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Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Cafe Manager

Tablehurst Farm Limited
Forest Row, East Sussex

Posted: 26 Jun 2025

Deadline: 10 Aug 2025

Compensation: £30,000-£35,000 per annum

Living Wage employer

Paid Full-time Permanent

Job description

Tablehurst Farm is an Award winning Biodynamic/Organic Community Farm situated in Forest Row, East Sussex. We won the 2022 BBC Food and Farming Award for Food Producer of the Year; and in 2021 we won Sussex Butcher of the Year at the Sussex Food and Drinks Awards. Tablehurst is committed to biodynamics as its core farming philosophy, and to community engagement as a central pillar of our work.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Café Manager to join the team to oversee the smooth running of our busy farm café. This is a full time role (5 days including Saturday) - exact days to be discussed with the successful candidate.  The café is open six days a week, and currently serves lunches, drinks and cakes. 

The role will involve: 

• Managing day-to-day operations of the café and actively participating in all activities involved in running the café. 
• Overseeing the operation of an Alfresco Kitchen that operates during summer months in the café garden. 
• Hiring, onboarding and developing cafe staff to deliver excellent customer service. 
• Design and develop daily lunch offerings based on what is in season and available from the farm. 
• Oversee and, as required, take part in the preparation and cooking of the aforementioned lunch offerings. 
• Coordinating with suppliers and ordering supplies as needed. 
• Completing and maintaining digital (MS Excel) recipe costings templates and working to target profit margins. 
• Planning and managing optimised staffing rotas that deliver maximum cost targets as a percentage of revenue. 
• Ensuring all cafe areas are clean and tidy and meeting Environmental Health requirements. 
• Nurturing friendly relationships with customers to increase loyalty and boost our reputation. 
• Develop an understanding of the farm and farming methods in order to be an ambassador of the farm. 
• Overseeing the supply of food offerings at public and private events on the farm as required. ​

The ideal candidate would have the following experience and qualities: 

• Experience managing restaurants or cafes that serve freshly-made cooked food. 
• Passion for serving high-quality, organic and nutritious food, using ethically-produced ingredients. 
• Ability to hire, develop, manage and motivate a strong team. 
• Excellent customer service and communication skills. 
• Understand relevant legal requirements and internal processes, and how to ensure compliance. 
• Sound understanding of the business-side of operating a café including monitoring and working to percentage budgets for Human Resource and Food Costs. 
• IT literate - working with systems, processes inventory, and financial reporting (using Excel). 

Job Type: Full-time, permanent 

Salary: Competitive for the successful candidate 

Benefits: 

• Company pension 
• Discounted or free food 
• Employee discount 
• Free On-site parking 

It is essential that you are able to commute to Forest Row, East Sussex. 

Application information

Please email CV and cover letter to office@tablehurstfarm.org.uk

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