Your Coaching Style:In your application, give us a glimpse of your coaching style. We want to know how you build trust and motivate teams while maintaining high standards. Share any success stories!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity with Dobbies.
How to prepare for a job interview at Dobbies Central Support Office
✨Know Your Coffee and Service Standards
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of speciality coffee standards and what excellent service looks like in a busy restaurant. Be ready to share your experiences and insights from your time on the floor, as this will show that you understand the nuances of delivering a brilliant customer experience.
✨Demonstrate Your Coaching Skills
Prepare to discuss how you've successfully coached teams in the past. Think of specific examples where you've motivated staff, improved performance, or implemented new standards. This will highlight your ability to develop others while maintaining high operational standards.
✨Be Commercially Savvy
Familiarise yourself with key financial metrics like P&L, margin, and waste management. Be prepared to discuss how you've used these metrics to drive performance in previous roles. Showing that you can connect operational standards to commercial success will set you apart.
✨Plan Your Regional Visits
Since this role involves regular travel, think about how you would organise your visits across the region. Have a strategy in mind for how you'd prioritise store visits and follow up on action plans. This will demonstrate your methodical approach and organisational skills.
