Lead, inspire and create across three thriving cafés
Merlo Coffee Roasters is looking for an experienced culinary professional ready to lead our kitchen operations across our three Toowoomba cafés.
If you’re a hands‑on leader who thrives on operational excellence, loves building teams, and gets a buzz from crafting memorable food experiences, this could be the perfect next step in your career.
What you’ll be doing
- Oversee and support kitchen teams across three Merlo cafés, ensuring consistency in quality, presentation, and service.
- Lead seasonal menu development and implement new dishes that celebrate Toowoomba’s local flavours while staying true to the Merlo brand.
- Drive operational excellence – from food safety and compliance to cost control and rostering.
- Build, mentor, and inspire high‑performing teams through training, coaching, and cross‑site collaboration.
- Partner with local producers and suppliers to champion fresh, regional ingredients.
What you’ll bring
- At least 5 years’ experience in progressive kitchen management across cafés or restaurants.
- Proven success in menu development, recipe costing, and seasonal menu rollouts.
- HACCP certification and robust understanding of Queensland food safety regulations.
- Experience managing multi‑site kitchen operations and team leadership.
- Strong financial acumen and ability to manage wage and labour budgets.
- A passion for people, quality food, and coffee!
What’s in it for you
- Opportunity to shape the culinary direction of a growing Toowoomba business
- Supportive leadership team that values creativity and input
- Ongoing professional development and culinary training
- Staff meal and coffee perks – because great food and great coffee go hand in hand
At Merlo we care about our people, our customers and of course our coffee. To ensure we successfully continue to maintain the Merlo magic, we follow the ‘Merlo Recipe ’ in everything we do.
R espect –E xcellence –C ustomer Service –I ntegrity –P assion –E ducation.
This is a unique opportunity to lead something special in Toowoomba, helping Merlo Coffee continue its mission of delivering exceptional coffee and fresh, honest food to our community.
For more information, visit:.
#J-18808-Ljbffr