Cafe Team Expert

Barnes & Noble, Inc.; Hilton Head Island (SC); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Discount

Paid Time Off

Health Benefits

Job summary

Barnes & Noble, Inc. seeks a Café Team Expert (CTE) to lead the café team, translate data into actionable steps that boost sales, reduce waste, and optimise inventory, while creating a welcoming environment for customers.

You partner with the Store Manager to develop and execute café action plans to deliver expected results. This role rewards reliability, coaching, and proactive leadership, including early morning to late evening shifts, weekends, and holidays, with a focus on inviting service,

Qualifications

• Mastered skills in drink making and beverage presentation.
• Strong visual merchandising to maintain fixtures and displays.
• Efficient register operation and order taking.
• Knowledge of loss prevention and safety procedures.

Responsibilities

• Lead the café team to deliver welcoming service and manage daily operations.
• Collaborate with Store Manager to implement café action plans.
• Identify data-driven opportunities to improve sales, inventory and waste.
• Coach team to maintain safety and loss prevention standards.

Skills

Drink making

Visual merchandising

Register operations

Bookselling

Loss prevention

Inventory management

Team coaching

Customer service

Tools

POS system

Food & beverage prep

Job description

Location: SC - Hilton Head Island - Hilton Head - 2914

Classification: Full-Time

Job Summary

A Barnes & Noble bookstore is a gathering place for readers and the community. As Café Team Expert (CTE), you are an integral leader for the café team. You work through the team to develop their knowledge to create a welcoming environment for our customers. You are good at identifying and connecting data, using it to impact sales, trends, waste, inventory and other components to ensure a profitable Café. In this role, you present viable business strategies and work collaboratively with the Store Manager (SM) to implement and adapt café action plans to deliver expected results.

You’ll make a great Cafe Team Expert if you have what we term to be good “behaviors.”

Behaviors

• Maintain reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts, setting the standard for the team and ensuring consistent leadership presence on the floor.
• Fill scheduling gaps when you are able, being flexible and responsive to the needs of the store — we are open from early mornings to late evenings every day, including weekends and most holidays.
• Are positive and proactive in your approach to work; you lead by example with purpose and energy, working hard and reliably while inspiring others to do the same.
• Are supportive of the entire store team, demonstrating kindness, fairness, encouragement and respect.
• Are always cheerful and helpful with customers, consistently going out of your way to help them and modeling this for the store team.
• Take initiative to drive your own development, are an enthusiastic learner and use feedback to improve skills.
• Are an active listener who understands information and clearly communicates messages as expected to support company initiatives and goals.
• Prioritize resources and barista support appropriately to keep the shift on track.
• Show that you enjoy being a barista!

Training and Competencies

• Mastered skills in drink making, creating and maintaining food and beverage presentation standards and adjusting displays, modeling and coaching others in their effective use.
• Strong visual merchandising skills to maintain counter and floor retail fixtures.
• Running an efficient and quick register while taking orders, coaching others on efficient order taking and speed of service.
• Use bookselling skills to support the bookfloor team willingly and effectively when available.
• Actively coach the team to follow loss prevention procedures, and maintain a safe, secure bookstore by spotting theft and effectively de‑escalating challenging situations and problematic behaviors.
• Manage inventory through effective food and beverage orders.
• Complete and submit accurate monthly inventory and waste log on time.

All this work requires physical activity which includes prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and a lot of walking. You may work in other stores if you are able, and this is needed, collaboratively supporting the wider Cluster.

Growth and Development

• Use expert knowledge to make effective food and beverage recommendations to customers, acting as a role model to the team.
• Review category sales, inventory quantities and product waste reports, assessing and acting on information to maximize sales and profitability.
• Meet with the SM regularly to review café sales performance, profitability, training, and opportunities, to drive café results.
• Use knowledge about café safety, hygiene, sanitation guidelines and procedures to maintain all standards appropriately.

Benefits

Benefits for those scheduled to work less than 20 hours per week include Employee Discount, EAP and Sick Pay. For those scheduled to work between 20 and 29.99 hours, benefits include Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay and Paid Time Off including paid Maternity and Parental Leave, Company Paid Holidays, Transit and 401(k) with Company Match. For those scheduled to work 30 hours or more benefits include Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay and Paid Time Off including paid Maternity and Parental Leave, Company Paid Holidays, 401(k) with Company Match, Comprehensive Health Benefits (Medical, Dental and Vision), Healthcare and Dependent Care Spending Accounts, Healthcare Spending Account, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Transit, and Tuition Reimbursement. All benefits provided are in accordance with the terms of the current plan and may be subject to future change. Benefits may vary depending on location/state regulations. More information can be received by the recruiter or Human Resources.