Kitchen Manager: Lead Team, Deliver Great Food & Service

Kitchen Manager: Lead Team, Deliver Great Food & Service

Full-Time 30000 - 40000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead a dynamic kitchen team to deliver delicious food and exceptional service.
  • Company: Join Dobbies, a historic garden centre retailer with a passion for gardens.
  • Benefits: Enjoy generous discounts, flexible holidays, and access to financial wellbeing support.
  • Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to customer satisfaction and personal growth.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in a fun environment while developing your career.
  • Qualifications: Experience in food service and management skills are essential.

The predicted salary is between 30000 - 40000 £ per year.

Our Kitchen Managers play an essential role in delivering an exceptional customer experience across our restaurants - delivering tasty food, ensuring food hygiene, maintaining high operational standards and smashing commercial targets.

  • Leading the kitchen team, ensuring strong levels of service that are efficient, within budget and compliant.
  • Ensuring that our customers are presented with their meals to a high standard and on time.
  • Maintaining a fully compliant kitchen with all statutory requirements of health & safety and food hygiene.
  • Sparking your team's passion for delivering the best food service and customer experience.
  • Creating a fun and productive environment for everyone to enjoy the day-to-day operations whilst thinking ahead to ensure all your team have a development journey with Dobbies.
  • Experience in food service, alongside management experience.
  • Commercial awareness and understanding of budgets, profitability from driving sales and improved ways of working.
  • Adaptability to identify training needs. You'll be effectively coaching and training all levels ensuring our teams are delivering an excellent customer experience and safe store environment.
  • You'll act quickly and enthusiastically to changing priorities, workload and new regulations or requirements.
  • Positivity managing change. You'll lead the team through each season with care and motivation to deliver the best.
  • Can demonstrate our values at all times - we're one team, getting better every day. We bring a smile. We live and breathe gardens. We make it work for our customers.

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.

  • Generous annual leave entitlement. Use your holidays when you want with limited statutory days off required.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Thriving culture; the Dobbies team are passionate, diverse and committed to making it work for our customers.

Kitchen Manager: Lead Team, Deliver Great Food & Service employer: Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd

At Dobbies, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant and supportive work culture where our Kitchen Managers can thrive. With generous benefits such as uncapped discounts, access to financial wellbeing resources, and a commitment to employee development through the Dobbies Academy, we empower our team to deliver outstanding food and service while enjoying a fulfilling career in a dynamic environment. Join us in creating memorable experiences for our customers and be part of a passionate team that celebrates success together.

Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd

Contact Details:

Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Kitchen Manager: Lead Team, Deliver Great Food & Service

Tip Number 1

Get to know the company culture! Before your interview, check out Dobbies' social media and website. Understanding their values and what makes them tick will help you connect with the team and show you're a great fit.

Tip Number 2

Practice your leadership stories! As a Kitchen Manager, you'll need to demonstrate how you've led teams in the past. Think of specific examples where you’ve motivated your team or improved service – these will make you stand out.

Tip Number 3

Be ready to discuss food hygiene and safety! Brush up on the latest regulations and be prepared to share how you've maintained high standards in previous roles. This shows you’re serious about compliance and customer safety.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to ask questions! At the end of your interview, have a few thoughtful questions ready about the team or the kitchen operations. This shows your enthusiasm and helps you gauge if Dobbies is the right place for you.

We think you need these skills to ace Kitchen Manager: Lead Team, Deliver Great Food & Service

Leadership Skills
Food Hygiene Knowledge
Operational Standards Management
Customer Service Excellence
Budget Management
Commercial Awareness
Team Development and Coaching

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion for Food:When you're writing your application, let your love for food and service shine through! We want to see how you can bring that passion to our kitchen and create an amazing experience for our customers.

Highlight Your Leadership Skills:As a Kitchen Manager, you'll be leading a team, so make sure to showcase your management experience. Tell us about times you've motivated your team or improved service standards – we love a good success story!

Be Compliant and Commercially Savvy:Don’t forget to mention your understanding of health & safety regulations and budget management. We’re looking for someone who can keep the kitchen compliant while also driving profitability, so share any relevant experiences!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to get your application and for you to stay updated on the process. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join the Dobbies family!

How to prepare for a job interview at Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd

Know Your Kitchen Inside Out

Before the interview, make sure you’re familiar with the kitchen operations and standards at Dobbies. Research their menu, understand their food hygiene practices, and be ready to discuss how you would maintain high operational standards while leading a team.

Showcase Your Leadership Skills

Prepare examples of how you've successfully led a kitchen team in the past. Highlight your experience in coaching and training staff, and how you’ve created a positive work environment that encourages development and teamwork.

Demonstrate Commercial Awareness

Be ready to talk about your understanding of budgets and profitability. Think of specific instances where you’ve driven sales or improved operational efficiency, and how those experiences can translate to success at Dobbies.

Embrace Change with Positivity

Dobbies values adaptability, so come prepared to discuss how you’ve managed change in previous roles. Share examples of how you’ve motivated your team through transitions and maintained high service levels during busy periods or new regulations.