Application Deadline: Sunday 26 July
Start Date: As soon as possible
We are looking for a confident, hands-on Manager to lead our busy café in rural Worcestershire.
The Fold is more than a café. We are an organic farm, community hub, events venue, and maker space, all rooted in sustainability and social purpose. Our café sits at the heart of this ecosystem — serving vegetarian and plant-based food grown right here on our land, welcoming regulars who feel like family, and hosting visitors who come for workshops, the markets and the wider community activity here.
This is a working management role for someone who enjoys being on the floor, leading from the front, and building a calm, well-run service environment — while also taking ownership of the systems that make a café sustainable.
Our café seats 45 indoors with additional outdoor seating and is open daily 9am–4pm. Much of our produce is grown organically on site, and we’re proud of our genuine farm-to-fork ethos.
The Role:
You will be responsible for the overall day-to-day running of the café, including:
- Leading front of house service and setting the tone on the floor
- Coordinating front of house and kitchen teams to ensure smooth daily service
- Managing and developing all staff
- Staff rotas and wage cost control
- Customer experience and community engagement
- Cashing up and reporting
- Stock ordering and stock control (FOH side)
- Health & safety compliance
- Overall responsibility for the profitability of the café operation
This is a hands-on role: you’ll spend much of your time on the floor, with protected management time built into the week for admin, planning and oversight. This role works closely with our Head Chef, who leads the kitchen, while the Café Manager holds overall responsibility for the smooth operation of the café.
As Café Manager, you’ll play an important part in connecting the café with the wider Fold community — from welcoming farm customers, people attending courses, and market visitors to helping the café feel integrated into the life of the site.
We’re looking for someone who:
- Is calm under pressure
- Leads with clarity and kindness
- Understands margins, wage percentages and profit/loss accounting
- Enjoys systems and organisation
- Takes pride in creating a positive team culture
- Values community, sustainability and local food systems
You might currently be:
- An experienced Café or Restaurant Manager looking for a more values-led environment
- Someone who enjoys operational leadership more than late-night hospitality
You’ll be confident coordinating both front of house and kitchen teams to ensure a positive service environment for staff and customers alike.
If you’re someone who enjoys building strong teams, running a tight ship, delivering warm, efficient service in a unique community-based environment and is excited about our farm-to-fork offering, we’d love to hear from you.
What We Offer
- A supportive, purpose-driven workplace
- Daytime hours (no evening service)
- The opportunity to shape systems and culture
- The chance to work within a thriving organic farm and community setting
- Profit sharing
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £14.50-£15.50 per hour
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Free parking
- Profit sharing
Work Location: In person
