Cafe and Retail Associate- Ferry Building

Dandelion Chocolate; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 35,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401k

Paid vacation

Holiday pay

Paid sick time

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Dandelion Chocolate is seeking a Full-time Café and Retail Associate for our Ferry Building shop in San Francisco. You’ll welcome guests, craft hot chocolate and espresso drinks, and help keep the cafe area clean and inviting.

You’ll learn our chocolate story, share origin details with customers, and deliver thoughtful service that makes visitors feel welcome. Weekend availability Sunday-Thursday is required, and this role offers tips on top of the hourly wage.

Qualifications

• Weekend- and weekday availability; Sunday-Thursday scheduling.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team.
• 1–2 years retail or customer-facing experience in a fast-paced environment.
• Fluent spoken English; additional languages a plus.

Responsibilities

• Create hot chocolate drinks and espresso drinks with our manual machine, know allergen information, and answer questions about our chocolate, pastries, and drinks.
• Provide exceptional guest service, be timely, dress professionally, and develop long-standing relationships with visitors.
• Identify ways to improve operating procedures, checklists, and documentation for cafe improvements.
• Be a positive, team-oriented player who supports the team during rushes.

Skills

Customer service

Teamwork

Espresso drinks

Fluent English

Job description

Job Title: Café and Retail Associate - Ferry Building

Hours: Full time, 32-40 hours/week (Sunday-Thursday)

Department: Retail team - Ferry Building Location

Report: Ferry Building 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 Café and Retail Associate at our Ferry Building shop 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. With the variety of visitors that come through the Ferry Building every day, 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, and 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 walking tour group around noon. When the line is down the corridor, 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, 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, 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. Ideally, this isn’t your first time working in guest service and food 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, pastries, and drinks 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.
• 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: Our shop is open 7 days/week so some flexibility in scheduling is helpful. We are looking for availability Sunday-Thursday.
• 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!

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 subsidized 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.