Catering Supervisor

Location: Whipsnade Zoo

Salary: £13.21 per hour

Contract: Fixed-term 6-month contract (part-time)

Hours: Minimum 24 hours per week, up to 5 days out of 7. Must be available to work weekends (with flexibility during peak periods)

We're looking for a Catering Supervisor to join our team at Whipsnade Zoo, supporting the day-to-day running of our catering operations across site. This is a hands-on supervisory role, overseeing cafe service delivery, supporting the team, and ensuring smooth, consistent service across busy visitor periods.

The role is centred on supervising front-of-house operations, supporting colleagues on shift, and ensuring high standards of service, cleanliness, and compliance are consistently met. You will work closely with the wider catering management team to ensure all outlets are operating efficiently and effectively. 

This position is ideal for someone with proven supervisory experience in a café, hospitality, or catering environment, who enjoys leading by example, working in a fast-paced setting, and maintaining high service standards.

Why Join Us?

We offer a competitive benefits package, including:

• 20 days annual leave, excluding bank holidays (pro-rated for part-time roles)
• Free meals on duty
• Free on-site parking
• Exclusive travel discounts
• Access to wellness, mindfulness, and fitness classes
• Digital GP services for you and your family
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets
• Contributory pension scheme
• Career Pathways and MyLearning development programmes
• Training and development opportunities

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise daily cafe operations and support team performance on shift
• Ensure high standards of customer service, presentation, and cleanliness
• Support and motivate team members during busy service periods
• Assist with stock control, ordering, and waste reduction
• Ensure compliance with food safety, health & safety, and company procedures
• Handle customer queries and resolve issues professionally
• Support training and onboarding of new team members

Who We're Looking For

• Previous supervisory experience in a café, restaurant, or catering environment (essential)
• Strong leadership and communication skills
• Confident working in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment
• Good organisational skills and attention to detail
• A positive, reliable team leader with a hands-on approach
• Basic food hygiene knowledge and understanding of food safety standards

About Us:

Restaurant Associates is a leading premium hospitality provider with an ethos drawn from our history of fine and high-quality dining in London and New York.

Within our venues team, we provide catering and hospitality services to some of the most iconic visitor attractions and destinations in the UK including the Imperial War Museum London, Glyndebourne Opera House, Knebworth House, Design Museum, Whipsnade Zoo and many more. Within these amazing venues we operate a host of bespoke cafés and restaurants, as well as delivering private events ranging from small meetings to large-scale ground events of up to 1000 people. You can find a full list of our venues on our website.

Job Reference: com/1304/93179001/52802386/BU #RA Venues

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!