Job Title: Café and Catering Manager
Location: House of Books & Friends – 81 King Street Manchester M2 4AH
Hours: Full Time – Permanent
Salary: £30k
About House of Books & Friends
House of Books & Friends is more than a bookshop and café, we are a vibrant Community Interest Company in the heart of Manchester city centre, our mission is to address loneliness and social isolation. We bring people together through books, conversation, great coffee, and memorable events. From carefully curated shelves and cosy reading corners to bustling Afternoon Teas and community gatherings, we create a welcoming and inclusive space.
The Role
As Café and Catering Manager, you will lead on the daily running of our busy café while working closely with our bookshop and events teams. This is a hands‑on, shop‑floor‑based role where leadership, creativity and commercial awareness are equally important.
Key Responsibilities
Operations
* Oversee all café activities including food & beverage preparation, service, and cleanliness
* Manage stock levels, ordering, supplier sourcing, and negotiations
* Maintain and enforce health & safety standards and ensure compliance with legislation
* Keep all paperwork up to date and aligned with regulations
* Develop innovative, costed ideas to broaden services and product offerings
* Key holding duties (opening and closing)
* Support shop floor operations across both the bookshop and café, including serving and phone enquiries
Events
* Organise and deliver our popular Afternoon Tea events, generating and implementing new ideas with minimal direction
* Collaborate with the events team to deliver high‑quality room hire and catered events
* Create clear systems and procedures to enable smooth event delivery
* Further develop catering options from standardised to bespoke packages for a range of budgets
* Undertake hosting duties where required
Customer Experience
* Create a warm, welcoming atmosphere with exceptional service
* Manage enquiries, feedback, and complaints professionally and efficiently
Team Leadership
* Train, supervise, and motivate café staff, future line management responsibility.
* Foster a positive, collaborative working environment
Financial Management
* Manage budgets, revenue, expenses, and profitability
* Implement cost controls without compromising quality
* Analyse sales data, identify trends and key seasonal opportunities
* Develop strategies to increase revenue and meet targets
Menu Development & Marketing
* Collaborate on menu updates ensuring consistent quality
* Adapt offerings based on seasonality, dietary needs, and customer preferences
* Support promotional campaigns and monitor competitor activity
* Create and implement creative and new revenue streams for the cafe
About You
* Proven experience (at least 2+ years) as a shop floor‑based Café/Catering Manager (or similar hospitality leadership role) – only people with this experience will be considered for the role.
* Strong knowledge of café operations, food safety, and customer service
* Experience training and managing a team
* Confident using POS systems and standard office software
* Flexible to work weekends and holidays as required
* A genuine interest in books and the literary world
What We Offer
* £30,000 salary
* Holiday entitlement
* Pension scheme
* Staff discount
* Health cash plan
* A book on your birthday
* One paid “Reading Day” per year to catch up on your reading
If you bring energy, enthusiasm, and a love of people — and want to be part of a growing organisation that makes a real difference in the community — we would love to hear from you.
To apply: Please submit your CV along with a cover letter explaining why you are the perfect fit for the Café and Catering Manager role to recruitment@houseofbooksandfriends.com
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