Job Summary
The Lamb on the Strand is seeking an experienced, hands-on Pub & Restaurant General Manager to lead the operational improvement of our established village pub and restaurant.
This is not simply an office-based management position. We need a confident hospitality leader who can take full ownership of daily operations, improve food and service standards, train and motivate the team, manage busy Sunday services and create an excellent guest experience.
The successful candidate must be highly organised, commercially aware and comfortable implementing new systems and standards. Experience improving an underperforming pub or restaurant would be a major advantage.
Key Responsibilities
* Take full responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the pub and restaurant.
* Lead front-of-house, bar and kitchen teams to deliver consistent standards.
* Create clear staff roles and manage every service through pre-shift briefings.
* Maintain excellent cleanliness throughout the restaurant, bar, toilets, kitchen and external areas.
* Complete daily opening, closing, cleaning and maintenance inspections.
* Ensure full compliance with food safety, HACCP, allergen, licensing and health and safety requirements.
* Monitor food temperatures, cleaning records and compliance checklists.
* Work closely with the Head Chef to improve food quality, portion control, presentation and consistency.
* Manage Sunday roast services, booking capacity and kitchen-to-table timings.
* Ensure tables receive their meals together and customers are updated about delays.
* Introduce and maintain recipe, service and presentation standards.
* Manage the booking system and ensure every reservation is accurately confirmed.
* Handle customer complaints professionally and resolve problems during the visit.
* Respond to serious customer feedback and report recurring issues to senior management.
* Recruit, train, supervise and performance-manage employees.
* Prepare staff rotas according to business demand and control labour costs.
* Monitor sales, payroll, food costs, wastage, stock and gross profit.
* Manage bar quality, stock availability, cellar standards and supplier orders.
* Carry out regular team training and performance reviews.
* Produce weekly operational reports covering sales, labour, complaints, audits and required actions.
* Help strengthen The Lamb on the Strand as a welcoming village pub offering stone-baked pizzas, selected pub classics and a quality Sunday roast.
Essential Requirements
* At least three years’ management experience in a busy pub, restaurant or food-led hospitality business.
* Proven experience managing both front-of-house and back-of-house operations.
* Strong knowledge of food hygiene, allergens, HACCP and health and safety.
* Experience managing busy Sunday lunches, large bookings and special occasions.
* Ability to train teams and hold employees accountable for performance.
* Strong customer-service and complaint-handling skills.
* Experience controlling rotas, labour, food costs, stock and wastage.
* Excellent communication, leadership and organisational skills.
* Willingness to work hands-on during busy services.
* Ability to work evenings, weekends, bank holidays and Sundays.
Desirable Experience
* Experience improving or turning around an underperforming pub or restaurant.
* Personal licence holder.
* Level 3 Food Safety qualification.
* Experience with booking systems, EPOS, rota and compliance software.
* Knowledge of pizza, Italian food, pub classics or Sunday roast operations.
Key Performance Expectations
The manager will be responsible for achieving:
* Complete daily cleaning and food-safety records.
* Zero lost or incorrectly recorded bookings.
* Strong food quality and consistent presentation.
* Fast, organised and welcoming customer service.
* Effective complaint resolution and follow-up.
* Improved customer-review scores.
* Better staff performance and accountability.
* Controlled labour, food costs, wastage and stock.
* Successful and consistent Sunday services.
About You
You will be visible, practical and present during service. You will notice small problems before customers do, support the team when the restaurant is busy and take responsibility when something goes wrong.
We are looking for someone who can bring structure, discipline and genuine hospitality to The Lamb on the Strand while building a positive and professional team culture.
To Apply
Please submit your CV together with a short explanation of:
1. A pub or restaurant you have previously managed.
2. The size of the team and weekly turnover you were responsible for.
3. An example of how you improved food quality, service standards or customer reviews.
4. Your experience managing Sunday roasts and busy services.
Pay: £30,420.00-£40,352.63 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- On-site parking
- Store discount
Work Location: In person
