Store General Manager in London

We are looking for an utterly fabulous individual to manage our new Richmond fresh pasta store and restaurant. We won’t just be cooking and serving our customers the freshest pasta in town (although that’s a big part of it!), but opening doors to one of the coolest locations in town.Picture this: you’ll have your own chefs making fresh pasta in the window to entice the good people of Richmond in. There’ll be the hippest Italian funk and jazz on stereo, the smell of ragù in the air,fresh pasta making classes in-store, drivers buzzing about on our beautiful terracotta Vespas, and much more. Oh, and did we mention that you’ll have your own complimentary wine machine to offer customers a glass of the good stuff when they come and visit you in store?As General Manager, you’ll be responsible for creating something exceptional at Pasta Evangelists Richmond. And, in turn, we’re looking for an exceptional candidate. We want to hear fromcandidates who ooze passion, are confident, charming & wear an easy smile with customers, and who want to be part of our exceptional new fresh pasta concept coming to Richmond. If that sounds like you, we wanted to hear from you yesterday . So, as our Roman ancestors might have said, carpe diem . Show us your soul.

• Lead the charge in launching our exciting new Richmond store and restaurant, offering an amazing customer experience to our guests from the moment we open our doors
• You’ll be the smiling face of Pasta Evangelists Richmond, a figure known in the local area for providing effortless customer service and the finest fresh pasta in town
• You will create, lead and inspire a team of like-minded, passionate individuals, united by their faith in fresh, artisan pasta and determined to deliver an unforgettable in-storeexperience
• You’ll take the lead on creating magic in store, working with our Marketing team to bring limited edition events like in-store Italian lessons, wine evenings, pasta making classes for kids, etc.
• You will create a work environment where team members thrive, grow and feel valued
• You will be our kitchen guardian, ensuring that our sites are fully compliant with the high standards we set for safety and quality
• You will immerse yourself in the intricacies of reports and regulations, guiding us towards success while ensuring unwavering adherence to compliance with Food and Health & Safety standards
• You will craft plans to meet business KPIs, achieving commercial objectives and managing COGS smartly
• Your goal? Delighting customers and driving sales through continuous improvement and innovation

• You are able to speak the language of motivation fluently, inspiring and engaging people at all levels
• You are well-presented and highly personable, and feel comfortable hosting, engaging with & chatting with customers on a near-constant basis
• You have previous experience in nurturing and developing diverse teams
• You have experience in turning raw talent into seasoned pros who love what they do
• You are focused on revenue generation. You understand profit margins and know how to optimise them to keep our business thriving
• You possess a strong commercial acumen, adept at comprehending P&L dynamics. You have experience utilising data-driven insights to inform strategic decisions that ensure the business remains on a steady course
• You are no stranger to human resources. From recruitment to disciplinary processes, you handle it all with empathy and finesse

What we are looking for in an ideal candidate:

• Your love for Italian cuisine is contagious. Share your passion with the team and our guests.
• You are always hungry to learn and grow, both personally and as a leader. You thrive on new challenges and opportunities.
• You are a natural talent-spotter. You will identify potential within the team and nurture it, driving career development and success.
• You believe in recognizing and celebrating achievements and having fun whilst doing it!
• You are experienced in the hospitality industry, with a proven track record of excellence. You know what it takes to deliver top-tier experiences.
• Numbers are your friends. You have experience analysing data to inform decisions and meetthe key performance indicators with precision.
• You lead from the front, empowering and motivating others to excel. Set high standards and watch the team rise to the occasion.
• … If you dream in pasta shapes, you are in the right place.

• Competitive salary to attract the best talent
• Join a dynamic, fast-moving & diverse team
• Join a growing business with growing opportunities
• Regular team socials and pasta tastings
• Your birthday off – fully paid
• 28 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays)
• Complementary staff food & drinks while on shift
• Performance driven Bonus scheme

Who we are:

ARA Pasta are the first Franchise partner of Pasta Evangelists who will be operating Pasta Evangelists restaurants in South London and South east of England. Our ambitious development plans to grow the business over the next few years provides exciting opportunities to develop a career with us. Given our ambitious plans, we are looking for driven individuals  to lead our business through its next growth chapter.

Pasta Evangelists was born seven years ago out of a desire to become the authority in fresh pasta. We’re on a mission to reimagine and elevate pasta as a category, which is worth a staggering £3.8bn yet has seen little innovation for decades.

Since launching our original fresh pasta recipe kit service in 2016, we have built a cult following of British pasta lovers – our Evangelists – who are passionate about discovering the breadth and variety of pasta, as well as the irresistible stories behind it.

Today, Pasta Evangelists is backed by Barilla (the world’s biggest pasta company) and is proud to be the UK’s biggest pasta brand by revenues, as well as one of the UK’s fastest-growing startups . In addition to our website, our recipe kits are also available for customers to purchase through major online retailers like Ocado & Amazon Fresh. Londoners can also treat themselves to fine Italian dinings at our high-end Harrods Pasta Bar , or learn to make our signature dishes from scratch at our viral Pasta Academy , where we welcome thousands of pasta lovers every month.Most recently, we’ve been busy disrupting Britain’s pizza-centric Italian takeaway market with a brand new fresh pasta takeaway concept, available on pastaevangelists.com as well as major delivery players like Deliveroo, UberEats and JustEat . With more than 40 kitchens across the UK, we’re expanding coverage to new cities on an almost weekly basis (including our first openings in Scotland and Wales !). We've also opened the UK's biggest pastificio (which, in Italian, means pasta factory, but 'pastificio' better reflects the type of fresh, artisanal pasta we produce) in Acton, West London, allowing us to make ever more exciting and ambitious pasta and sauces for our customers.  Given our ambitions, we are looking for exceptional professionals to lead our business through its next growth chapter.