Cafe Assistant

Hands On Children's Museum; Olympia (WA); On-site; USD 23,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

Hands On Children's Museum in Olympia seeks a friendly Café Assistant to support daily cafe operations and provide exceptional service to guests. Open 7 days a week, typical hours are 10am–4pm, with flexibility for weekends and events.

Responsibilities include taking orders, preparing menu items and beverages, maintaining cleanliness, and handling cash with a POS system. Prior cafe experience and a food handler’s card are preferred; HS diploma required or in progress.

Qualifications

• Food handler’s card and 1 year of cafe/quick service experience, including POS use.
• High School Diploma or actively pursuing; Associate degree preferred.
• Understanding of safe food preparation, storage and handling procedures.

Responsibilities

• Greet customers, take orders, and provide excellent service.
• Prep, cook & serve café menu items.
• Prepare coffee, tea, and specialty beverages.
• Clean & sanitize prep spaces and counters.
• Handle cash and operate POS system.
• Follow all food safety and sanitation procedures.
• Sweep, clean & sanitize guest dining area.
• Restock supplies and ingredients throughout the shift.
• Clean dishes and café equipment to meet health requirements.
• Assist with opening and closing procedures.
• Assist with monthly inventory.
• Accurately record waste, tips, R&D, and malfunctioning/broken equipment.

Skills

Customer service

Food safety

Punctuality

Team orientation

Communication

Multi-tasking

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Tools

POS system

Job description

Description

Status: Part Time – 15 to 20 hours/week

Wages: $17.13 - $18.50 hourly, DOQ

About Hands On:

The Hands On Children’s Museum is located on the picturesque East Bay waterfront in downtown Olympia. We are a nationally known family learning destination and the most visited children’s museum in the Pacific Northwest hosting more than 300,000 visitors each year. Our mission is to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking skills through rich, interactive learning experiences. We believe that all children deserve respect and the opportunity to learn, regardless of their ability to pay, which is why the Museum works hard to serve more than one-third of its annual visitation through the Inspired Learning for All initiative.

Voted a “Best Place for Kids” for more than a decade, the Museum offers a state-of-the-art LEED Gold facility with 150 indoor exhibits, a half-acre Outdoor Discovery Center, Art Studio, a MakeSpace for tinkering and inventing, café and gift shop, and award-winning education programs including camps, workshops, preschool, parenting classes, field trips, community outreach and family support programs.

Position Overview:

We are a fast-paced café dedicated to serving fresh, delicious food with exceptional customer service. We’re looking for a friendly, reliable Café Assistant to support daily café operations and help create a welcoming environment for our guests.

Our Playday Café offers salads, sandwiches, grilled paninis and quesadillas, soup, coffee, and other grab and go options in a family-focused environment. Open 7 days a week, daily service hours are typically 10am to 4pm.

Job Duties:

• Greet customers, take orders, and provide excellent service
• Prep, cook & serve café menu items
• Prepare coffee, tea, and specialty beverages
• Clean & sanitize prep spaces and counters
• Handle cash and operate POS system
• Follow all food safety and sanitation procedures
• Sweep, clean & sanitize guest dining area
• Restock supplies and ingredients throughout the shift
• Clean dishes and café equipment to meet state and county health requirements.
• Assist with opening and closing procedures
• Assist with monthly inventory
• Accurately record waste, tips, R&D, and malfunctioning/broken equipment

Requirements

Qualifications:

• Candidates with flexible availability preferred -- including local and regional school district breaks, weekends, holidays, museum events, and occasional after-hours events.
• Food handler’s card and 1 year of previous café or quick food service experience, including use of a POS system
• High School Diploma or actively pursuing; Associate degree preferred
• Understanding of safe food preparation, storage and handling procedures
• Must be punctual, reliable, positive and team oriented
• Preferred candidate will have schedule flexibility
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, with noise and crowds
• Ability to communicate with Museum visitors, parents/caregivers, community members and Museum colleagues in a courteous and professional manner
• Physical requirements include stooping, kneeling, bending, standing, squatting/crouching, crawling, pushing/pulling, climbing up and down stairs, and reaching above the shoulders
• Must be able to stand for long periods of time and lift up to 30 lbs.