Kitchen Cover – Daytime Café Shifts
Hours: approx. 14 hours per week at this site; potentially up to 25 hours including at our sister site
Pay: £13–£15.00 per hour, depending on experience, with pay reviewed as the business grows and the role develops.
We are open to this being either an employed role or a freelance arrangement where you invoice us, depending on experience, availability and how the working relationship is structured.
Typical shifts
Current shifts are:
Friday: 8:30 am–3:30 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am–3:30 pm
Total: approx. 13 hours per week.
There are also opportunities to pick up additional shifts at our sister site: a countryside pub in Laxfield, around a 20-minute drive from Saxmundham.
About us
socialbar is an independent café-wine-bar on Saxmundham High Street.
We serve speciality coffee, minimal-intervention wines, craft beer and a fresh, quality-led daytime food offer. We’re here to create genuine in-person connection and a warm, beautiful communal space, with lively evening events alongside a strong café and bar offer.
We’re a small, close-knit team and the atmosphere here depends on everyone pulling together. If you enjoy being part of a workplace where people communicate well, take responsibility and pitch in to make the place run smoothly, you’ll fit right in.
The role
You’ll cover two daytime café kitchen shifts, helping prepare and plate our quality-led breakfast and lunch offer.
This is not a traditional café breakfast role. We’re interested in thoughtful, well-presented food: dishes such as smoothie bowls, breakfast tacos and sweet potato ricotta pancakes, along with toasties, sandwiches and simple plates that feel considered, modern and tasty.
We are looking for someone who has worked with food, understands kitchen standards and can see the difference between basic café food and a more considered, quality-led offer.
In this role, you’ll be...
Preparing, cooking and plating our breakfast and lunch offer
Following recipes, prep lists and kitchen systems
Using a good palate and food judgement: tasting dishes, noticing balance and knowing when something needs more acidity, seasoning, texture or restraint
Keeping the kitchen organised, clean and running smoothly
Managing prep, stock rotation and basic kitchen needs
Clearing and washing dishes as part of a small team
Opening and closing the kitchen in a clean, orderly way
Helping maintain strong food hygiene practice and Environmental Health standards
Communicating clearly with the wider team, including end-of-shift handovers
Pitching in where needed to help the business run well
What we’re looking for
Previous kitchen experience in a café, restaurant, deli, bakery, pub kitchen, hotel or similar food setting
A good eye and palate for fresh, quality-led food, including presentation, balance and consistency
Able to follow recipes and kitchen systems without needing constant direction
Reliable, punctual and comfortable in a small, hands-on independent business
Warm, steady and friendly with guests and colleagues, with the kind of temperament that suits a small, close-knit team
Communicative and responsive with the team; we coordinate through WhatsApp
Willing to take part in occasional staff meetings and training
Ideally based in or near Saxmundham for an easy commute
This role is for applicants aged 18 or over, as shifts may include keyholding responsibilities.
What we offer
£13–£15.00 per hour, depending on experience
Pay reviewed as the business grows and the role develops
Share of tips
28 days’ holiday pro rata, if employed
Pension with employer contribution, subject to eligibility, if employed
Employee Assistance Programme with wellbeing support and discounts
Free and discounted food and drink
Relevant training, including kitchen systems
Free company events
Potential additional shifts at our sister site in Laxfield
A comfortable working environment with heating and air-con
Next steps
We usually start with a short video call, then meet in person if it feels like a good fit.
For the right person, there may be room to shape the role around existing strengths.
Pay: £13.00-£15.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Store discount
Application question(s):
- We are a small team, so the way people communicate matters as much as the work itself. Tell us about a time when there was tension, pressure or disagreement in a workplace. What did you do to keep things calm, fair and productive?
- Our daytime food offer is simple, but we want it to feel thoughtful, fresh and well put together rather than like standard café food. Tell us about a dish you have cooked, plated or improved where the details really mattered. What did you pay attention to in terms of seasoning, balance, texture, freshness, presentation and consistency? What would make the same dish feel ordinary or careless?
Experience:
- cooking: 1 year (required)
Work Location: In person
