You and your Role
We are looking for an experienced, upbeat and people-focused Manager to help lead Edie’s Kitchen – a lively, welcoming, daytime bistro open 7 days a week. Edie’s Kitchen is all about great food, great coffee and genuinely warm service, with a strong focus on families, regulars, community and fun. This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll recruit, inspire and lead a team to deliver consistently brilliant experiences in a fast-paced, informal but high-quality environment. Working closely with the General Manager, you’ll play a key role in shaping the culture, systems and day-to-day operation of a bistro that people want to return to again and again. This is an exciting opportunity to have real influence within a friendly, values-led hospitality business.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead and manage the day-to-day running of Edie’s Kitchen, overseeing busy daytime services and ensuring smooth, efficient and enjoyable shifts.
• Build, inspire and motivate a warm, energetic team who love hospitality and thrive in a fast-paced bistro environment.
• Recruit, train and develop FOH team members, creating a culture that is friendly, inclusive, professional and proud.
• Be a visible, hands-on leader on the floor, setting the tone for welcoming, relaxed and attentive service.
• Work closely with the kitchen team to ensure great communication, strong teamwork and consistently tasty, well-executed food.
• Oversee the day to day management of a small retail space, including stock levels and working with our merchansier on presentation and seasonal refreshes.
• Ensure guests of all ages (and dogs!) feel genuinely welcomed, handling feedback with warmth, care and professionalism.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness, service, food safety and compliance at all times.
• Support budget and cost control, managing labour and resources sensibly while protecting quality and team wellbeing.
• Help plan and deliver family-friendly activities, seasonal offers and daytime events.
• Champion sustainable, responsible and community-minded practices across the café
• Ensure full compliance with health & safety, food hygiene and licensing requirements.
Knowledge, skills and experience needed: (Please provide evidence in your Covering Letter and CV)
• Proven experience as an Café or Bistro Manager or similar senior role within hospitality (ideally 5+ years).
• Experience leading teams in busy, high-volume, daytime or casual-dining environments.
• Experience managing or contributing to a small retail / shop offer, including stock control, product selection or visual merchandising.
• Strong people skills — you love working with guests and building happy, motivated teams.
• A confident, calm and practical problem-solver who leads with positivity.
• A hands-on, lead-from-the-front approach – you’re happiest on the floor, not behind a desk.
• Good understanding of labour control, stock management and basic P&L awareness.
• Comfortable using digital systems for rotas, HR, compliance and stock.
• Excellent communication, organisation and attention to detail.
• A genuine passion for food, coffee, hospitality, sustainability and community.
• Flexibility to work weekends and holidays.
Salary: £40,000-£45,000 per annum (option for discounted accommodation on-site within package)
Hours: Full time – 48 hours per week over 5 days including evenings and weekends
Start Date: From April 2026, dependent on availability Holiday entitlement: 28 days pro rata (including Bank Holidays)
To apply: Email your CV & covering letter to: [email protected]
Closing date: 1st March 2026. Applications will be reviewed on receipt. If you are in employment, please include your current notice period in your covering letter. Borde Hill Haywards Heath West Sussex RH16 1XP 01444 450326 www.bordehill.co.uk
