AddressThe Role
You will be part of the team working in our award winning Gastro-pub, the Oakfield, which was once the home to the founder of our zoo, George Mottershead and his family. You’ll be responsible for providing exceptional customer service to all our guests, whether they are stopping by for a quick drink during their day out at the zoo, having a delicious freshly made meal, or here as part of a wedding or corporate function.
You will carry out all general front of house restaurant/pub duties, including:
- Welcoming and seating guests
- Providing excellent customer service to all guests
- Taking orders and providing recommendations of our food and drink options
- Preparing drinks, and serving food and drinks to tables
- Keeping the Oakfield clean, tidy and well stocked
The Package
You’ll be working a variety of shifts, including during our core zoo opening hours, as well as early morning or evening work for events such as weddings and corporate functions or late-night opening.
Contract hours are 20 hours per week, 5 days out of 7 on a rota basis including weekends and bank holidays. Additional hours are available during busy periods and overtime will be paid.
- Permanent contract
- £11,232 per annum based on 20 hours per week (equivalent of £10.80 per hour currently, rising to £11.44 per hour from 1 April 2024)
- 33 days annual leave (based on 5 days per week)
- Annual holiday buy/sell scheme
- Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off plus multiple complimentary tickets for your friends and family
- Cycle to work scheme
- Healthcare plan and employee assistance programme
- Discounted gym membership at a number of local gyms
- Discounts on cinema tickets, restaurants, high street shops and more via Perks
- Pension scheme with generous employer contributions up to 9%
Our Requirements
- Excellent customer service skills, ideally gained in a similar environment such as a leading British Gastro-pub
- Excellent communication skills and teamwork
- A good level of numeracy and literacy, to help with taking orders, reading menus and processing payments
- Cash handling experience
Desirable Requirements
- It would be great if you also have experience of working functions and events such as weddings and corporate meetings, however full training will be given.
- Bar experience would be advantageous
More About Us
Chester Zoo is a conservation zoo on a bold mission to prevent extinction. We are UK’s most popular zoo and as well as winning lots of awards, we welcome 2 million visitors a year through our gates.
We focus on delivering memorable experiences for all our visitors and a key focus for this is our hospitality venues, which are so much more than you’d expect.
Our venues, all held within our 128-acre site of stunning gardens, will jointly operate a turnover of £12.5 million. As a not for profit, everything we make is ploughed into conservation both here in the UK and around the world. Your role has a huge part to play in delivering our mission.
