Cafe Associate

Magnolia Plantation; Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 17,000 - 23,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tip share

No night shifts

Job summary

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens is seeking a Café Associate to join our team as we refresh the café and menu for guests. The role supports morning prep, guest service, and coordination with events for group lunches, while ensuring café areas and equipment are clean and safe.

This position offers a day-time schedule with a café tip share and opportunities to grow with a historic, guest-centric attraction. Ideal candidates bring energy, optimism, and strong communication skills, with experience in

Qualifications

• Experience in fast-paced, customer-facing environments.
• Food service or baking experience is preferred but not required.
• Customer-service oriented with strong communication skills and empathy.
• Alcohol Server Certification encouraged or to be completed within 30 days.

Responsibilities

• Assists with morning preparation of café shelf stocking and opening drawer balance.
• Supports with guest orders, suggests menu options, enters orders, and handles payments.
• Acts as liaison between café staff and guests; addresses issues and escalations.
• Plans and coordinates lunches for groups and special events with Events and Sales teams.
• Ensures café equipment and areas are clean, safe, and in good working order; submits maintenance requests.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Problem solving

Tech-savvy

Job description

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, one of the nation’s oldest and most frequented historical public attractions, is looking for a Café Associate to join us as we bring an updated café and menu to life for our guests. Led by an experienced and accomplished chef, our Café team brings Magnolia’s new dining experience to the next level. Note: This position does NOT have night shifts, and is part of the café tip share!

What you will be doing:

• Assists team with morning preparation of café shelf stocking and balance of opening drawer.
• Supports with guest orders, offering assistance and menu suggestions through the ordering process, and enters guest order information into Magnolia’s computerized system; takes payment and provides change as needed.
• Acts as a liaison between café staff and guests; addresses guest issues and handle guest escalations when necessary.
• Works with the Events and Sales teams to plan, coordinate, and deliver lunches for groups and special events.
• Ensures all café equipment is in safe and good operating condition, and that the café, guest dining, and surrounding areas are kept in clean, safe, and working order; submits maintenance requests in a timely manner and reports issues needing attention, replacement, and/or repair.
• Supports with the preparation and delivery of food, side items, snacks, beverages, and desserts as needed.
• Works closely with the culinary team with regard to café and food inventory and supplies.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Who you are:

• You bring energy, optimism, and a passion for creating memorable experiences through food.
• You have experience in fast-paced, customer-facing environments.
• Food service or baking experience is preferred, but not required.
• You are customer-service driven with strong communication skills and a natural ability to connect with a diverse range of guests. You handle escalated situations with active listening, empathy, and creative problem-solving to find effective solutions.
• You’re a proactive problem solver who can quickly get things back on track—often before others notice an issue.
• You’re tech-savvy and comfortable troubleshooting systems or tools as needed.
• Alcohol Server Certification (Strongly Encouraged): State-approved alcohol server training per SC H.3430, or must be completed within the first 30 days of hire.

Essential Physical Requirements:

• Standing and walking for long periods of time and for the duration of the scheduled shift.
• Lifting and moving merchandise that can weigh up to 20 pounds.
• Climbing and balancing ladders to retrieve stock.
• Bending at the waist, kneeling, squatting, stooping, or crouching.
• Reaching above the shoulder frequently.