Cafe Leader - Downtown Berkeley

About the job

A Blue Bottle Cafe Leader creates a culture of belonging where teams with diverse backgrounds, styles, and perspectives can grow. They develop the team to consistently deliver great hospitality and coffee experiences, while ensuring accountability for cafe standards and business goals.  

Our Cafe Leaders are responsible for the overall success of our cafes. They hire and build strong teams and are focused on training and developing each team member and future leader. They are also responsible for ensuring all our cafe guests experience exceptional hospitality and coffee experiences and for leading the cafe to achieve our financial and operational goals.

Our Cafe Leaders inspire our teams by living out our Guiding Principles—Welcome and Care for All, Raise the Bar, Build for Tomorrow, Simplify and Go, Grow Together—every day. They invite their team, vendors, and guests to create community through coffee.

• A strong and dedicated people leader who understands that collaboration takes work. You understand your team and cultivate the right experiences so team members and leaders can grow together
• A business leader who understands how to drive a cafe to financial success through operational excellence, creative initiatives, and building an amazing team
• Obsessed with hospitality, you always anticipate the needs of guests and your community 
• Deeply empathetic, with an open and positive attitude toward problem solving. You are not afraid to ask challenging questions if it helps us do right by our teams, guests, and business
• Never satisfied with the status quo, you are energized by ambitious and challenging goals 
• Able to balance both the big picture and the nitty-gritty in shaping and leading the strategy for your cafe while also driving excellent day-to-day operations 
• Flexible and creative in problem solving—you roll with the punches and have fun doing it
• Passionate about the planet and creating a sustainable future for our people, the company, and our planet

• Build, develop, inspire, and retain an incredible team by listening carefully, sharing feedback openly and honestly, and remaining transparent
• Ensure every guest at your cafe has an exceptionally hospitable experience by continually finding new ways to coach your team to exceed guest expectations 
• Drive strong and ever-improving financial performance, always finding ways to expand the reach of your cafe and be as efficient as possible in doing it
• Communicate our company values for a sustainable future to your team members and inspire them to help Blue Bottle achieve our company-wide sustainability goals 
• Collaborate with other teams at Blue Bottle and your Area Leader to creatively engage your community, deepening relationships with regular guests and welcoming newcomers
• Coach and train to ensure we always meet our high standards of quality and deliciousness for every beverage and food item served in your cafe
• Work on bar and on the floor, not only to help the team in busy moments but to stay constantly connected to the heart of our work and find ways to continually improve it
• Create and maintain a thoughtful work schedule for your team that balances individual, team, and cafe needs while meeting our business goals for efficiency
• Manage day-to-day operations of the cafe smoothly and accurately, including ordering, banking, reviewing and approving payroll, and so on.
• Promote a safe and respectful working environment
• Uphold and follow all health, food safety, and safety guidelines

• Experience navigating complex labor ordinances, such as Fair Work Week laws or the San Francisco Formula Retail Employee Rights Ordinance and ensuring compliance in a retail/hospitality environment.
• 2+ years of retail/hospitality experience with a strong preference for coffee, food, and beverage
• 2+ years of leadership experience leading a team of 10+ people
• Completed Blue Bottle’s Barista Essentials training and validation program or will complete it within 90 days post-hire 
• Existing Food Safety Certification required for the state you will be working in and your specific role or will obtain it within 30 days post-hire 
• A strong understanding of a profit and loss statement and knowledge of how to impact it
• Comfort using computer programs, especially Google Drive tools (Sheets, Docs, Calendar)
• A flexible schedule and are available to work mornings, evenings, weekends and holidays

• Ability to stand and walk for long periods of time. You’re on your feet the majority of the day, whether you are standing behind bar pulling shots or walking the cafe floor
• Use of hands to reach, grip, turn and perform precision work. You’re using your hands to operate beautiful espresso machines, pour delicious pour overs, and operate the register (among other responsibilities)
• As needed squat, bend, twist and reach for items below waist level or above shoulders. For example, you may have to bend down or reach up  to grab  cups, lids and towels
• Ability to lift,  push/pull, carry and/or move up to 50 pounds. For example, you’ll be handling bags of coffee beans, coffee kegs, crates of milk, tub of dishes and trash bins
• As needed climb ladders, stairs, ramps and uneven floor and/or surfaces. For example, climb on a step stool to change menu slacks, go up and down stairs and ramps to storage areas
• Ability to smell and taste. You’re tasting and smelling coffee and food, helping ensure quality control for each cup and plate
• Ability to listen and speak. You’re listening and speaking with our guests to guide and create experiences

• This position has a minimum hourly rate of $34.50. This is a good faith estimate for this position. The final offer will be determined after reviewing relevant factors, which include a candidate's qualifications and experience, where appropriate.
• Health, dental, and vision coverage for eligible employees starting on your first day
• After 90 days of employment, team members working in San Francisco may be eligible to enroll in a company sponsored San Francisco Medical Reimbursement Account (SF MRA).  
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off
• 50% discount on all products, both online and in-cafe. This includes food, beverages, whole bean coffee, and merchandise.
• Discounts on any Blue Bottle food items and merchandise

Blue Bottle is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value an open mind, dedication to work, and a collaborative spirit. We hire based on these qualities, a job’s requirements, our business’s needs, and an applicant’s qualifications. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind—in the hiring process or in the workplace.

We comply with the ADA and consider reasonable accommodation measures that may be necessary for eligible applicants/employees to perform essential functions.

We may refuse to hire relatives of present employees if doing so could result in actual or potential problems in supervision, security, safety, or morale, or if doing so could create conflicts of interest.

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We participate in E-Verify. We will provide the federal government with employees’ Form I-9 information to confirm authorization to work in the U.S. We will only use E-Verify once an employee has accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.