Lounges

Lounges are informal neighbourhood café bars, open all day every day where families, friends and locals can come for a coffee, a drink or something to eat in a relaxed and comfortable environment.

Our menus reflect our personality, and are available all day. We offer all sorts from our famous brunches and burgers to an eclectic array of tapas, sandwiches and paninis and fuller dishes. Our specials menu changes regularly and we have dedicated vegan, gluten free, kids and party menus, so there really is something for everyone.

Lounge interiors are comfortable, inviting and a bit eccentric with plenty of reclaimed and antique furniture, fittings and artwork. The photos, the majority of which feature Dave’s grandparents and our own chairman Alex are fun, distinctive and sometimes a little potty!

There’s a variety of board games for everyone, newspapers, free WiFi, highchairs, a neighbourhood book swap and community board. Lounges host regular quizzes and fundraisers too, really getting to the heart of their community.

At Lounges we have a very simple objective that runs through all we do; we call it 'The Cause':

"Our Lounge is a home from home, offering delicious food and drinks, all day, on your doorstep. We exist to bring people together and our unique atmosphere changes hour by hour with each wave of new customers. We are proud of our Lounge and its community and our aim is simple; every customer leaves happy."

We’re the kind of place where a job naturally turns into a career, as we’re growing so rapidly there are plenty of opportunities. It really is down to you how far you go! And we’re a caring bunch. Our managers know that a happy team makes for a happy Lounge, so you’re their number one priority. We ensure you get solid training so you never feel out of your depth, a meal for each shift worked, and there’s plenty of incentives, bonuses (for everyone!) and team fun.

We work hard at training. We know it’s one of the reasons why our guests love us: they know they’re going to get great products, served by knowledgeable, friendly staff. It doesn’t just happen though – we put a lot of effort into it.

We run an on-going programme of training for all of the people in our business that are in a leadership role, from supervisors all the way up to Operations Managers. We employ some of the best management-training experts in the country to provide our managers with the tools they need to get the best out of their teams. These sessions include work on coaching, mentoring, leading, interviewing, running appraisals, and a vast array of other areas. It’s proved really successful, and gives our managers a real sense that they are constantly developing and moving forward.

We also use industry-leading experts to run training sessions in each of the key areas in which we operate. For example, Clifton Coffee Roasters in Bristol do our coffee training – they have a team of Baristas who compete in international competitions, so we know they are some of the best in the world, and they pass on their knowledge and passion to our guys. We take the same approach with wine and spirits and cocktails – we have a selection of trainers, each experts in their own field, who run master classes for our teams so they can get the best coaching available.

We also support many of our staff with fully funded college courses – in the last year we have seen some graduate from advanced courses in patisserie, NVQ Level 3, marketing courses, and a great deal more. It’s a win-win for all of us – we get the best people, and our guys get free qualifications.

Every year we have a number of incentives running – there’s basically something going on every month of the year, and the prizes vary from trips abroad, to tickets to music festivals, iPads, and big piles of cash. It’s a great opportunity for the teams to get into the competitive spirit, as well as for us to build great links with our suppliers, as well as getting some awesome prizes into the bargain!

Last, but definitely not least, is the staff party. This is not just a few beers in a seedy club – at Loungers we like to do things on a different scale. We have our own annual festival, Loungefest – picture over a thousand people in a field, with marquees, stalls, dodgems, live music, bungee running, food stalls, masses of locally made cider, and you might begin to get the idea. It’s fab, and it’s something we all look forward to every year!