Cafe Manager | Chicago

Blank Street, Inc.; Bucktown (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

15 days paid annual leave

Parental leave

3 health plan options

Regulars program access

Team social outings

Free Blank Street swag

Job summary

Blank Street, Inc. is seeking a General Manager to own daily store operations, people leadership, and exceptional guest experiences. You will train team members, manage inventory and vendor relations, and uphold food and beverage quality across shifts.

You will drive scheduling, payroll accuracy, local compliance, and financial performance while fostering neighborhood ties and a high-engagement culture. This is a full-time leadership role with competitive pay and benefits.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience managing single-store operations in hospitality or consumer brands.
• Full time availability: 45 hours per week, 5 days, including 2 peak days (often Fri–Sun).
• Salary range posted: 70,000–95,000 USD annually, NYC-area posting referenced.
• Experience hiring, developing and managing teams in a fast-growth environment.
• Strong coffee knowledge, espresso, and equipment expertise.
• Ability to work with labor laws and schedule compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor store team, celebrate performance, and coach staff.
• Cover scheduling gaps and manage the store schedule.
• Publish staff schedules in compliance with local labor laws.
• Review timecards and PTO to ensure accurate pay.
• Recruit top talent with People Team.
• Oversee training quality by Shift Leads and provide feedback.
• Ensure coffee accreditations are completed on time.

Skills

Hospitality team leadership

Inventory management

Customer service

Coffee knowledge

Decision making

Interpersonal communication

Union experience (plus)

Job description

At Blank Street, we’re on a mission to become the defining food and beverage brand of our generation. From the very beginning, we’ve set out to add a spark to ordinary experiences through elevated products, attention-to-detail, and a commitment to making every moment memorable. We’re motivated by the millions of customers we serve across cities, and know that our potential is unlimited. It all starts with our people and their commitment to make magic happen each and every day. Like the sound of this? Keep reading

Add a Spark to the Ordinary…

General Managers are central to the success of Blank Street and take full ownership of their four walls. They are accountable for training and developing all team members, leading by example on facilities, product quality, and customer experience, and maintaining strong operational standards through effective inventory and performance management. General Managers are also responsible for hiring great talent, driving business growth and continuous improvement, and may support light project work that contributes to the broader business and their own professional development.

Who We’re Looking For

• Experience hiring, developing and managing hospitality teams
• Experience managing inventory and supply chain ordering
• Love for coffee and customer service
• Experience working in a unionized environment is a plus
• Strong knowledge of specialty coffee, espresso and equipment is a must
• Strong decision making and multi-taking skills
• Strong interpersonal communication skills

What You’ll Own

• Create a motivating and engaging team culture by consistently celebrating, training, coaching, and mentoring your team.
• Step in to cover scheduling gaps or time off in the store schedule
• Create and publish staff schedules according to state and local labor laws
• Review and approve timecards and paid time off requests in a timely manner ensuring your team is paid accurately and on time
• Recruit super star talent in collaboration with the People Team
• Oversee and validate the quality of training being executed by your Shift Leads, providing feedback and coaching where needed
• Ensure coffee accreditations are handled on time for new employees in line with company standards
• Work to maintain the very best team engagement scores
• Maintain food and beverage quality standards across your store and ensure recipes are executed accurately and consistently by your team
• Own all ordering, vendor relations, waste management, inventory counts and general compliance of our Inventory Management System
• Spend 50-70% of your week leading by example behind the bar through customer service and production of technically excellent food and beverage products
• Ensure the safety, cleanliness and presentation of your location in line with company policies
• Maintain operational excellence achieving company standard scores and above via our auditing platform
• Develop meaningful ties with neighborhood businesses and people to help grow local brand loyalty
• Be a champion of your store’s financial performance and peak business throughput
• Grow your store AOV, meet sales goals through creative initiatives and gain team buy in to share the same vision
• Ensure your location meets operations and product quality audit standards, quickly action any feedback to improve

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience managing and leading single-store unit operations in high growth hospitality or consumer brands
• Full Time availability:45 hours per week, 5 days of availability required and must be available to work 2 peak days (usually weekend days, weekend as described as Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
• $70,000 – $95,000 annual salary
  • Blank Street, in good faith, believes that the posted salary range is accurate for this role in NYC at the time of posting. Our salary ranges are rooted in the desire to pay competitively relative to our organization size and industry, reflecting just one part of the total compensation package. Blank Street may pay more or less than the posted range based on factors such as relevant experience and skills, qualifications and location, among others. This range may be modified in the future.
• 15 days of paid annual leave (on top of company-observed holidays and sick time)
• Three health plan options, with full coverage available for two employee-only tiers.
• Parental leave
• Exclusive access to our coveted Regulars program – yes, that means free coffee, matcha and more!
• Regular social outings with the team
• Free Blank Street swag