Café Manager – Newbury

Easily commutable from Reading, Basingstoke, Andover, Didcot, Thatcham and Hungerford

£34,000 per annum • 40 hours per week • 5 out of 7 days

A brand-new café. A blank canvas. An opportunity to build something special from day one.

Simple moments, made special.

Great coffee. Freshly baked pastries. Proper food done well.

Taste Café is about creating the small, everyday moments people genuinely look forward to — a quick coffee that turns into a catch-up, a bite to eat that hits the spot, and a space that feels easy, comfortable and just right.

This brand-new café will be based in Newbury, Berkshire, within a busy retail environment. The location is accessible from surrounding areas including Reading, Basingstoke, Andover, Didcot, Thatcham and Hungerford.

Fast-paced, full of energy and with huge potential, this is a café designed to feel local, welcoming and worth coming back to.

The Role

This is a start-up opportunity within an established business.

As Café Manager, you’ll play a key role in bringing a brand-new site to life — setting standards, building a team and shaping how the café looks, feels and operates from the very beginning.

If you’ve managed a café, retail unit or fast-paced food operation before, this is your chance to truly make it your own.

You’ll lead from the front, set the tone and turn a brand-new café into a space people love — from the first morning coffee rush to the final close-down of the day.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading the day-to-day running of a newly opened café, keeping everything smooth, organised and on point
• Recruiting, training and developing a strong team that delivers great service — and enjoys doing it
• Setting and maintaining high standards across food, coffee and presentation
• Managing stock, performance and operational processes
• Creating a space that feels warm, relaxed and welcoming from day one
• Embedding consistency, because the little details matter
• Ensuring Health & Safety standards are always met and maintained

About You

If you’ve run a café, retail unit or fast-paced food environment, you’ll be well-suited to this role — especially if you enjoy building teams and shaping operations.

You’ll also be:

• A hands-on leader who sets the pace and leads by example
• People-focused and great with both your team and customers
• Organised, proactive and calm under pressure
• Passionate about good food, great coffee and doing things properly
• Comfortable taking ownership and continuously improving performance

Why This Role?

This isn’t just another café management role.

It’s a chance to open a new site, shape the culture and create a destination — somewhere customers return to for the coffee, food and atmosphere.

You’ll have real ownership, support from a wider business and the opportunity to build something that genuinely feels like yours from the ground up.

Why Join Us?

As part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, you’ll be working within our One Retail sector, delivering food experiences across some of the UK’s busiest and most recognisable environments.

Joining One Retail means becoming part of a premium group working alongside well-known brands such as M&S and Costa.

We offer:

• Structured training and development
• Genuine career progression opportunities
• The backing of a business that invests in its people
• Contributory pension scheme
• Career development through our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes
• Quick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP and wider healthcare benefits
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Discounts on shopping with Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and many more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets
• Cash rewards to spend across a wide range of brands
• Free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• Discounts and offers that can be shared with friends and family

About Us

As part of Compass, you’ll help feed people, fuel progress and forge connections across around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with an industry leader offering competitive pay, great benefits and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development.

Job Reference: com/2807/45051001/52818838/R/SU #One Retail

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!