The Position
You will be managing a team of staff, running a café and supported employment training programme. The Herons Cafe is open 7 days a week. As the Cafe & Business Manager you need to be commercially aware, with the presence and personality to influence the day-to-day business, and maximise the performance of your team. Leading by example and setting high standards, you’ll enhance sales and provide our customers with great service.

Successful candidate must have a passion for food and developing a team to achieve personal goals and sales targets and to bring new ideas to the team and the cafe. Duties will include helping to drive sales, maintain food standards, cafe finances, ensuring regular promotions are run and communicated effectively, monitoring and improving food standards and supervising work based training.
Closing date for applications: Monday 6th February 2012 at 12.00.
First interviews will take place on Thursday 9th February 2012

If you would like to apply for this opportunity simply send a copy of your CV to margaret.bull@workforward.co.uk.

We will will be launching new The Herons Cafe website to co-inside with start of the project at the end of April 2011. The Cafe will be the hub for healthy eating for Coventry residents and will consist of taster days and cookery demonstrations.

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We are very grateful to the Charity and Mrs Tosh for her assistance with this application.

Herons has served over 20,000 customers since it opened in October 2008 by Coventry based social enterprise WorkForward CIC.  The cafe not only offers a warm and welcoming refreshment break for visitors to the Park, but also provides training, employment and work experience opportunities for people with learning disabilities and mental ill health.

Over the past year 15 people have been trained and supported to gain work based skills with a view to helping them to make the move paid employment.  One such trainee is Michael Gorrell.  Michael has been attending Curries Day Centre number of years and was referred to Herons Café in April.

Being part of the team at Herons and gaining experience in a real work environment has given Michael a lot more independence and new found confidence in his ability. He is learning new skills which will help him to find a job. Michael now says: ‘When I finish my training at the Café I will be able to earn money.’

Herons Cafe is expanding its services by launching a corporate catering service and a pensioner’s lunch club. There are also plans to renovate the interior in the new year. The cafe also sells a range of artwork and greeting cards produced by service users at Curries Day Centre.  An Arts and Craft is another social enterprise venture that is being explored.

Staff and trainees will be celebrating Herons’ birthday with invited guests from 2pm-4pm on 19^th November.

Kevin Maton, Network Director, Social Enterprise West Midlands, says:
“Social Enterprise Day is an opportunity for us to celebrate the achievements of businesses that exist to make a positive difference to peoples lives and the environment.  We congratulate all the staff and trainees at Herons Café and WorkForward for opening and running a new business venture during a very turbulent time and wish them every success in the future.”