General Manager - Backstage

Department/Team: Backstage

Responsible to: Head of Food & Beverage Operations

Contract: Permanent

Location: Backstage, The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

Hours: Full-Time - 45 hours per week, on a shift basis across Monday-Saturday initially, but we may open on Sundays as the operation develops

Salary: £37,000 -£40,000 per annum

Direct reports: Waiting Staff, Bartenders, Baristas, Shift Leads

Benefits:

• 28 days holiday including bank holidays
• Access to interest free travel schemes including Cycle 2 work and Season Ticket loans after your probation period
• Free therapy from our therapy partner SelfSpace
• Mental health support via our in-house Mental Health Champions
• Two complimentary tickets to a preview performance per production
• Pension scheme with The People’s Pension
• Enhanced sick pay
• All staff social events
• Staff discount The Old Vic bars, in Backstage as well as discounts in local bars and restaurants
• Opportunities to get involved with staff clubs and working groups such as the Inclusion Working Group
• Commitment to learning, education and development

Backstage is a project for the future – a five‑storey space for creativity, education and community right next door to our historic building. Together with award‑winning architects Haworth Tompkins, we have built a low‑carbon building that includes:

• A welcoming public cafe and workspace during the day, which evolves into a vibrant bar and restaurant at night
• A Clore Learning Centre for our award‑winning outreach work
• A Writers’ Room where creatives can work
• A free to use Script Library
• A modern and flexible rehearsal room which can transform into a studio theatre
• An event space and terrace

We believe Backstage creates a stronger Old Vic for the future, providing a welcoming space for our generation and the next.

Within Backstage, the F& B offer is primarily centred around the ground floor and first‑floor café and bar space – but also extends to event catering provision and a potential grab‑and‑go offer for the theatre. With an overall capacity of 181 (73 covers) across the two floors, Backstage will be open initially 6 days a week for breakfast, lunch, pre‑show, dinner and post‑show (until midnight Thursday‑Friday).

A socially inspired café bar celebrating cultural diversity, vibe and buzz in a stylish and comfortable environment couple with a strong sense of place in the Waterloo area. Featuring a combination of engaging counter service supported with table served local food cooked fresh for guests. Aspirational yet accessible for a broad range of users with everyone feeling welcomed and comfortable. A café bar with wide customer appeal for daytime and evening dining, snacks and refreshments. A cultural hub for the Old Vic, a convivial space to share, meet and relax. A chameleon offer transforming from daytime to evening.

The Backstage F& B team is responsible for all Food & Beverage related activity within Backstage and The Old Vic theatre itself. The team includes the Operations Director, Head of Food & Beverage Operations, Head Chef, Sous Chef, Chef de Parties, KPs, Duty Managers, Bartenders, Baristas and Waiting staff.

The Backstage F& B Manager will be responsible for:

• Line managing the Backstage F& B team, including Baristas, Bartenders, and Shift‑Leads whilst supporting and overseeing the kitchen and commercial events teams.
• Supporting the Head of Food and Beverage Operations with managing the F& B offer, in all respects. Including assisting with managerial responsibility in the Theatre F& B spaces when required.
• Liaising with the relevant teams to ensure prompt delivery of the Backstage Waiting, Bar and Kitchen team rotas on our scheduling platform.
• Leading on recruitment of the Backstage F& B team.
• Ensuring consistently high standards across the Backstage F& B operation; and that the team meets all predetermined KPIs, as set by the Head of Food and Beverage Operations.
• Undertaking appraisals and probation management as required for the Backstage F& B team.

• Leading on the management of The Backstage F& B operations as a whole, including daytime café, pre theatre dinner, evening restaurant, and late-night bar.
• Managing service whilst on shift
• Taking responsibility for financial reconciliation of the Backstage F& B offering
• Taking responsibility for stock management across the Backstage F& B spaces, including liaising with the Theatre F& B manager to ensure accurate recording of stock transferal between the two sites

• Ensuring the Food and Beverage team always delivers on its legal responsibilities in relation to food safety.
• Keeping abreast of any changes to food safety legislation, and communicating throughout the business, as relevant.
• Ensuring that all relevant paperwork is completed on time and correctly.
• Liaising with the Head Chef, ensuring final sign off on all FSMS paperwork, including menus and their allergens.

• Acting as an ambassador for The Old Vic Backstage and Theatre.
• Understanding and overseeing the customer journey in relation to the F& B offer, promptly dealing with any issues.
• Ensuring exceptional customer service, and a friendly, safe and secure environment in which customers can enjoy their experience.
• Handling any customer complaints and feedback professionally and efficiently, escalating to the Head of Food and Beverage Operations as required.

• Along with the Head Chef and Head of Food and Beverage, overseeing the implementation of all menu changes for Backstage, ensuring that they adhere to our brand concepts of accessibility and sustainability.
• Maintaining high standards of food and beverage service.
• Managing relationships with suppliers, ensuring sustained partnerships.
• Ensuring the highest quality and consistency with all Food and Beverage processes, proactively solving issues and escalating any ongoing issues to the Head of Food and Beverage Operations.

