FOH Supervisor in Petworth

E-Street Bar and Grill and Angel Inn Petworth Places is made up of several teams of dedicated people building a destination hospitality and food and beverage business with Eat, Stay, Event at the heart of the business. Our core businesses are located in the beautiful South Downs market town of Petworth, West Sussex. Established in 2010, the group comprises a multiple-award-winning food brand, The Hungry Guest, E Street Bar & Grill, and The Angel Inn. The group also includes Augustus Brandt, an interiors and antiques business, and Newlands House Gallery, an exciting gallery and exhibition space. Our accolades include E Street Bar and Grill being awarded best restaurant in the South East in 2019 and The Angel Inn being awarded best pub in West Sussex in 2022.

About the Role: Our Supervisor will be wholly responsible for all front of house operations when working. You will be someone with exceptional guest service abilities and knowledgeable on our food and its provenance. A strong people manager, who can lead from the front to achieve a memorable guest experience.

Responsibilities: The Supervisor will be responsible for:

• Organisation of all dining areas to ensure they are clean and inviting.
• Menus are available; current and presented according to company marketing standards.
• Tables are booked in advance according to any current guidance or legislation.
• Online booking system used to capture appropriate guest data; for marketing purposes in addition to meeting any current guidance. GDPR always maintained.
• Ensuring every guest is greeted with a warm and friendly manner, seated promptly, and given a great experience from the moment they step through the door.
• Supervisor leads by example on food and beverage knowledge and can help select drinks that complement food choices.
• Ensures staff working on shift are presented in a clean and hygienic manner, wearing the correct uniform.
• Understands the training plan for all new and existing employees and actively supports training and development of each person.
• Effectively manages opening and closing standards to reflect the requirements of the business.
• Ensuring the dining areas, restrooms, foyer are cleaned and maintained to a high standard.
• Ensuring the bar is always presentable and clean.
• Be able to cash up and complete all opening and closing paperwork as required.
• Understand cash and card transactions; has the ability to reconcile issues on shift.

Service Delivery: Create a warm, inviting and exciting environment for all guests, understanding the current menu and product availability, including any specials. Ensures that every guest has a great experience and is able to support food and beverage selection, where required, offering friendly advice. Drive up-sell as a means to complete the overall experience in the business. Where appropriate, give feedback on the menu to the Head Chef. Ensure the service in the premises is delivered to a high standard, through your staff being knowledgeable about the dishes and beverages which will complement them through pre-service meetings and consistent appraisal. Co-ordinate effectively with the team about speed of service, item availability and popularity of menu items via regular contact before, during and after service. Monitor the quality of food in accordance with company standards. Be passionate about food and build enthusiasm among team members for the great products they serve. Create a positive, cohesive, friendly and fun working environment.

Experience and Qualifications: The successful candidate will possess the following:

• A minimum of 2 years in a similar role
• A personal liquor licence (preferred but not essential)
• Great attention to detail
• A proven track record of guest service
• Computer literate – word, excel, and online applications (TripAdvisor, Book a Table etc)
• Excellent written English skills
• Cash handling and cash up knowledge

Core Competencies:

• Accountability: Demonstrates and communicates a high level of ownership and commitment to achieving results, accepts responsibility for behaviour and job-related tasks and establishes an agreement on how success will be measured.
• Communication: Listens, speaks and writes clearly and concisely; provides useful and timely information to people by choosing the most appropriate method of communication and tailoring the message for the intended audience.
• Guest Service: Establishes mutual expectations with guests to ensure expectations are exceeded, going above and beyond to help build a strong relationship. Shows care and timeliness when dealing with guest requests; is keen to offer assistance before a request is created. Can anticipate guests' needs.
• Planning: Uses effective methods to determine priorities, set goals and create plans. This includes the ability to organise oneself to complete routine tasks and prepare daily, weekly and monthly plans. Is able to establish priorities based on knowledge of the organisation.
• Problem Solving: Takes a systematic approach to solving problems rather than reacting to symptoms. Recognises problems quickly and uses good judgment, common sense and experience and knowledge to act appropriately and efficiently. Accepts feedback from guests and acts appropriately to resolve issues.

Other Important Traits: Just as important as the technical requirements of the job are the less tangible elements that will help the right candidate achieve outstanding results:

• Passion for food, quality ingredients, and travel.
• Interest in heritage, culture, craftsmanship, and artisanal excellence.
• Leadership and demonstrable teamwork skills.
• Friendly and accommodating manner, with excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
• A good balance between strategic planning and hands-on delivery.
• Creative 'outside of the box' thinking.
• Ability to influence at a senior level to secure strategic partnerships.
• Diplomacy to have difficult conversations as needed.

Key Relationships:

• Internal: CEO, General Manager, Assistant Managers, HR, Finance and Marketing.
• Direct Reports: Waiting staff, Bar staff and Housekeeping staff.
• External: Guests, suppliers, opinion formers, local business partners.

Key Performance Indicators: The following results will be indicative of strong performance on the part of the General Manager:

• Short Term – 6+ Months: Be competent in all paperwork completion, Competent in opening and closing the premise, Ensure all FOH team are trained as per training plan, Reduce guest negative comments (marked as 3 or less) by 10%, Increase guest positive comments (marked as 4 and 5) by 20%.
• Long Term 12+ Months: Take responsibility of shift as scheduled, Complete own training and development as per plan, Reduce guest negative comments (marked as 3 or less) by 10%, Increase guest positive comments (marked as 4 and 5) by 20%.

Hours: Flexible schedule; workdays include weekdays and weekends.