Food and Drink Manager
Salary £ 32,000
Working in the Devonport Creative Quarter (Devonport Guildhall and Market Hall)
Vacancy listed 20/08/2026
Application deadline 23/09/2026
Details
Role Profile 

Job Title: Food and Drink Manager
Location:  Working in the Devonport Creative Quarter (Devonport Guildhall and Market Hall)
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week primarily to be worked Monday – Friday, with some Saturday and evening working
Salary: £32,000   

Deadline for applications: Wednesday 23rd September, 5pm
Interviews will be held on Tuesday 29 September and take place at Market Hall.

Real Ideas Organisation Purpose 
Real Ideas Group works to solve problems and create opportunities that regenerate communities and support individuals to progress and flourish. We do this through four teams, each with a distinct focus. Pathways, delivering employability support; Liskeard Library, a library and cultural hub; Nature and Neighbourhoods, our consultancy service; and the Devonport Creative Quarter, growing the createch sector, creative careers, businesses and opportunities. 

Job Purpose 

The Food and Drink Manager manages and delivers Devonport Creative Quarter’s food and drink offer, supporting our programme, delivering excellent experiences and generating revenue. This is a ‘hands-on’ management role, and you will work alongside and oversee a small team of two part-time, permanent staff to deliver a 5 day per week food and drink offer from Tuesday to Saturday, based in the Market Hall. 

Main duties and responsibilities 
  • Working with key colleagues in the Devonport Creative Quarter team develop and oversee a food and drink offer delivered in line with and in response to our programme.  
  • Manage and deliver a vegetarian food and drink offer that delivers agreed annual targets for financial performance and customer satisfaction.  
  • Prepare and serve food and drinks in line with safety and hygiene standards.  
  • Ensure operations are run with a focus on cost efficiency, monitoring stock levels, conducting cost-effective orders, and minimising waste, reducing unnecessary spend while maintaining service quality.  
  • Oversee service delivery, co-ordinate shifts and ensure team training is completed and up to date, fostering a positive, collaborative working culture aligned with Real Ideas value. 
  • Oversee and deliver event catering, supporting corporate and private hires working with Dome, Operations & Events Manager and Business & Commercial Manager to generate additional revenue from catering to meet agreed annual targets. 
  • Ensure food safety, hygiene and allergen management compliance (Safer Food, Better Business, EHO compliance, maintaining 5-star rating), health & safety for café operations, equipment maintenance coordination, stock control, and cash handling procedures. 
 
Real Ideas wide responsibilities 
  • To represent Real Ideas well, understanding and talking coherently about Real Ideas products and programmes to provide more value for customers and members. 
  • To adhere to and uphold Real Ideas' social purpose, strategic aims, and policies. 
  • To contribute to a culture of inclusion and equality and demonstrate a commitment to removing all forms of discrimination. 
  • To act with integrity and always maintain the highest professional standards. 
  • To strive to meet individual and collective targets. 
  • To maintain the level of qualifications/personal and professional development and competence required to carry out this role and notify the company immediately of any circumstance that affects this. 
  • To proactively and effectively use all Real Ideas reporting and other systems. 
  • A flexible approach is required for the role. Additional, reasonable duties commensurate with the role and as agreed in advance from time to time. 

This job description is not necessarily an exhaustive list of duties and is intended to reflect a range of duties the post-holder will perform. The job description will be reviewed regularly and may be changed in the light of experience and in consultation with the post-holder. 

Person Specification 

Our values: How we behave

Working at Real Ideas is exhilarating, but it can also be challenging; we're not a typical organisation and by design we don't fit into traditional business structures or strict 9 to 5 working hours. 

There's nothing typical about the people who work at Real Ideas. With experience in many different industries and cultures the one thing we all have in common is a passion to make a positive difference in the world. 

Principally we're looking for people who embrace our vision and values, and who want to join us on this journey. Whilst your technical skills and abilities are important, being on board with our vision is crucial. 

You'll need to be dedicated, tenacious and enjoy the challenges of working as part of multi-disciplined team. At Real Ideas collaboration is key, so you'll need to be a great team player, up for working with a wide range of people from colleagues and partners to members and suppliers. 

We're interested in finding people who are proactive, hungry for opportunities to be responsible and accountable, and who can ride the waves of change with the wind in their hair and a smile on their face. 

And because we always strive to be the best we can be, you'll be happy to challenge and be challenged. 

If this sounds like you, then read on… 

We use the following criteria to assess your suitability for the role. Please note that requirements at the application stage represent the minimum requirements for shortlisting purposes. 
 
Behaviours
 
Adaptability Looking at your ability to adapt to change 
Culture Fit Do you share our beliefs/values and bring about diversity within Real Ideas?
Collaboration Can you collaborate effectively and work well with others?
Customer Focus Do you demonstrate a commitment to excellent customer service and hospitality?
Prioritisation Are you able to decide which task needs to be tackled immediately and which ones can wait – someone who can manage their time and prioritise effectively.
Digital Technology Do you have a commitment to adopting and using digital technology effectively to help solve problems and add value to the work of Real Ideas?

Experience:
  •  Significant experience in food and drink management and food service operations. 
  • Experience managing food and drink budgets and achieving revenue targets. 
  • Experience developing menus, pricing strategies, and managing supplier relationships. 
  • Experience managing and developing food and drink teams.
  • Experience with event catering or corporate hospitality. 

Knowledge:
  • Knowledge of food safety, hygiene standards, and allergen management (Level 3 Food Safety qualification desirable).
  • Understanding of food and drink  operations, stock control, and inventory management. 
  • Knowledge of customer service excellence and hospitality standards. 
  • Understanding of menu development, dietary requirements, and catering trends. 
  • Knowledge of financial management including cost control and revenue tracking. 

Skills:
  • Strong customer service skills with ability to create welcoming environments. 
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
  • Budget management and financial planning skills. Team leadership and people management. 
  • Problem-solving and decision-making in fast-paced environments. 
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a matrix structure with multiple stakeholders.

 
Benefits

As an employee at Real Ideas, you have access to:
25 days holiday per year, increasing by 1 day per year’s service up to a maximum of 30 days.
Salary sacrifice pension scheme with competitive employer contribution
Real Ideas’ health cash plan
Home & Tech scheme
Cyclescheme
10% staff discount in Real Ideas Cafe's
Enhanced maternity after 1 year of service

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