Vacancies

Catering Supervisor

Job Introduction

Eat Central | University of Sussex | 36 hours per week | 5 days over 7

About the Role

Sussex Uni Food is looking for an experienced and energetic Catering Supervisor to help lead the day-to-day operation of Eat Central, the largest restaurant at the University of Sussex.

Eat Central is a modern, high-street-inspired food hall in Bramber House, bringing together multiple food concepts and cuisines in one busy restaurant. Designed around choice, affordability and fast service, it has been transformed from a traditional university refectory into a vibrant social and dining destination for students, staff and visitors.

The transformation has delivered strong results, with internal reporting showing significant sales growth despite lower student numbers, alongside faster service and improved customer flow through its multi-kiosk operating model.

This is a hands-on operational role. You will be on the restaurant floor leading a team of around 10 colleagues, coordinating service across all kiosks and making sure customers receive fast, friendly and consistently high-quality service.

You will be trusted to run shifts independently, including opening and closing the restaurant, cashing up and acting as the senior person on duty when required.

What You'll Be Doing

Leading the Operation
Lead busy day-to-day restaurant shifts across all Eat Central food kiosks.
Coordinate a front-of-house team of approximately 10 colleagues.
Position the team effectively around customer demand and manage breaks throughout the shift.
Lead from the front during high-volume service periods, particularly the lunchtime peak.
Manage queues, service speed, counter presentation and restaurant standards.
Ensure counters are fully stocked, replenished and ready for service.
Open and close the restaurant and act as the senior operational lead when required.
Respond quickly and confidently to operational problems during service.

Customer Experience
Create a welcoming, fast and positive experience for students, staff and visitors.
Maintain high standards of service, cleanliness and food presentation.
Handle customer queries and resolve complaints professionally.
Monitor customer feedback and identify opportunities to improve the experience.
Support the delivery of special promotions, student events and campus activations.

Commercial & Shift Management
Support the achievement of daily sales targets.
Monitor sales and customer demand throughout the shift.
Complete stock ordering and regular stock counts.
Manage cash reconciliation and end-of-day procedures accurately.
Coordinate delivery orders and Time2Eat collections.
Help minimise waste, improve availability and maximise sales opportunities.
Make practical decisions about team deployment based on customer demand.

Team Leadership
Lead by example and create a positive, energetic working environment.
Allocate team positions and breaks to maintain effective service.
Train and support new starters.
Complete return-to-work discussions following absence.
Address minor conduct or performance concerns informally and escalate where appropriate.
Deliver clear pre-service briefings so the team understands priorities, promotions and expected standards.

Food Safety & Compliance
Maintain excellent food hygiene, allergen, health and safety and cleaning standards.
Ensure food displays, counters and customer areas meet company standards throughout service.
Support accurate allergen communication and safe service practices.
Complete required opening, closing and operational checks.

Eat Central currently holds a five-star food hygiene rating, so maintaining strong food safety and operational standards is an important part of the role.

What We're Looking For

Previous supervisory experience within a busy food service operation is essential.

We would particularly like to hear from people with experience in:

Quick-service restaurants
High-street food and coffee businesses
Food halls or street-food operations
Contract catering
University or workplace catering
High-volume customer service environments

You'll need to be someone who is:

Confident leading a team during a busy service
Comfortable taking responsibility for an entire shift
Highly visible and willing to work alongside the team
Customer focused with strong service standards
Commercially aware
Organised and dependable
Calm when dealing with pressure or unexpected problems
Comfortable handling cash, stock and daily operational controls
Positive, approachable and confident dealing with team members
Flexible to work 36 hours per week across 5 days out of 7
Why Join Sussex Uni Food?

This isn't a traditional university canteen.

Eat Central has been developed as a contemporary food destination, combining multiple food concepts, high-street influences and affordable student dining within one large restaurant.

You'll be joining an operation that has delivered significant commercial growth, developed nationally recognised affordable food initiatives and continues to evolve its offer around what students want.

For someone coming from a busy high-street restaurant, food hall or quick-service environment, this is an opportunity to bring those skills into one of the University of Sussex's most important food destinations while developing your experience as an operational leader

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

Job Reference: com/2310/85503001/52841795/BU #Universities & Colleges

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!