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Area Manager

Inspired by the modern bistros of France, Côte was founded in 2007 and now has more than 80 restaurants across the UK. We were created to offer an authentic, affordable taste of French luxury right here on the UK high street. We want dining with us to be a pleasure from the moment you walk inside – a place to relax, meet others & enjoy delicious, freshly made food & expertly selected wine. Everything from the warmth of our welcome, to the sourcing of our ingredients, to the look of each restaurant, is carefully considered & designed to offer the most enjoyable experience for all who come to Côte.

This all starts with our people. We’re passionate about creating a culture that invites everyone to find their place around our table because special things happen when we come together. Our values are hugely important in our approach to inviting talent in & creating a sense of belonging. We believe that life (& food!) is best experienced with an open mind to constantly explore & learn, unearthing new interests & possibilities. Connecting with people as unique individuals & paying attention to the small things that can have a big impact, is the key to creating a distinctly Côte experience for our teams, as well as our guests.

This is more important than ever, given the exciting opportunities ahead for the next chapter of our well-loved brand.

Area Manager – in a nutshell

As an Area Manager, you will lead the General Managers and Head Chefs to achieve high performance within our restaurants. You will live & breathe our values in how you will lead, motivate and inspire the team to drive sales and profit, as well as our brand reputation through the delivery of exceptional service, great food, and operating standards. High performance will be achieved through nurturing and developing people, having a cohesive succession plan, and carefully balancing the focus of both people and profit.

The good stuff

• Competitive salary, car allowance & bonus
• 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Company pension scheme & life assurance scheme
• Treat yourself, family, and friends to 100% on food and drink at any Côte
• Access to join the Bupa health cash plan scheme
• We pay all our teams fortnightly because who doesn’t love a payday?
• Access your next pay early through our Wagestream partnership
• Discounts up for grabs with over 200 retailers and brands via Perkbox
• We take well-being seriously, so you’ll have access to Smart Health, which offers 24/7 support

The role in more detail

• Have a clear vision and strategy for your area, ensuring alignment with the region and the business, and articulate this effectively to ensure your team fully understand the part they play in achieving it
• Mentor, coach and review the performance of your General Managers; identify needs, risks, and development and provide feedback and support readily and specifically
• Great awareness of, and an ability to lead on people processes and employee relations
• Recognise, reward, and celebrate success and lead your restaurant teams to do the same
• Identify talent and focus on internal development and growth, balanced with bringing in the very best external talent where required
• Ensure that your restaurants are fully resourced against blueprint (that's our headcount)
• Drive compliance of brand standards to ensure restaurants are safe, clean, and set up to deliver an exceptional guest experience
• Empower your team to consistently deliver and improve the guest experience signatures
• Champion our values and behaviours across your area to fully embed our culture
• Support and lead your General Managers to deliver operating profit, manage costs and maintain focus on agreed KPIs
• Full accountability for your area P&L
• Analyse restaurant and area performance, incorporating your commercial awareness to benchmark and seek new opportunities
• Lead the ongoing Evolution journey, including supporting restaurants and preparing teams for refurbishment
• Build collaborative relationships with support office functions to ensure your area has the necessary support, information, and tools
• Manage multiple workstreams with both short- and long-term deadlines

What you’ll bring to the table

• A people-led approach, with the skill and ambition to develop high-performing teams
• Previous Area Management experience in hospitality
• Passion for food and service, along with the ability to nurture that in others
• Recognising and championing best practice and encouraging idea sharing
• Positive mindset and optimistic outlook, to encourage and inspire your team
• Highly collaborative approach, an open mind and plenty of curiosity
• Attention to detail, seeing things through the guest’s eyes and always working to find opportunities for improvement
• Pride in your own performance and always looking for ways to improve and develop
• Strong influencing skills, enabling you to challenge the status quo to drive continuous improvement and performance
• Persistence and resilience – you will have the ability to deal with ambiguity and adapt to shifting priorities
• Ability to consistently deliver results (including under pressure) and take accountability, with a solution-focussed mindset to drive performance across the area
• Commercial and financial acumen to identify opportunities, improve key performance indicators and make the right decisions, based on data and insights
• Confidence and credibility to represent Côte, and act as a brand and culture ambassador across the business and in the wider industry