Café and Retail Associate - 16th St

Dandelion Chocolate; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 35,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401k program

Paid vacation

Job summary

Dandelion Chocolate is seeking a full-time Café and Retail Associate for our 16th Street Café and Factory in San Francisco. You will learn chocolate making, craft chocolate drinks, and deliver thoughtful service in a fast-paced cafe environment.

Responsibilities include beverage preparation, guest engagement, and keeping the space welcoming while supporting café operations and chocolate salon activities. 21+/hour with tips, weekends/evenings required.

Qualifications

• Weekend and weekday availability required (evenings and weekends).
• 1–2 years of retail or customer-facing work in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to engage guests.
• California Food Handler card required within 30 days post-hire.

Responsibilities

• Create hot beverages and espresso drinks with precision.
• Provide thoughtful guest service and build lasting relationships with customers.
• Support café and retail operations, including restocking and keeping the space welcoming.
• Assist with chocolate salon activities and help with café improvements.

Skills

Retail experience

Customer service

Fluent English

Job description

Job Title: Café and Retail Associate

Hours: Full-time, (32-40 hours/week, a flexible schedule preferred, weekends and evenings required)

Department: Retail team (16th Street Location)

Report: 16th St Café General Manager

Wage: Starts at $21/hour plus tips

About Us

Dandelion Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in San Francisco’s Mission District. We make chocolate from only two ingredients, cocoa beans and cane sugar, and travel to origins as often as we can to build good, trusting relationships with the producers who grow and ferment cacao beans. Now we’re seeking a Full-Time (32+ hours/week) Café and Retail Associate at our 16th Street Café and Factory who will celebrate the care and thoughtfulness that goes into our chocolate through thoughtful service of our drinks and pastries.

About the Role

As an associate, you’ll first learn everything about chocolate from where it’s grown, how it’s processed, and how to make your own batch of chocolate. Since this role is within our 16th Street Factory, you will be at the heart of the chocolate‑making action. You’ll become an expert taster of all of our drinks, treats, and bars and know how the cocoa origin impacts the flavor of the chocolate bar. While we’re chocolate makers, we are also passionate and excited about coffee. We train with Ritual Coffee Roasters. This role starts at $21/hour plus tips.

A typical café day might start with reading the daily café report and knowing to expect the dishwasher repair person in the morning and a factory tour group of twenty 3rd graders around noon. When the line is out the door, your focus turns to ensuring each person receives a thoughtful, exquisite experience. During welcomed breaks from the rushes, you might restock the retail shelves, sweep the floor, bus dishes, or adjust the espresso machine to ensure that shots are pouring consistently.

About You

Our ideal candidate is a mature, team‑oriented person who is excited to learn and share their excitement about chocolate and coffee. You develop authentic rapport with guests, can work independently as necessary, and you have the savvy know‑how to navigate unexpected situations with confidence. Whether it’s a regular asking for you to hand deliver their hot chocolate to their car so they don’t wake their sleeping baby or a camera crew showing up to film in the factory, you maintain your cool and jump in to help when needed. You aren’t intimidated by a long line of excited people and you love making spaces more efficient in downtime so that you’re ready for the busy period. This isn’t your first time working in guest service, and you are excited to grow in your role and take on more responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Coffee & Chocolate Excellence: Create hot chocolate drinks and espresso drinks with our manual machine and brew coffee with a consistent level of excellence. Know allergen information and be able to answer questions about our chocolate and coffee products with ease. Make recommendations for pairing chocolate with espresso drinks based upon your chocolate knowledge and experience.
• Guest Service: Regardless of the day of the week or the crowds, guests can depend upon you for an amazing drink and pastry experience. Be timely, dress professionally, and develop long‑standing relationships so that visitors look forward to your thoughtful attention.
• Bloom: While the majority of the job revolves around the café, we also operate an intimate chocolate salon where guests may enjoy their chocolate items. Bus tables, prep plated items, and ensure that the space is well‑kept and welcoming for guests.
• Systems & Processes: Identify ways to improve operating procedures, checklists, and documentation so that your individual observations benefit the entire team and lead to all‑around cafe improvements.
• Team‑player: Be a positive, team‑oriented player who brings the team up even when the line is out the door. Your coworkers want to work with you again (and again and again).
• Other tasks as necessary

Requirements

• Weekend & Weekday Availability: Evening and weekend availability is required. 32-40 hours per week.
• Great Interpersonal Skills: you should be able to develop a quick rapport with customers by detailing our chocolate making process and why you relate to it, inspiring guests to learn more about chocolate! Proven ability to work well within a team environment.
• Previous experience: 1-2 years of retail or customer‑facing work experience in a fast‑paced environment. Experience making espresso drinks is a huge plus!
• Language Skills: Fluent spoken English is required. Additional language skills are a plus as we frequently host guests from all over the world!
• California Food Handler card is required within 30 days post-hire. Dandelion Chocolate provides on‑site paid training and certification.

Benefits

The benefits and perks continue beyond a robust chocolate education. Dandelion Chocolate constantly invests in our people and culture. All team members receive heavily subsidised medical, vision, and dental benefits as well as the option to enroll in our 401k program. All team members receive paid vacation time, holiday pay, and paid sick time. In addition, our team members enjoy commuter benefits, FSAs, chocolate tasting opportunities, and a range of opportunities to grow and develop within the company.