Estefania Moreno

An energetic and commercially sharp General Manager with 15+ years building teams, running multi-site operations and creating environments where people genuinely want to be. Having opened new locations, built operational playbooks from scratch and grown communities across 11 sites at Friska, the opportunity to lead Runway East's newest Bristol space from day one is exactly the kind of challenge that brings out the best in me. I lead from the front, hold high standards, and believe great hospitality, whether in a café, restaurant, or coworking space, is built on the same foundations: warm relationships, consistent execution, and a relentless focus on making people feel welcome.

HR & Payroll Manager at The Waiting Game Ltd (2025-05 – Present)

Overseeing end-to-end HR and weekly payroll for 200+ employees, ensuring compliance and consistency across the business. Partnering with senior leadership on workforce planning and policy implementation.

• Streamlined payroll operations, significantly reducing processing time and errors across a high-volume weekly cycle for 200+ employees
• Redesigned office workflows and time management systems, delivering measurable productivity improvements across administrative teams
• Introduced structured onboarding and performance review frameworks, directly improving staff retention and engagement

Operations Director at Pastan Limited (2022-11 – 2025-04)

Full P&L and operational responsibility across four restaurant sites. Set and monitored KPIs, managed supplier relationships, led HR and recruitment, and drove revenue growth through team excellence and customer experience.

• Led all operational and commercial functions across UK and Spain, ensuring SOP compliance, cost control and guest satisfaction
• Managed weekly leadership meetings covering sales performance, service recovery, staff development and operational priorities
• Oversaw purchasing, accounts payable/receivable, stock quality and supplier performance across all sites
• Built and maintained a culture of accountability, delivering consistent service standards without reliance on external management support

HR Manager at Eat a Pitta Bristol (2021-09 – 2022-11)

Brought in to professionalise the HR function during a period of rapid growth. Managed full employee lifecycle across five Bristol locations.

• Created an innovative 'Cover Store' model, a dedicated float team replacing agency workers, saving an estimated £12,000 per month in labour costs
• Managed scheduling, disciplinary processes, employment law compliance and recruitment for 100+ staff members
• Partnered with operations to redesign job evaluation frameworks and align employment terms with business needs

General Manager & Recruitment Lead at Friska (2012-12 – 2021-09)

Nine years at the heart of one of Bristol's best-loved café brands. Grew with the business from single-site manager to group-wide Recruitment Manager, responsible for hiring and training across all 11 locations. This is the role that shaped my belief that great operations are built on great people, and great culture.

• Spearheaded the opening of new stores, from site readiness and team recruitment to training and launch, multiple times throughout tenure
• Designed and delivered comprehensive Front of House and Back of House training programmes, raising service consistency across the group
• Recruited and onboarded talent at scale across 11 sites, developing processes that reduced time-to-productivity for new starters
• Managed day-to-day café operations: vendor coordination, financial record-keeping, menu updates, customer experience and team performance
• Built strong customer loyalty through proactive problem-solving, personal relationships with regulars, and a team culture focused on genuine hospitality

Level 5 People Professional Apprenticeship

A-Level in Business Management (2020)

Diploma of Higher Education in Tourism – University of Córdoba, Spain (2001 – 2005)

Certificate in Office Professional Certificate Programme