Cafe Manager

Overview of the position

The Retail Lead is the organizing and driving force behind the goal of, “Strategic retail expansion in line with our company vision and image” within the Corvus Coffee company goals. An organized and self driven desire to provide memorable customer service, inspiring drink quality, and to build an invigorating culture is a key attribute of the Retail Lead position. The Retail Lead  is a salary exempt position which includes responsibilities in quality control, scheduling, training, floor management, project management, creative human resource management, and business development. The Retail Lead is also responsible for assisting the Director of Operations in overall expansion efforts of the Corvus retail business.

Quality Control

The Retail Lead is the final management position before our coffees are consumed by our customers. A successful retail manager understands that the overall success of Corvus Coffee is dependent on the quality of our drinks. The retail lead constantly improves drink quality through training, awareness of staff skill level and consistency, machine maintenance, and in the moment feedback. Cultivating this culture within the staff is a constant habit which focuses on encouraging tasting drinks, using the resources provided to them, and working with training staff to create procedures and ongoing training which challenges and empowers the retail team. The cafe lead should have a system for consistently checking the quality of drinks and providing guidance to the team.

Scheduling and Training

Labor costs are one of the largest expenses in the retail business. The retail manager is responsible for managing these at a level which reduces unnecessary spending while ensuring enough coverage for memorable customer service. Effective scheduling creates good workflow and leverages different peoples skills to complement each other on shift. The retail manager is responsible for ensuring appropriate overall staff levels through recruiting, quality hiring, and training/retention. The retail lead is a salary exempt position, and should schedule themselves 40-45 hours per week in the cafe. Additional hours may be required, but should not be a regular occurrence with effective management of the cafe.

Floor Management

Approx 80% of the retail leader’s time is spent scheduled on the floor. This time should be used to demonstrate leadership, provide feedback, and ensure retail operations run smoothly. Demonstrating leadership includes effectively setting up shifts for success, managing clearly throughout the day, and effectively using management materials. Providing feedback should be a constant habit the retail manager curates within him/herself to create a general culture of feedback. Feedback should be direct, timely, and both given and received without negatively affecting morale. This aspect of the culture is one of the most important to ensure the retail manager can implement change and hit his/her goals within the company. The retail leader is in charge of ensuring retail operations run smoothly on a day to day basis. This includes regular oversight of cash handling procedures and follow up on variances, ensuring compliance with food and safety standards, effective drink flow and customer service, and effective delegation.

Project Management

Throughout the year the retail leader will be responsible for several key projects’ implementations. These include, but are not limited to, menu changes, retail set changes, and implementing operation improvements. The ability to plan effectively and delegate essential tasks is key to ensuring these projects accomplish the objective while finishing on time. The retail leader is a very organized and effective planner. This skill is also essential for communicating new coffee arrivals in an engaging manner, and creating a system for communication on a regular basis with staff.

Human Resource Management

The Retail Leader is the front line human resources person each day. A basic knowledge of human resource standards and compliance issues is key for dealing with conflict, interviewing and hiring, terminating employment, and building a store culture. Creative HR policies can include store meetings, events, and team /knowledge building events. The goal of human resources is to create an exciting and challenging environment which fosters an engaged staff.

Business Development

A successful retail leader has a comprehensive understanding of the numbers of the business. Constantly setting goals for gross margins, and reducing overhead while creating new opportunities to increase sales is a key function of the retail leader.

Requirements

• Must love coffee and actively seek to grow in coffee
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Good organizational, planning, and time management skills
• Ability to work well within, and lead a team
• Must be approachable, mindful, and positive
• Solid problem solving and management skills
• Ability to give and receive constructive feedback in any situation
• Specialty coffee experience preferred
• Must value  honesty and integrity in everything they do
• Management experience 2+ years in a high volume environment required

Ongoing Duties

• Coaching to increase productivity of staff and adherence to operational and cleanliness standards
• Reviewing operation procedures to ensure clarity and effectiveness of materials
• Ensuring all policies and procedures have written companion materials
• Regular meetings with Director of Operations to set goals and monitor progress of projects
• Other Duties as Assigned

Benefits:

• Health/Vision/Dental Insurance after 60 days
• 401K + 3% Match at 1 Year
• 3 weeks of PTO
• 6 paid Holidays
• Salary Commensurate with Experience
• 55,000-60,000