About Us
Simply Fresh Reading is a brand-new food hall destination opening in Earley, Reading. The site brings together multiple fresh food counters under one roof — an in-store bakery, hot food and grab-and-go counters, and two coffee bars — all cooked, baked, and prepared fresh in-store. We're building something that serves everyone from busy commuters to local families, and we're looking for an experienced Food Hall Manager to bring it all together from day one.
The Role
As Food Hall Manager, you'll take overall ownership of a busy, multi-counter food-to-go operation — coordinating the bakery, hot food, coffee, and packaged food counters as one seamless offer. This is a genuinely fast-paced environment with several stations running at once, so you'll need to be a confident, hands-on leader who can keep pace, quality, and consistency high across every part of the operation while building a team that shares that same standard.
Key Responsibilities
- Take full ownership of the daily operation across all food hall counters, including the bakery, hot food, coffee bars, and grab-and-go
- Coordinate multiple concurrent service points during peak periods, keeping pace and queue times under control across the whole floor
- Recruit, train, and lead a larger team spanning bakers, baristas, and food-to-go staff, including barista and bakery training for new starters
- Maintain the highest standards of food safety, hygiene, and health & safety across every kitchen, prep, and service area
- Oversee fresh food preparation, baking, and cooking in-store, ensuring quality and consistency is maintained station to station
- Manage stock, ordering, and supplier relationships across multiple food categories to minimise waste and control costs
- Deliver excellent customer service and build strong relationships with the local community
- Monitor sales performance across all counters and work towards site targets
- Support the wider team during our launch period, including staff recruitment and site setup ahead of opening
What We're Looking For
- Previous experience managing a food hall, large food-to-go site, or multi-counter catering operation
- A proven track record of running a high-volume, fast-paced site with several stations operating at once
- Strong barista skills and knowledge of coffee and bakery products
- A background in food preparation and kitchen operations
- Level 2 (or above) Food Hygiene certificate, or willingness to obtain one
- Confident people manager with experience recruiting and training a larger team across multiple functions
- Excellent customer service skills and a hands-on, can-do attitude
- Genuinely comfortable working in a very fast-paced, high-footfall environment
- Enthusiasm for being part of a brand-new site from the ground up
Pay: Up to £40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Sick pay
- Store discount
Work Location: In person
