Tea Room Assistant

Maries Tearoom & Emporium and The Studio, Gravesend
With the opportunity to progress into a future Team Lead role

We’re looking for a friendly, reliable and adaptable Team Assistant to join our small team. This is a varied, hands-on role, working across our kitchen, front of house and events.

You’ll help prepare simple breakfasts, lunches and bakes, look after our customers, and help prepare and run activities, parties and private events. We need someone who enjoys variety and is happy to support wherever needed.

What you’ll be doing

Kitchen and food preparation

• Prepare and serve simple breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas, following our recipes and presentation standards.
• Prepare cakes, bakes and other sweet treats.
• Keep the kitchen clean, organised and ready for service.
• Follow food hygiene and allergen procedures, including food storage, labelling and temperature records.
• Help monitor stock, rotate ingredients and minimise waste.

Front of house

• Welcome customers and provide friendly, attentive service.
• Take orders, handle payments and prepare and serve drinks.
• Serve food, clear tables and keep customer areas clean and welcoming.
• Answer questions about our menu, activities, events and private hire options.
• Support opening and closing tasks and the smooth running of each shift.

Events, parties and activities

• Help prepare rooms, materials, decorations and food for events.
• Welcome guests and help events run smoothly and on time.
• Help deliver—and, once trained, lead—children’s activities, creative workshops, parties and seasonal events.
• Support afternoon tea events and private bookings.
• Clear away, clean and reset the space afterwards.
• Follow safeguarding and safety procedures, reporting any concerns promptly.

What we’re looking for

• A friendly, approachable manner and a genuine interest in looking after customers.
• A practical, flexible attitude and willingness to work across all areas of the business.
• Confidence with basic food preparation and an interest in baking.
• Good organisation, attention to detail and high standards of cleanliness.
• Reliability, teamwork and the ability to use your initiative.
• Confidence interacting with both adults and children.
• Willingness to learn new skills and complete relevant training.

Experience in a café, tearoom, hospitality, catering or events setting would be helpful. You don’t need to have done every part of the role before, but you should be willing to learn and become confident across the different areas.

Opportunity to progress

For the right person, there is the potential to develop into a Team Lead role as the business grows.

This could include taking responsibility for shifts, coordinating day-to-day tasks, supporting colleagues, overseeing events and helping maintain our service standards. Progression will depend on performance, readiness and the needs of the business, with training and support provided.

Working with us

As a small business, everyone plays a part in keeping things running well. This role includes food preparation, customer service, events, cleaning and setting up spaces, so a willingness to get involved is essential.

Flexibility to work weekends and occasional evening events will be needed, with working hours and availability agreed during recruitment.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Pay: Up to £13.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Store discount

Experience:

• Hospitality: 1 year (preferred)
• Baking: 1 year (preferred)

Licence/Certification:

• Driving Licence (required)

Work Location: In person