What our team have to say
Emma Tomkinson
Why did I choose to work for Harvester?
I chose to work for Harvester because I love the brand and believe in the family values that we stand for. I’ve regularly visited since being a child and I was drawn to the company because I have always loved the family focus and excellent food. I wanted to work in a fast-paced restaurant in a buzzing atmosphere with a fantastic team that makes work life fun and I knew that Harvester could offer me that!
Tell us about your training/career so far
I joined Harvester half way through my career in hospitality where I became the Assistant Manager of a brand-new business. I was able to recruit and train my own new team and build a great reputation with our new guests. Years later I’m still here and very proud of my team and the business. It’s been hard work, but with the great support and family atmosphere I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.
I’m now developing my career even further as I am working to become a District Trainer. This new role gives me the opportunity to support other team members from across the business, I will be able to share my knowledge and experience to help develop their careers!
I’m also on my way to becoming a General Manager, with all the resources from the team from our Retail Support Centre to the online training I can access when it suits me, I know I will achieve this goal!
What do you love most about your job?
I love the people!
I work with an amazing team who are more like a family to me than just work colleagues. I also love our guests, meeting new people every day and making their visit special is what I love doing. The flexibility that Harvester offers allows me to enjoy what I love doing whilst having a great work life balance.
I am proud to work for Harvester, I am thankful for all the opportunities that are available to me which enables me to progress my career.
Assistant Manager at Harvester Salt Cellar in Middlewich
Craig Fisher
Kitchen Manager at Harvester Arden Oak, Birmingham
Why did I choose to work for Harvester?
I chose to join Harvester as it allowed me to have a great work/life balance whilst also offering multiple opportunities for development. I originally began my career as a Front of House Server, but soon cross trained into the kitchen where I started my progression from being a Kitchen Assistant to a Main Line Chef.
Tell us about your training/career so far
My General Manager encouraged me to sign up to the Chefs Academy where I completed both my Level 2 and Level 3 Senior Chef. This was an great experience as it allowed me to attend and present food of a high standard at The PRIDE Awards for two consecutive years and on the second year the dish which I produced during my time doing the apprenticeship was chosen as the winning dish to be served on the evening. After completing my apprenticeship I continued my development whilst working with an AKM and progressed into the Kitchen Team Leader role. This again created more opportunities as I was able to take lead of the kitchen whilst my KM was out supporting the district and gave me the chance to show my full potential. After seven years I was lucky enough to progress into my first Kitchen Manager position which so far has been successful.
What do you love most about your job?
I love having the chance to work alongside others who also have passion for their jobs and being able to give them the same opportunities that I did to further their own careers. Every day is a different challenge that always allows me to push myself further and expand my knowledge. Not only does the company have a great training platform, but they also offer other amazing opportunities with a variety of Apprenticeships. I look forward to continuing my journey with Harvester and hope to be an AKM in the near future.
Kirsty Munn
Why did I choose to work for Harvester?
Originally, I chose to work for Harvester due to the flexibility they offer. However, after only a few weeks I soon realised that the company offered a lot more to its employees.
Progression is one thing that particularly interested me especially in such a well-established company. I quickly realised that there are so many different career paths you can choose within Harvester, it’s exciting that you can decide what direction you take your career in.
I also love the fact that it’s such an enjoyable place to work, the team are great and every day we work to give our guests a wonderful experience every time they visit!
I chose Harvester because I love that guests are at the heart of the brands vision and values!
Tell us about your training/career so far
I joined the Harvester family after having my little boy and soon realised I wanted to explore various avenues available to me to get more out of my role. I was able to work towards a Team Leader position and whilst doing so was nominated for the annual Harvester Feel Good Factor Awards which is a companywide competition that is held every year. Not only was the competition great fun I was also crowned Front of House team member of the year!
One year on and I’ve now progressed to Shift Supervisor and I’m working towards becoming a District Trainer, so I can support the needs of other team members across the company.
My manager is a huge support to my career. She is so passionate about Harvester and has the knowledge and experience to support me. Teamed with the fantastic training the company provides I was quickly able to develop. I hope to progress further, and I am very excited for my future!
What do you love most about your job?
I love coming to work and spending time with my team who have all become great friends, it's great fun working to make memorable experiences for our guests. It’s a lovely feeling when guests return to the restaurant and they remember you, or when they tell you we had to come here today as the kids asked to go back to the Harvester to see Kirsty.
It’s not just my place of work I have to go to day to day, it’s a place where I go to have fun and enjoy interacting with my team and guests in order to deliver the fantastic service that makes us who we are.
Shift Supervisor at Harvester The Unicorn in Plymouth
We are proud to have won the category for ‘Best Employee Engagement Initiative’ at the 2018 CIPD awards.