• Identify all training needs and ensuring that the backstage F& B team are provided with all the necessary training, as well as the tools to be effective in their roles.
• Leading on F& B related training for new starters, ensuring all necessary requirements are met.
• Together with the Head of Food and Beverage Operations, ensuring professional development and training opportunities to upskill direct reports to continuously improve the F& B team.

• Upholding the theatre’s Premises licence as set out by Lambeth Council
• At all times ensuring that the theatre operates in compliance with the premises licence and all associated conditions.
• Ensuring the theatre complies with all other statutory requirements in relation to being a licenced premises.
• Ensuring that all team members take part in licencing training and associated training initiatives.
• Ensuring every staff member of Supervisor level or above completes a personal licence qualification and obtains a personal licence.
• Immediately reporting any potential breaches of licencing to the Operations Director.
• Documenting visits from Licencing or statutory bodies promptly and communicate immediately to the Operations Director.

• Supporting the Head of Food and Beverage Operations in the management of the Kitchen team, as required.

• Supporting catering team management structure by ensuring the F& B team are briefed on a daily basis.
• Responding to first aid and evacuation requirements.
• Producing Backstage summary reports.
• Ensuring efficient and timely ordering, keeping all items always stocked (where available).
• Ensuring the weekly stock take across all areas is carried out effectively.

• Working closely with the Head of Commercial Events and kitchen team to devise event options – and to create corporate and private events packages, 360 event management.
• Supporting catering requirements where required for donors or external events within the theatre or Backstage.
• Liaising with third‑party caterers for larger‑scale events as required, ensuring that they can deliver seamlessly alongside the Backstage food operation.
• Working with the events team to confirm menus and details for event sheets.

• Leading on the management of the EPOS system (Point One) for Backstage
• Managing integration of PDQ and roaming sales devices with EPOS system
• Liaising with third party companies such as table booking services and ensuring integration with EPOS system where possible.

• Promoting and complying with current legislation and Backstage/The Old Vic policies on Diversity, Sustainability, and Health & Safety both in the delivery of services and the treatment of others.
• Assisting the Backstage F& B team in relation to continuous improvement within the venue.
• Deputising for the Head of Food and Beverage when necessary, and covering responsibilities of Theatre F& B manager when required due to sickness or holiday.
• Undertaking any other reasonable duties, commensurate with the level of the post to ensure the smooth running of The Backstage venue.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties, and the Backstage venue management may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.

• A hands‑on approach to leading teams from the front
• Previous experience of restaurant/bar management in a venue of a similar size
• Passion for food and local ingredients, alongside knowledge of the London dining scene
• Theatre or Events experience is preferable, but not essential
• Experience of financial controls and planning (stock/staffing/orders/forecasting)
• Exemplary organisation skills as well as written and verbal communication skills
• A positive ‘can do’ approach and relationship building skills across departments
• Proven understanding of food safety and hygiene principles
• Acute attention to detail
• A proven ability to work effectively and efficiently
• Excellent customer service skills with a people‑centric approach.
• IT literacy, with good experience of the Microsoft Office suite and Excel in particular. (Training will be given on software programs as required.)
• Ability to work to deadlines and prioritise tasks

We understand that everyone is different and we want you to apply in whichever way you feel best shows your skills and experience. There are a range of ways that you can apply with us:

• Sending a short video file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you (have a look at the person specification in the job description).
• Sending a short audio file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.
• Completing our application form.
• Uploading your CV and covering letter, explaining why you are interested in the role and working at the Old Vic.

As a Disability Confident employer, The Old Vic has made a commitment that all applicants with disabilities who meet the essential criteria for this job will be invited to interview. However in the event that we have a high volume of applications all of whom meet the criteria and identify as disabled, meaning it is not practicable to interview everyone, we may apply a weighting to the shortlisting criteria, or add an additional shortlisting stage before any interviews take place. In all cases we will take care to ensure that any criteria or weightings do not disadvantage disabled applicants.

All appointments are made subject to satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

The recruitment process for this role will be two stages:

• 1st stage in person conversation
• 2nd stage in person conversation

You may be asked to complete a work based skills assessment or challenge.

The closing date for this role is 3 February 2026. First Conversations are likely to take place w/c 3 February 2026.

We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of the global majority, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and disabled candidates.

We may take positive action, in cases where candidates are equally qualified, to increase the employment of under‑represented groups at The Old Vic.

In the event that we ask you to attend the theatre for a conversation and you are struggling financially, we may be able to reimburse you for any reasonable travel costs.

We partner with a range of inclusive organisations, to find out more please read our FAQs.

FAQs Read our recruitment and selection and equal opportunities FAQs here.