Retail Assistant Manager

Retail Assistant Manager

Houston & Hawkes Liverpool Street, London £35,000 - £37,000 per annum Monday to Friday

A brilliant opportunity for a people-driven hospitality professional with a flair for finance and a love of great food and coffee - ready to support and grow a thriving operation in the heart of the City.

The Retail Assistant Manager supports the Retail Manager in delivering high-quality, innovative and cost-effective retail, restaurant and café services. This role ensures smooth daily operations, accurate menu communication, compliance with food safety standards and an exceptional customer experience at every touchpoint.

Acting as a key link between the kitchen team, front-of-house staff and management, you will ensure operational efficiency and service excellence - with additional focus on digital menu updates, allergen communication and online order management.

This is a role for someone who truly loves hospitality - who lights up a room, connects naturally with guests and colleagues, and brings real financial awareness and organisational discipline to everything they do. You will work closely with the Retail Manager and collaborate with our Executive Chef to help shape a food and hospitality offer that is genuinely outstanding.

THE ROLE

Supporting the Retail Manager, you will help lead day-to-day operations across the coffee shop and restaurant - balancing brilliant guest experiences with sharp financial and operational management.

• Supporting the Retail Manager in delivering high-quality retail, restaurant and café services
• Leading the team on the floor with energy, warmth and a genuine people-first approach
• Ensuring accurate menu communication, allergen compliance and food safety standards at all times
• Managing digital menu updates and online order management
• Working closely with the Executive Chef on menus, food quality and the overall dining experience
• Taking ownership of financial reporting, cost tracking and budget management
• Managing rotas, admin and operational paperwork with accuracy and efficiency
• Monitoring sales performance and identifying opportunities to improve
• Training, coaching and inspiring the team to deliver service excellence every day
• Confidently managing the full operation in the Retail Manager's absence

ABOUT YOU

You're a natural in a room full of people - warm, confident and the kind of person guests and colleagues gravitate towards. But you're also the person who knows their numbers, keeps the operation tight and never lets the detail slip.

• Proven front-of-house experience in a hospitality, coffee or restaurant environment - essential
• Strong financial acumen - comfortable with budgets, cost control and reporting
• A genuine people person with a vibrant, positive personality and natural leadership presence
• Confident with admin, Excel and operational paperwork
• Knowledge of allergen regulations and food safety compliance
• Experience with digital menus or online ordering systems - desirable
• Previous supervisory or assistant management experience - highly desirable
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple priorities across a dual-concept operation
• A real passion for hospitality, great food and delivering memorable guest experiences

WHAT WE VALUE

At Houston & Hawkes, we hire for attitude as much as skill. The behaviours we look for in this role are:

• Customer focused - alway