Cafe Associate

International House at UC Berkeley; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 44,083 - 47,348; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discounts

Career development

Health and welfare benefits

Vacation/ Paid Time Off

Job summary

International House Berkeley seeks a Café Associate to deliver outstanding customer service at Edmonds' Café, manage day-to-day operations, and guide student workers. You will focus on POS, cash handling, inventory, and staff training to support campus café goals.

Responsibilities include stocking, promotions, and ensuring health and safety standards while engaging with residents, students, staff, and visitors.

Qualifications

• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• Experience with POS systems and cash handling.
• Experience supervising student workers or teams.

Responsibilities

• Operate POS system, handle cash, and manage inventory.
• Train and supervise student workers across cafe stations.
• Assist with promotions, record keeping, and sales reports.
• Ensure cleanliness and health/sanitation standards.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Team leadership

Training student workers

Inventory management

Cash handling

Coffee/beverage knowledge

Food safety knowledge

Tools

POS systems

Job description

About this Position:

Edmonds' Café is International House Berkeley's on-site café, serving residents, students, staff, faculty, and visitors. This position contributes to International House's success by providing exceptional customer service to guests of Edmonds' Café. The Café Associate independently prioritizes duties to support efficient café operations and departmental goals while maintaining positive relationships with departmental and campus partners. Responsibilities include all aspects of Edmonds' Café operations, including assigning workstations, station stocking and preparation, barista training, inventory management, product ordering, point-of-sale operations, cash handling, and supporting the training and day-to-day guidance of student workers.

Key Responsibilities:

This job involves constant customer interaction. Ensure that prices and order quantities are accurate, answer inquiries, and provide helpful information on products, and promotions. Operate our point-of-sale system, prepare menu items, fulfill guests’ orders and help maintain the cleanliness of the Café area and workstations. Also responsible for effective cash handling controls. Assist with training student workers on all coffee and beverage stations (including beer and wine for those that are certified) and food preparation. Oversees café entertainment, programming, and special functions. Assist with promotions, record keeping, and inventory. Monitors fiscal goals by using effective controls to meet budgetary requirements.

50% Administrative Tasks:

Monitors fiscal goals by using effective controls to meet budgetary requirements such as cost of goods and food cost monitoring. Maintaining, counting, and entering monthly product inventory. Sustaining adequate pars and products in conjunction with café sales and operations. Ordering supplies in relation to café sales, inventory, and pars. Assist with maintaining our POS systems by updating product and pricing data, troubleshooting issues, supporting and training users, updating inventory, managing promotions, and generating sales reports.

40% Operations:

Establish and maintain harmonious relations with customers. Listen to customers’ needs and work with the Café Supervisor & Café Manager to provide great customer service. Inspect service area to check on speed of service and product quality. Sets a high standard for staff-customer relations for other workers to emulate.

Instructs and leads student workers. Consistently enforce all work rules as well as monitor work assignments. Monitor, coach, and guide student workers as needed. Understands the fundamentals of all jobs that fall under this leadership responsibility. Trains all café positions including cashier, baristas, beverage pourers and other sensitive food service positions.

10% Health and Sanitation; Facilities Maintenance:

Establishes and maintains standards for sanitation and food safety, meeting all health codes utilizing HACCP and ServSafe guidelines. Enforce work rules related to employees’ uniforms, personal appearance, and hygiene. Ensure overall cleanliness of serving areas, production areas, patios, storerooms, and restrooms.

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent communication and customer service skills and ability to work with and oversee student workers, student groups, or other campus departments or organizations.
• Coach, guide and lead student worker’s training and customer service relations.
• Knowledge of computer skills and general knowledge of on‑line ordering processes to administer and manage a food service computer system.
• Strong organizational, time management skills, and the ability to prioritize various ongoing tasks.
• Experience serving artisan coffee beverages.

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of coffee and espresso-based drinks and execution.
• Experience with industry standards for guest services, including point of sale systems and inventory management.
• Experience using computerized systems, including food production/procurement systems, time‑keeping systems and POS.

Preferred Qualifications

• ServSafe Certification or equivalent certification.
• TIPS Certification or equivalent certification.
• Experience working in an environment that serves beer and wine.
• Available to work flexible hours that may include mornings, evenings, weekends, nights, and/or holidays.

We Provide a Variety of Benefits Including:

• Employee discounts
• Leaders invested in your training, career growth & development
• Health and welfare benefits for employees (Medical, Dental, Retirement and more!)
• Vacation/ Paid Time Off
• Compensation: $32.00–$34.37 per hour, depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full‑time, non‑exempt position that is regularly scheduled to work 40 hours per week. Hours may vary based on operational needs and may include mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events.

International House is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, parental status, ancestry, disability, gender identity, veteran status, genetic information, other distinguishing characteristics of diversity and inclusion, or any other protected status.