Best Café Staff

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 15,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free admission to VMFA exhibitions

Discounts at VMFA Shop

Employee discounts at café and museum

Job summary

The Best Café at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond is seeking a dedicated Best Café Staff member to greet guests, take orders, process payments, serve food and beverages, and help keep the café space clean. You will contribute to a memorable museum visit through friendly, attentive service and teamwork.

Ideal candidates bring flexibility for weekends/holidays, can stand for long periods, may lift up to 50 pounds, and have prior food service experience. ServSafe certification is a plus.

Qualifications

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to demonstrate a professional demeanor with guests and other employees.
• Ability to read, comprehend and follow basic directions, menus and instruction.
• Ability to handle fast paced, high volume situations during an event.
• Ability to remain calm, professional and gracious in a fast paced, high- pressure environment.
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor and appearance during shifts.
• Ability to work independently and effectively with minimal supervision.
• Ability to operate the point-of-sale register system, including processing credit card and cash transactions
• Ability to receive feedback well.
• Ability to be prompt and punctual to scheduled shifts.
• Ability to use fine and gross motor skills; finger and hand dexterity; reach with hands and arms; climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk and hear; and taste and smell.
• Ability to stand or walk for up to 10 hours.
• Ability to lift or move up to 50 pounds.
• Flexible availability that includes weekends, evenings and holidays.
• Ability to work as part of a team; flexible when given different assignments and directions.

Responsibilities

• Greet guests in a friendly and welcoming demeanor.
• Collect payment from guests.
• Perform cleaning duties such as bussing and clearing tables.
• Communicate with and provide excellent service to guests.
• Serve patrons food & beverage.
• Maintain daily inventory and restock supplies in café and back-of-house.
• Gain knowledge of the museum and provide information to guests as needed.
• Deliver a memorable dining experience by resolving all guest issues promptly.
• Anticipate and accommodate guest needs and respond to requests in a polite, professional manner.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Professional demeanor

Reading/comprehension

High-volume service

Calm under pressure

Teamwork

Punctuality

Mobility and dexterity

Cash handling/POS

Guest service mindset

Stand/walk for long hours

Lift up to 50 pounds

Job description

Title: Best Café Staff

State Role Title: Food Services Technician I - 79211

Hiring Range: $13.00 per hour (plus tips)

Pay Band: 01

Agency: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Agency Website: https://vmfa.museum/

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Department: Food Services

General Information:

The work is straightforward, making guests feel special.

Here is how Best Café Staff accomplish this as part of a team:

• Greet guests in a friendly and welcoming demeanor.
• Collect payment from guests.
• Perform cleaning duties such as bussing and clearing tables.
• Communicate with and provide excellent service to guests.
• Serve patrons food & beverage.
• Maintain daily inventory and restock supplies in café and back-of-house.
• Gain knowledge of the museum and provide information to guests as needed.
• Deliver a memorable dining experience by resolving all guest issues promptly.
• Anticipate and accommodate guest needs and respond to requests in a polite, professional manner.

Minimum Qualifications

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to demonstrate a professional demeanor with guests and other employees.
• Ability to read, comprehend and follow basic directions, menus and instruction.
• Ability to handle fast paced, high volume situations during an event.
• Ability to remain calm, professional and gracious in a fast paced, high- pressure environment.
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor and appearance during shifts.
• Ability to work independently and effectively with minimal supervision.
• Ability to operate the point-of-sale register system, including processing credit card and cash transactions
• Ability to receive feedback well.
• Ability to be prompt and punctual to scheduled shifts.
• Ability to use fine and gross motor skills; finger and hand dexterity; reach with hands and arms; climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk and hear; and taste and smell.
• Ability to stand or walk for up to 10 hours.
• Ability to lift or move up to 50 pounds.
• Flexible availability that includes weekends, evenings and holidays.
• Ability to work as part of a team; flexible when given different assignments and directions.

Additional Considerations

• Prior food service experience, particularly in a fast-paced environment or café.
• ServSafe Food Handler’s certification is a plus.

About Food Services Department

At the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), we facilitate great guest experiences.

The Best Café Team is relentlessly passionate about their work. Every guest encounter is an opportunity to show how much we care about making your visit special. Our dedicated service professionals are the best ambassadors for the museum and make possible some of the best days ever for our guests.

“…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Why Join the Best Café Team?

Flexible Scheduling

The team works to provide reasonable and advanced-scheduling notice to staff within the agreed upon availability. We are open 365 days a year, therefore there are a variety of shifts to work. The Best Café is open daily at 10 AM and closes at 4:30 PM Saturday through Tuesday and at 8:30 PM Wednesday through Friday.

Team-centric

Work with people whose talents shine not only at work but also beyond work hours. Many of our staff are creatives who find an ease in serving others, have an eye for the details, and enjoy the flexibility this position offers.

Mission-Driven

Revenue from Best Café and other Enterprise operations directly supports museum operations. VMFA is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. Our purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art and to encourage the study of the arts.

Professional Environment

Professionalism is a key tenet in our workplace. We treat each other no less than how we treat our guests. Come create career-supportive relationships with some of the best service professionals in the industry. Learn and grow with us.

Perks

• All VMFA staff enjoy free admission to special exhibitions, previews of special exhibitions, employee pricing for select museum programs and classes, and discounts at Amuse, Floris, Best Café and the VMFA Shop.

Special Instructions

Selected candidates must pass a criminal history background check.

About Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA’s growing encyclopedic collection houses more than 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history.

Our holdings include the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, French Impressionism, Postimpressionism, British sporting art, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan, and African art.

Recently named the 11th-best art museum in the United States by The Washington Post, VMFA is the only US art museum open 365 days a year with free general admission.

VMFA is a state-supported, privately endowed educational institution created for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all.

Contact Information

Name: HR Services

Phone: For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account. We do not provide application status updates via phone.

Email: [e-mail] for recruitment related questions.

Emailed applications, resumes, or cover letters will not be accepted. For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account.

Conditions of Employment

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.