Catering & Events Assistant

We are looking to appoint a number of Catering & Events Assistants to join our Visitor Experience team.

Catering & Events Assistants will be the public face of the catering offer for the company and are responsible for ensuring that the audience and visitors are constantly placed at the heart of the building.

You will make and sell coffee, assist in food preparation, work on the theatre bar and assist with event set up and delivery. It’s a hugely varied job with everyday being different to the last.

Catering & Events is a customer facing role, and therefore Visitor Experience staff need to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to think on their feet and deal with difficult situations or customers.

You will report to the Catering & Events Manager and Head of Visitor Experience. When necessary, you will report to the Visitor Experience Managers.

Place of Work

The place of work will be Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Knowsley.

Pay and Hours of Work

The hourly pay rate of £11.44

You will have no guaranteed hours of work in any given week. Your actual hours to be worked each week will be as necessitated by the needs of the business and this may include evenings or weekend work.

Your actual working hours will be notified to you by your line manager at least two weeks, but usually four weeks in advance. Payment will only be made for actual hours worked.

Shakespeare North believes in a healthy and happy workforce and recognises the importance of helping its employees balance their work and home lives by offering working hours that as far as possible enable them to balance their work commitments with other priorities.

Main Duties:

Food & Beverage:

• To be competent in a serving a variety of food and beverages, including barista coffee and draft beer.
• To assist with small amounts of food preparation and serving.
• To provide a high standard of customer service and ensuring that charges are made and correct payments received.
• Clear tables in the cafe/bar/foh areas and ensure that glassware is cleaned and dishes are done.
• Ensure high standards of hygiene and cleaning.
• Create pre-order and interval drinks within set time frames.
• Up-sell on interval drinks and snacks.
• Be proactive during busy service such as show interval.
• To carry out tasks required of you by your line manager.

Visitor Experience

• To be visitor focused at all times and act as the public face of Shakespeare North Playhouse.
•  To have good knowledge of the productions and activities taking place in the theatre
•  To work in the café, theatre bar or corporate events as needed.
•  To be friendly, inclusive and welcoming to all visitors.
•  To attend daily briefings to ensure you have the relevant information prior to each shift.
•  To be aware of and follow all Visitor Experience procedures.
• To comply with conduct and uniform dress codes.

Health and Safety

• To ensure operations are carried out within the relevant Health & Safety Legislation including
  food hygiene.
•  To be aware of and follow evacuation procedures, knowing fire exits and refuge points.
•  To assist in the safe evacuation of the building.
•  To assist in ensuring the safety of visitors and other staff.
•  To be aware of the building’s counter terrorism policy.

Other Duties

• To make sure audiences are served in a prompt manner so that performances are not delayed.
•  To deal with customer enquiries and when necessary to deal with complaints in a professional
  and calm manner.
•  To have a friendly, enthusiastic and proactive attitude towards your duties.
• To comply with Shakespeare North Playhouse customer care policy.

Person Specification

• A passion for theatre and the arts.
•  Previous experience of food & beverage/customer service in a similar environment.
•  Approachable and the ability to communicate and advocate the work of the building.
•  Barista/bar/cocktail making experience or willing to learn.
•  Well organised and good time management skills.
•  Experience of cash handling/using an electronic till system.
•  Ability to remain calm whilst working under pressure.
•  A good team player.

Diverse Representation

We encourage and welcome applications from people whose background and experience are underrepresented in the cultural sector. We are committed to inclusive working practices and understand
there may be barriers people face when considering an opportunity like this. If you are interested in
applying for this role but feel there are things that may prevent you from getting involved, please get in
touch and let us know how we can support you in making your application and throughout the
selection process.

Equality Monitoring

Please provide equality monitoring information on the form provided so that we can monitor the
Shakespeare North Trust’s equality policy and practices. The information you provide will not impact
on the consideration of your application and will be used solely for the purpose of monitoring.

Equal Opportunities Form

Data Protection

Information provided by you as part of your application will be used in the recruitment process. Any
data about you will be held securely with access restricted to those involved in dealing with your
application in the recruitment process. Once the process is completed the data relating to unsuccessful
applicants will be stored for a maximum of 6 months and then destroyed. If you are the successful
candidate, your application will be retained and form the basis of your personnel record. By submitting
your application, you are giving your consent to your data being stored and processed for the purpose
of the recruitment process, equal opportunities monitoring and your personnel record if you are the
successful candidate. In submitting your application, we will assume that consent by you is given. We
refer you to Shakespeare North’s job applicant privacy notice which you should read before applying
for this role.

If you have any questions or would like to have an informal conversation about the role before
applying, please contact us via email at [email protected]

This job description is intended as a guide to the duties expected of the post-holder. These duties may
be reviewed from time to time to meet the needs of the business.

This job description is not contractual