Cafe Manager in Livingston

Cafe Manager (Chef/Cook) at The Larder

Contract: Full Time – Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday) Occasional evenings and weekend work may be required

Salary: £30,944 to £32,794 per annum (dependent on experience)

Location: Broxburn, Livingston, West Lothian

Closing Date: Sunday 4th January 2026

Shortlisting Dates: Tuesday 6th January 2026

Interview Dates: WC 12th January 2026

Do you love food, people, and making a difference? At The Larder, we believe a café can be so much more than a place to eat. Our cafés are training hubs where people gain skills, confidence, and opportunities to move forward in life. Every meal served helps create change. Can you help us create this change?

About The Larder

The Larder is a social enterprise on a mission to use food as a force for positive change. Our cafés don\’t just serve delicious food, they provide training, employment, and support for people facing barriers to work.

Every day, our cafés are a place of learning, inclusion, and community.

We\’re looking for an enthusiastic and organised Café Manager/chef or cook to lead our Café at Strathbrock Partnership Centre, Broxburn. This is a hands-on role combining kitchen expertise, team leadership, and a love for creating a welcoming community space.

The Role

The role will suit someone who enjoys working with people, keeping things running smoothly, and creating a welcoming community space through the deliver of really good wholesome food. You don\’t need to be a professional chef, but you do need to love food, care about people, and have the confidence to lead a small team.

This is your chance to run a café with purpose, where your skills will help shape both a business with purpose and a stronger community.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead the day-to-day running of the café and kitchen.
• Cook simple, tasty meals that are good value and bring customers back.
• Keep the café clean, safe, and compliant with all food hygiene standards and legislation.
• Manage stock, ordering, and suppliers to keep things cost-effective.
• Make the café a real community hub, with affordable options for everyone.
• Motivate and support your team, including trainees on Larder programmes.
• Help recruit, welcome and train new staff when needed.
• Monitor sales and costs to make sure the café stays sustainable.
• Create and maintain rotas, approve leave, and monitor attendance to ensure records are accurate and secure
• Follow all cash procedures, making sure transactions, reconciliation, weekly banking and records are accurate and secure

You will link in with The Larder\’s wider team to share insights from the café and help

shape future plans:

• Look at customer habits and feedback to guide menu ideas and specials.
• Take part in seasonal promotions and campaigns to boost footfall.
• Share what\’s working in the café so the team can use EPOS data and customer trends to improve engagement.
• Develop ideas to support the sustainability of the cafe
• Work with the colleagues to review sales and performance

If you want to combine good food with social purpose and lead a café that\’s about more than profit we\’d love to hear from you.

Person Specification

Essential

• At least 3 years\’ experience in a café, kitchen or similar environment, with similar responsibilities.
• Confident cooking skills, you can plan and prepare simple, tasty meals.
• Experience of pricing menus and sourcing the best and most efficient ingredients.
• A people person, you know how to bring the best out of others, whether they\’re experienced staff or learning on the job.
• Experience leading or supporting a team in a busy hospitality setting.
• REHIS Food Hygiene and Safety qualification minimum level 2 or equivalent
• A team player, happy to work closely with staff in other Larder cafés and management.
• Organised and reliable, you can balance the cooking, the team, and the day-to-day running of a café.

Desirable

• Experience using an EPOS till system.
• Understanding how data (sales trends, popular products, customer habits) can inform menu development and product ranges.
• Experience running promotions, specials or community-focused events.
• Links with local communities, groups, or businesses.

To apply for the post, please send a tailored CV and

covering letter to

The covering letter should be no more than one A4 side and should tell us:

• Why you want to work with The Larder,
• How your skills and experience match this role
• What you would do in your first three months to grow the café sales

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £30,944.00-£32,794.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Sick pay

Work Location: In person