Cafe & Deli Operations Manager

About the role

You will oversee the daily performance of the espresso bar and deli, including service, coffee, food presentation, people, rostering, ordering, stock, waste, compliance and financial results. This is a genuine leadership role with ownership of customer experience, people, service standards and commercial performance. You'll lead from the floor, set the pace and build the systems and operating rhythm needed to deliver consistently excellent results.

Key responsibilities

• Own the complete café and deli customer journey, ensuring customers are acknowledged, served efficiently and treated warmly
• Maintain excellent standards for espresso, extraction, milk texture and presentation
• Lead, coach and develop a team of baristas, deli assistants and service staff
• Set clear expectations and hold people accountable through daily huddles and weekly operating rhythm
• Recruit and onboard capable people who align with company culture
• Manage ordering across coffee, milk, deli products, packaging and consumables
• Maintain stock availability, oversee stocktakes, rotation, date control and inventory accuracy
• Review weekly sales, gross profit, wages and waste results and act quickly when performance varies from budget
• Maintain strict food-safety, hygiene and workplace-safety standards
• Oversee cleaning schedules, temperature checks and food-safety records

About you

• At least three years' café, deli, food-retail or hospitality management experience
• Experience leading and developing a sizeable frontline team
• Strong barista knowledge and confidence working on the coffee machine
• Proven ability to manage rostering, wages, cost of goods and waste
• Confidence reading reports and turning results into practical action
• Strong food knowledge and pride in presentation
• A structured, organised and process-driven working style
• The ability to make decisions and solve problems in real time
• High standards, positive leadership and clear communication
• Flexibility to work early mornings, weekends and a weekly later shift

Benefits

• Staff discounts across fruit and vegetables, groceries and more
• A 50% rebate on eligible sporting activities, up to $100 per month
• Coffee on us
• Genuine ownership of a highly visible part of the business
• The opportunity to shape the team, systems and future direction
• Support from an engaged store leadership team
• Recognition for strong leadership and commercial performance

About us

Hawthorne Garage is a growing, independent family business with an ambitious vision for its next stage. We're building an operation known for fresh food, exceptional service, strong leadership and consistent execution. Our values are: Raise the Bar – set high standards and keep lifting them; Team First – create a team that supports and challenges each other; Own It – take responsibility for decisions and results; Obsessed with Experience – make customers the centre of every decision; Good Energy Only – lead positively and focus on solutions; Good to Great – pursue continuous improvement across people and operations.