General Manager

Job Description:

General Manager – New Brunch Café Opening

Cambridge | Full-Time | Competitive Salary + Benefits | Daytime

We're not looking for someone to run a café.

We're looking for someone to lead one.

No33 is an independent brunch café group built around a simple belief: hospitality should be exceptional, generous and memorable. We currently operate two highly successful cafés in Norwich and are now preparing to open our most exciting project yet – a beautiful new brunch café in the heart of Cambridge.

We're looking for a General Manager who understands that great hospitality isn't a checklist. It's a feeling.

Someone who is happiest on the floor, knows how to create genuine connections with guests, inspires teams to be their best, and sees problems as opportunities rather than obstacles.

If your idea of management is sitting in the office checking spreadsheets, this probably isn't the role for you.

If your idea of management is leading from the front, coaching teams, delighting customers and constantly looking for ways to make things better, we'd love to talk.

About No33

We are passionate about brunch, coffee and creating spaces that people genuinely enjoy spending time in.

Our cafés are known for:

• Exceptional customer service
• Vibrant, energetic environments
• Beautiful food and coffee
• Strong team culture
• Attention to detail
• A belief that "nothing is ever too much"

We call it elevated hospitality.

It's about empowering our teams to say yes, solving problems before they become complaints, creating memorable experiences and making every guest feel valued.

The Role

As General Manager, you will have full responsibility for leading our new Cambridge café.

You'll be supported by an experienced ownership team and sister cafés in Norwich, but you'll also be trusted to take ownership, make decisions and help shape the future of the business.

This is a hands-on leadership role.

You'll spend less time hiding in an office and more time:

• Leading service from the floor
• Building relationships with guests
• Coaching and developing your team
• Solving problems
• Driving standards
• Identifying opportunities for improvement
• Creating an environment where people genuinely want to work

We want someone who is constantly asking:

"How can we make this better?"

What You'll Be Responsible For

Creating Outstanding Guest Experiences

You will champion our philosophy of elevated hospitality and ensure every guest receives warm, attentive and memorable service.

Leading and Developing a High-Performing Team

You'll recruit, train and inspire a team of around 30 people, creating a culture built on trust, accountability, support and continuous development.

Being a Visible Leader

You'll be present, approachable and actively involved in the day-to-day operation of the café.

Driving Commercial Performance

You'll understand the numbers, but you'll also understand that great financial results are usually the outcome of exceptional teams and exceptional guest experiences.

Problem Solving and Innovation

Have a practical mindset, looking for a solution yourself before escalating. Willing to learn or already know how to change a fuse kind of attitude. You'll constantly look for smarter, better ways of doing things and won't be afraid to challenge the status quo.

Building Culture

People orientated. You'll help create a workplace where people feel valued, supported and motivated to deliver their best every day.

Who We're Looking For

We're less interested in where you've worked and more interested in how you lead.

The ideal candidate will be:

• An exceptional people leader
• Passionate about hospitality
• Hands-on and visible
• Commercially aware
• Innovative and forward-thinking
• Calm under pressure
• Naturally positive and solutions-focused
• Confident making decisions
• Obsessed with guest experience
• Able to inspire, coach and develop others
• Excited by being part of a growing independent business

Essential Experience

• Previous General Manager experience in a café, restaurant, coffee shop or hospitality venue.
• Experience managing a team of 20+ people.
• Experience recruiting, onboarding and developing team members.
• Proven track record of delivering excellent guest experiences.
• Experience managing rotas, labour costs and productivity.
• Experience working with budgets, P&L reports and business targets.
• Experience handling guest complaints and resolving issues professionally.
• Experience maintaining high food safety, health & safety and compliance standards.
• Experience leading busy services and supporting teams during peak trading periods.
• Strong understanding of hospitality KPIs including sales, labour, GP and guest satisfaction.

Highly Desirable

• Experience opening a new venue or launching a new hospitality concept.
• Experience in a premium café, brunch or speciality coffee environment.
• Barista or coffee knowledge.
• Multi-site management experience.
• Experience using systems such as Square, or similar.
• Personal Licence holder.
• First Aid qualification.
• Work Location: In person