Retail & Customer Experience Manager — Olliffe Butcher Shop

VG Meats • Toronto, ON

13d • Onsite

About The Position

Olliffe, established in 1975 and part of the Harvest to Gather family, is a renowned butcher shop in Toronto known for exceptional whole-animal butchery, deep product knowledge, and a commitment to regenerative agriculture. We believe grocery shopping should be an experience, and the person behind the counter should be knowledgeable. We are seeking a Retail & Customer Experience Manager to elevate the customer experience and manage the shop with disciplined systems. This role combines high-level hospitality with operational discipline, focusing on customer education, relationship building, accurate inventory management, and data-driven decision-making. While skilled butchers are on staff, this role emphasizes retail and customer experience strength, with the manager expected to support the team during busy periods but not perform closing-butcher duties. The core responsibilities include leading the customer experience, managing shop systems, developing and coaching the team, driving visual merchandising, ensuring food safety, and amplifying the brand through social media and storytelling.

Requirements

• Background in premium food retail, fine-dining hospitality, or butcher-shop / specialty-grocery management
• Genuine systems-and-data mindset — comfortable living in a POS and inventory system, reconciling numbers, and making decisions from them
• Proficiency with POS and inventory management systems (LightSpeed experience a plus)
• Proven ability to train, mentor, and develop a team
• Strong social media skills with an eye for visual storytelling
• Working knowledge of meat cuts, aging, and cooking methods (or genuine eagerness to learn)
• Food handler certification (or willingness to obtain immediately)
• Natural warmth and genuine enjoyment of customer interaction
• A manager's instinct: spot the one problem holding everything back, and stay on it until it's solved
• Disciplined and detail-driven — you'd rather follow the system than wing it
• Calm under pressure; sound decisions in a fast-paced environment
• Emotional intelligence to read customers and support team members
• Willingness to do any task — from serving customers to sweeping floors
• Passion for quality food and sustainable sourcing
• Get genuinely excited about a beautiful steak and about a clean set of numbers that proves the shop is healthy
• Treat a $20 purchase with the same care as a $200 order
• Find satisfaction in developing others
• Take pride in the details — the clean case, the perfect wrap, the remembered name, the inventory that ties out
• Believe that how we raise and source our food matters

Nice To Haves

• LightSpeed experience a plus

Responsibilities

• Create a warm, knowledgeable, and memorable experience for every customer
• Curate meals and guide customers to a better cooking experience
• Handle special requests and complaints with grace, turning challenges into loyalty
• Build personal relationships with regulars, knowing their names, preferences, and families
• Manage inventory accurately and daily through LightSpeed POS, Versatile ordering, and planogram tools
• Keep batch records and mass balance current for recipe costing, margin control, and compliance
• Make data-driven decisions and investigate variances
• Train team members on product knowledge, service standards, and systems
• Conduct daily huddles, monthly one-on-ones, and ongoing coaching
• Lead by example, including jumping behind the counter during rushes and staying late when needed
• Build a bench of capable team members ready to step into leadership
• Create stunning meat displays that draw customers in and inspire purchases
• Refresh the case weekly and overhaul for holidays and seasons, reconciling with the planogram
• Cross-merchandise thoughtfully
• Document beautiful displays for social media and future reference
• Lead daily sanitation checklists and conduct regular safety audits
• Enforce HACCP principles, temperature control, and health regulations without compromise
• Minimize shrinkage, reduce waste, and hit margin targets
• Post 3-5 pieces of social media content weekly from the shop floor
• Capture behind-the-scenes moments, beautiful displays, and customer stories
• Coordinate with marketing on campaigns while keeping content authentic
• Be a credible ambassador for regenerative agriculture and tell the story of our farms

Benefits

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Performance bonus tied to company cash performance
• Opportunities for growth within Harvest to Gather, including multi-location responsibility, new store openings, training program development, strategic planning, and brand development.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed