Location: River Cottage HQ, Trinity Hill Road, Axminster, EX13 8TB
Reports to: General Manager
Contract: Permanent, Full Time (40 hours per week)
Working Pattern: 5 days per week (typically 9am–5pm, with 1–2 evening shifts per week). Weekend availability required.
Salary: £30,000 dependant on experience, plus tips
Join the team at River Cottage
At River Cottage, we believe that good food has the power to change lives. Following the ethos of our founder Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, we've inspired people to grow, source and cook food in ways that are better for themselves, their communities and the planet.
Set amongst the rolling hills of the Axe Valley, River Cottage HQ is home to our renowned cookery school, working farm, dining experiences and events. At the heart of it all is the River Cottage Kitchen - a vibrant, welcoming restaurant where guests can enjoy seasonal dishes made with ingredients grown on our farm and sourced from exceptional local producers.
We're looking for an energetic and inspiring Restaurant Manager to lead our front-of-house operation. This is an opportunity to shape memorable guest experiences, develop a fantastic team, and play a key role in one of the UK's most respected food and sustainability brands.
If you're passionate about hospitality, food, people and purpose - and you're as comfortable driving performance as you are welcoming guests - we'd love to hear from you.
About the River Cottage Kitchen
The River Cottage Kitchen offers a relaxed but high-quality dining experience, serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, drinks and seasonal feasts in the evening throughout the year. With 40 indoor covers, 30 outdoor covers and around 20,000 visitors annually, no two days are ever quite the same.
Guests visit us not only for great food, but to experience the River Cottage story. As Restaurant Manager, you'll be an ambassador for that story, helping guests connect with where their food comes from and what makes River Cottage special.
The Role
As Restaurant Manager, you'll lead from the front - creating a warm, professional and welcoming environment while ensuring every aspect of service runs smoothly. You'll be responsible for developing a motivated, knowledgeable team, maintaining exceptional hospitality standards, and delivering strong commercial performance. Working closely with the kitchen and wider River Cottage teams, you'll help create an experience that guests remember long after they've left.
What You'll Be Doing
- Leading, motivating and developing the front-of-house team to deliver consistently exceptional hospitality.
- Setting and maintaining high standards of service, presentation and guest experience.
- Managing day-to-day restaurant operations including reservations, table management, staffing and service flow.
- Working closely with the kitchen team to understand menus, seasonal changes and supplier stories, ensuring these are brought to life for guests.
- Taking ownership of stock control, inventory management and clearly communicating needs to the General Manager.
- Monitoring financial performance, including cash handling, labour control and cost management.
- Tracking key performance indicators and reporting insights to the General Manager.
- Ensuring compliance with all health & safety, licensing, environmental and food hygiene requirements.
- Addressing performance concerns professionally and constructively, creating a culture of accountability and development.
- Supporting events, promotions and marketing activity to increase awareness, drive footfall and enhance the guest experience.
- Bringing fresh ideas and energy to continually improve the operation and guest journey.
- Developing a strong understanding of the wider River Cottage business, enabling you to confidently share our story and promote our courses, events and experiences.
About You
You'll be a confident and capable hospitality professional who combines excellent people skills with strong commercial awareness.
You'll have:
- Proven experience managing a successful restaurant or hospitality venue.
- A genuine passion for delivering outstanding guest experiences.
- Strong leadership skills and the ability to inspire, coach and develop a team.
- Excellent organisational and communication skills.
- Commercial awareness with experience managing budgets, costs and performance targets.
- The confidence to make decisions, solve problems and take initiative.
- Flexibility to work weekends and occasional evenings.
- A full UK driving licence due to our rural location.
- A passion for seasonal food, sustainable farming and supporting local producers.
- A positive, hands-on approach and willingness to lead from the front when it matters most.
What You'll Get
- £30,000 dependant on experience, plus tips.
- The opportunity to be part of one of the UK's most respected food and sustainability brands.
- Professional development and opportunities to work across the wider River Cottage organisation.
- Staff discounts.
- Complimentary places on selected cookery courses and events.
- A free meal on every shift.
- Free on-site parking.
- A workplace where people, purpose and great food matter equally.
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you'd be a great fit for the role to:
[email protected]
We'd love to hear what excites you about River Cottage and how your experience could help us continue delivering exceptional hospitality.
River Cottage Mission Statement:
To teach and inspire people to grow, source and cook food in ways that enhance their lives, increase their well-being, and connect them more closely to natural, sustainable, and ethical sources of food.
Company Ethos:
To do all the above in a company guided by principles that are ethical, sustainable, and respectful. To look after our team in a way that is nurturing and that helps to further their life goals.
We love our people just as much as we love our food & it’s provenance. River Cottage is an equal opportunities employer committed to providing a diverse and inclusive workplace where our employees are comfortable to be who they are, no matter their identity.
Pay: £30,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
