Dining & Hospitality Host

Location: Foxholes Care Home (assigned to one floor / one servery)
Hours: 08:00–14:00 (some weekend rota availability preferred)
Reporting to: Head Chef / Kitchen Manager (day-to-day) and working closely with Floor Lead
 

ROLE PURPOSE

To bring a calm, consistent and welcoming dining experience to our residents - leading floor-based meal service, room service and wash-up turnaround, and running the mid-morning tea trolley. This role restores the hotel-style feel of mealtimes at Foxholes and frees our care team to spend more time caring.
 

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Breakfast service (08:00 – 10:00)
• Prepare the dining room for breakfast: tables set, clean, calm environment
• Welcome residents as they arrive, support seating and create a pleasant atmosphere
• Serve breakfast with consistent portioning and presentation, following each resident's preferences
• Deliver breakfast to resident rooms on the floor when required
• Clear tables and resident room trays promptly and respectfully

Post-breakfast clear-down & wash-up (10:00 – 10:30)
• Collect used crockery and trays from the dining room and resident rooms
• Complete wash-up via the floor dishwasher or central kitchen process (to be confirmed)
• Reset the dining area ready for the next service

Tea trolley round (10:30 – 11:30)
• Prepare and run the tea trolley across the floor
• Make teas and coffees and offer small snacks where appropriate
• Offer friendly conversation and reassurance, encouraging hydration

Lunch set-up & service (11:30 – 13:30)
• Set the dining room for lunch: tables, drinks, condiments, cleanliness
• Support the lunch service with consistent plating, portioning and a calm rhythm
• Deliver lunch to resident rooms on the floor where required
• Clear the dining room and collect room trays after service

End-of-shift close (13:30 – 14:00)
• Final wash-up and turnaround as needed
• Dining room reset, wipe-downs, bins managed
 

WHAT THIS ROLE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR

• Checking food labels, cupboard stock control or servery restocking audits (owned by the Head Chef / Kitchen as agreed)
•  Personal care tasks — you support care by freeing carers to do it
   

STANDARDS & COMPLIANCE

• Follow food hygiene, allergen awareness, infection prevention, COSHH and safe manual handling practice
• Report hazards immediately (spillages, hot equipment, trip risks)
   

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

• Warm, confident, calm communicator — you set the tone in the room
• Organised and consistent with portioning and routines
• Comfortable working in a care setting and engaging with older people
• Physically able to move trays and trolleys and be on your feet
   

DESIRABLE

• Experience in hospitality (cafe?, restaurant, hotel, catering, school kitchen)
• Food Safety Level 2, or willingness to complete it straight away

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

•  The dining room feels calm and welcoming, not task-driven
• Residents are greeted and served by a familiar face every day
• Meals reach rooms smoothly, with trays collected back promptly
• Carers spend less time serving and washing up, and more time on care