Catering Assistant
| Posting date: | 23 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Competitive |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 25 March 2026 |
| Location: | Edinburgh |
| Company: | Compass Group |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 211814 |
Summary
We are Company of Cooks, and we believe brilliant food and drink starts with brilliant people. For over 25 years, we’ve been part of some of the UK’s most loved cultural destinations, from historic palaces and botanical gardens to buzzing galleries and performance spaces, running the cafés, restaurants, bars and events that bring these incredible places to life. Our values - Craft, Creativity and Community - guide everything we do. They shape how we work together, how we support our partners, and how we make each guest feel welcome. If you care about food, people and doing things properly, you’ll feel right at home here. Wherever we are, we do more than serve. We bring places to life through food, service and creativity and we’re looking for a Catering Assistant to join our team at a prestigious destination venue in Edinburgh.Location: EdinburghSalary: £12.60 per hourWorking Pattern: Casual / Zero-hours contract, flexible shifts to support café and events operations
This is a whole-site role supporting a busy daytime café alongside a large events and hospitality operation. You will oversee service for daily visitors, meetings and conferences, private dinners and full-venue hire events. The venue also hosts evening and seasonal events such as Burns Night, Christmas parties and the Edinburgh Fringe, along with sleepovers and group bookings for schools, scouts and corporate groups. Events range from small meetings to large functions of up to 550 guests, with August being a particularly busy period.
Key responsibilities:
What we’re looking for:
What\\'s in it for you? Working with Company of Cooks has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we\\'ve developed a range of benefits to keep you happy.
This is a whole-site role supporting a busy daytime café alongside a large events and hospitality operation. You will oversee service for daily visitors, meetings and conferences, private dinners and full-venue hire events. The venue also hosts evening and seasonal events such as Burns Night, Christmas parties and the Edinburgh Fringe, along with sleepovers and group bookings for schools, scouts and corporate groups. Events range from small meetings to large functions of up to 550 guests, with August being a particularly busy period.
Key responsibilities:
Support café, events and hospitality service across the site
Assist with food preparation and basic cooking where required
Help with setting up and clearing down for events
Maintain cleanliness and organisation of the kitchen and service areas
Ensure compliance with food safety and hygiene standards
Provide friendly and efficient service to all visitors and guests
Support the team wherever needed across the site
What we’re looking for:
Previous experience in catering, hospitality, events or café work is desirable but not essential
Flexible and adaptable approach to work
Enjoys working as part of a team in a fast-paced environment
Friendly, professional and enthusiastic
Willing to work a mix of daytime, evening and weekend shifts as required
What\\'s in it for you? Working with Company of Cooks has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we\\'ve developed a range of benefits to keep you happy.
- Personal Development and Training opportunities
- Life assurance scheme
- Pension scheme
- Holiday allowance
- Eye care
- A great wellbeing strategy – including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance
- Access to Healthcare Support App which includes Annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion
- Family friendly support
- A holiday purchase scheme
- Regular social events and communication with our leaders
- Volunteering days
- Recognition schemes and people awards
- Long service awards
- Access to some great high street discount vouchers