Café Assistant
Location: Rotherham
Salary: £10,603.94 per annum (£24,853 FTE)
Vacancy Type: Permanent
Hours of Work: 16 Hours per week - 3 pm to 7 pm working any 4 days out of 7, includes weekends.
Closing date:
Rotherham Hospice is a charity dedicated to the people of Rotherham, offering specialist palliative and end of life care to our community since 1996.
About the Role
To assist in the preparation, cooking, and service of homemade meals and baked goods for patients, visitors, volunteers, and staff. The postholder will work as part of a skilled and supportive team in both the hospice kitchen and the busy public café, ensuring excellent standards of food quality, customer service, and hygiene at all times.
At Rotherham Hospice, our café spaces are more than just places to grab a coffee, they are community hubs where staff, patients, families, and supporters come together.
As a Café Assistant, you play a key role in creating a warm, welcoming, and supportive environment, ensuring every visitor experiences kindness and excellent service. In line with our Living Life’s Wishes strategy, this role is about more than food and drink, it’s about making every moment meaningful for those who need us.
Key Responsibilities
Prepare, cook, and present meals to a high standard for both patients and café customers
Confidently bake and produce a range of homemade cakes, pastries, and confectionery in-house
Work efficiently in a fast-paced catering environment, adapting quickly to operational demands
Support the production of texture-modified meals, including Level 4 pureed diets (training provided if required)
Serve customers professionally and maintain a welcoming atmosphere in the café
Maintain high levels of kitchen cleanliness and adhere to food hygiene and infection control standards
Support stock rotation, deliveries, food storage, and general kitchen organisation
Operate café and kitchen equipment safely, including tills and coffee machines
Work collaboratively as part of a flexible team, supporting events and peak service times
Personal Specification
Previous experience in a café, hospitality, or customer service environment.
Confident baking skills with the ability to prepare a variety of fresh homemade products
Strong understanding of food hygiene, safety, and cleanliness requirements
Ability to prioritise tasks and remain calm under pressure in a fast-moving environment
Strong communication skills and a positive, team focused attitude
Excellent customer service skills, with the ability to interact professionally and compassionately with patients, visitors, staff, and volunteers
Compassionate and respectful approach to patients, families, customers, and colleagues
Reliable, enthusiastic, and eager to contribute to a supportive team culture
Committed to maintaining high standards of quality and care in all activities
Desirable:
Experience with Level 4 pureed meals or texture modified diets
Food Safety qualifications (e.g., Level 2 Food Hygiene)
Customer service experience in a café or similar environment
Ability to drive and access to a vehicle
Fluency in community languages such as Urdu, Punjabi, Polish, Slovak, Romanian, and Arabic is highly desirable. It enables compassionate, effective communication with patients and families from diverse backgrounds, helping to build trust and deliver culturally sensitive care. This directly supports our Living Life’s Wishes Strategy and our commitment to inclusive, high-quality care at Rotherham Hospice
To Apply
If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Rotherham Hospice, please do not hesitate to apply