Cafe Leader - Bay Area

Blue Bottle Coffee; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 47,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision coverage

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Staff discount

Training & education

Flexible spending account

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Blue Bottle Coffee in Oakland, CA is seeking a Cafe Leader to build and coach an exceptional team, ensuring memorable guest experiences and strong business results. You will manage day-to-day cafe operations, schedule planning, payroll reviews, and bank processes, while driving targets in sales and satisfaction.

You are a proven people leader with hospitality passion, safety focus, and a commitment to sustainability.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of retail/hospitality experience with a strong preference for coffee, food, and beverage.
• 2+ years of leadership experience leading a team of 10+ people.
• Proven experience in hiring, training, and developing team members.
• Completed Blue Bottle Academy’s Barista training and validation program or will complete it within 90 days post-hire.
• Existing Food Safety Certification required for the state you will be working in and for your specific role, or will obtain it within 30 days post-hire.
• Strong understanding of a profit and loss statement and knowledge of how to impact it.
• Comfort using computer programs, especially Google Drive tools.

Responsibilities

• Build, develop, inspire, and retain an incredible team through coaching and mentorship.
• Lead from the front to ensure exceptional guest experiences.
• Manage day-to-day cafe operations including scheduling, payroll review, and banking procedures.
• Set a high performance bar to surpass sales, guest satisfaction, and cafe goals.
• Support sustainability goals and environmental responsibility.
• Foster a safe, respectful, collaborative workplace.
• Collaborate with other teams and Area Leader on community initiatives.
• Uphold high standards for beverages and food items.

Skills

People leadership

Hospitality mindset

Guest service

Hiring & training

Operational management

Safety compliance

Budget & P&L

Google Drive

On-site availability

Coffee knowledge

Education

Blue Bottle Academy Barista training

Tools

Google Drive

Job description

At Blue Bottle, our mission is to connect the world to delicious coffee. From seed to cup, we elevate the craft of coffee in everything we do. We strive to build a better tomorrow by investing in what matters: a sustainable future for our people, the company, and our planet.

About the Job

A Blue Bottle Cafe Leader creates a culture of belonging where teams with diverse backgrounds, styles, and perspectives can grow. They develop the team to consistently deliver great hospitality and coffee experiences while ensuring accountability for cafe standards and business goals.

You Will:

• Build, develop, inspire, and retain an incredible team by providing direct feedback, offering coaching and mentorship, conducting regular development check-ins, and leading performance management activities to nurture individual and collective growth
• Dedicate yourself to ensuring every guest enjoys an exceptional experience by leading from the front, inspiring and empowering your team to exceed guest expectations consistently, and turning each visit into a memorable occasion
• Manage the cafe's day-to-day operations, overseeing critical operations such as ordering, writing schedules that align with the dynamic needs of the team and business, banking procedures, and meticulously reviewing and approving payroll to ensure a seamless and accurate operational flow
• Lead the cafe team by setting a high bar for performance metrics, ensuring the continual surpassing of targets in sales, guest satisfaction, and overarching cafe goals
• Motivate team members to actively contribute towards achieving our company-wide sustainability goals, fostering a sense of purpose and shared commitment to environmental responsibility
• Champion a work culture that prioritizes safety and respect; foster an environment where each team member feels secure and valued, ensuring the workplace becomes a hub for collaboration, creativity, and mutual respect
• Collaborate seamlessly with other Blue Bottle teams and your Area Leader to craft creative initiatives that engage the local community, strengthen relationships with regular guests, and extend a warm welcome to newcomers
• Act as the guardian of quality and deliciousness, coaching and training your team to uphold the highest standards for every beverage and food item served
• Uphold an unwavering commitment to health, food safety, and general safety guidelines
• Manage the Cafe's Profit and Loss statement, aligning it with overarching goals encompassing sales, budget adherence, and other strategic targets
• Address all team member concerns proactively, demonstrating a keen understanding of the importance of a harmonious work environment

You Are:

• A strong and dedicated people leader who understands that collaboration takes work; you understand your team and cultivate the right experiences so team members and leaders can grow together
• A business leader who understands how to drive a cafe to financial success through operational excellence, creative initiatives, and building an amazing team
• Obsessed with hospitality, you always anticipate the needs of guests and your community
• Deeply empathetic, with an open and positive attitude toward problem-solving, you are not afraid to ask challenging questions if it helps us do right by our teams, guests, and business
• Never satisfied with the status quo, you are energized by ambitious and challenging goals
• Able to balance both the big picture and the nitty‑gritty in shaping and leading the strategy for your cafe while also driving excellent day‑to‑day operations
• Flexible and creative in problem‑solving, you roll with the punches and have fun doing it
• Passionate about the planet and creating a sustainable future for our people, the company, and our planet

You Have:

• 2+ years of retail/hospitality experience with a strong preference for coffee, food, and beverage
• 2+ years of leadership experience leading a team of 10+ people
• Proven experience in hiring, training, and developing team members
• Completed Blue Bottle Academy’s Barista training and validation program or will complete it within 90 days post-hire
• Existing Food Safety Certification required for the state you will be working in and for your specific role, or will obtain it within 30 days post-hire
• A strong understanding of a profit and loss statement and knowledge of how to impact it
• Comfort using computer programs, especially Google Drive tools (Sheets, Docs, Calendar)
• This is an on-site position; you must have a flexible schedule and be available to work mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Ability to smell and taste; you’re tasting and smelling coffee and food, helping ensure quality control for each cup and plate
• Ability to listen and speak; you’re listening and speaking with our guests to take and fill orders, and guide and create experiences
• The role is performed in an environment that may involve exposure to environmental conditions, including elevated temperatures from food and beverage preparation equipment, and cooler temperatures in refrigerated spaces

A few benefits we offer:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for eligible employees starting on your first day
• Best-in-class coffee training and continuing education
• Free membership into the Specialty Coffee Association of America and discounts on events (including Expos and Championships)
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off & paid volunteer hours
• 50% discount on all products, both online and in-cafe; this includes food, beverages, whole-bean coffee, and merchandise
• 2 free drinks during shifts for cafe team members
• Flexible spending account & commuter benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Additional benefits information

Compensation

• This position has a minimum hourly wage of $34.50. This salary is a good-faith estimate for this position. The final salary offer will be determined after reviewing relevant factors, which include a candidate's qualifications and experience, where appropriate.

$34.50 - $39.30 an hour

Blue Bottle is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value an open mind, dedication to work, and a collaborative spirit. We hire based on these qualities, a job’s requirements, our business’s needs, and an applicant’s qualifications. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind in the hiring process or in the workplace.

We comply with the ADA and provide reasonable accommodations that allow qualified applicants/employees to perform the essential functions of the job. We also provide reasonable religious accommodations to applicants/employees to allow them to practice their bona fide religious beliefs. To request an accommodation, contact your People Partner.

We may refuse to hire relatives of present employees if doing so could result in actual or potential problems in supervision, security, safety, or morale, or if doing so could create other conflicts of interest.

We will consider employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We participate in E-Verify. We will provide the federal government with employees’ Form I-9 information to confirm authorization to work in the U.S. We will only use E-Verify once an employee has accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.