Coffee Shop and Catering Director

Willow Creek Community Church; South Barrington (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement match

Generous paid time off

Parental leave

Job summary

Willow Creek Community Church seeks a Coffee Shop & Catering Services Director to oversee South Barrington Campus food service operations, including the coffeeshop, deli, and catering for events. You will lead staff and volunteers, manage day-to-day operations and budgets, and grow the operation to support ministry goals.

You’ll provide centralized support for Sunday coffee operations across campuses, train volunteers, maintain food safety standards, and collaborate with other departments to

Qualifications

• Experience managing a restaurant, coffeeshop, or similar food-service operation.
• Experience leading both employees and volunteers in a customer-service environment.
• Strong financial and administrative skills including budgeting, scheduling, ordering, and managing operating costs.
• Experience using a point-of-sale (POS) system.
• Strong organizational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and details.
• Excellent communication and customer-service skills with a relational approach.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with interest in increasing sales, efficiency, profitability.
• Collaborative and coachable attitude; willing to learn current practices.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily food service operations including staffing, scheduling, menus, purchasing, and service hours.
• Lead and develop Food Team Leaders and volunteer teams.
• Recruit, train, and equip volunteers to provide excellent service during hours and events.
• Manage food, labor, and supply costs while developing a self-sustaining financial plan and vendor relationships.
• Evaluate sales, profitability, operating hours, staffing, and services for growth opportunities.
• Coordinate food service and catering for ministry events and gatherings.

Skills

Restaurant operations

Staff leadership

Budgeting

Scheduling

POS system

Customer service

Entrepreneurial mindset

Collaboration

Education

College education preferred

Tools

POS system

Job description

Description

Coffee Shop and Catering Director

Central Operations | South Barrington, IL

About the Role

At Willow, hospitality is about more than serving great food and coffee—it’s about creating welcoming spaces where people can connect, serve, and take their next step with Jesus.

The Coffee Shop & Catering Services Director will oversee Willow’s food service operations at our South Barrington Campus, including the coffeeshop, deli cart, catering, and food service for events. This role will lead staff and volunteers, manage day-to-day operations, oversee budgets and financial performance, and continually look for ways to grow and improve our food services.

This role will also provide operational leadership and support for Sunday coffee operations across all Willow campuses through centralized menus, standard operating procedures, volunteer training, food safety standards, budgets and resources.

What You’ll Do

• Oversee daily food service operations, including staffing, scheduling, menus, purchasing, and service hours.
• Lead and develop Food Team Leaders, the Coffee Shop Operations Coordinator, Guest Experience Directors and volunteer teams.
• Recruit, train, and equip volunteers to provide excellent service during operating hours and events.
• Manage food, labor, and supply costs while developing and maintaining a self-sustaining financial plan and key vendor relationships
• Evaluate sales, profitability, operating hours, staffing, and services to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.
• Coordinate food service and catering for ministry events and other gatherings based on operational and financial needs.
• Provide centralized support and resources for Sunday coffee operations across Willow campuses, including menus, SOPs, training, food safety, and supplies.
• Partner collaboratively with other departments to support Willow’s ministries, events, and overall hospitality experience.

You’ll Thrive in This Role If You Are

Innovative & Entrepreneurial – You enjoy developing new ideas and finding ways to grow and improve an operation.

Collaborative – You work well across departments and enjoy partnering with others to support ministry and events.

Organized & Administrative – You can manage the details—budgets, schedules, ordering, staffing, and supplies—while keeping the bigger picture in view.

Relational – You care about people and are able to build strong relationships with staff and volunteers.

Service-Minded – You understand that excellent hospitality can help create an environment where people feel welcomed and valued.

What We Offer

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Retirement savings with company match
• Maternity and paternity leave
• Generous paid time off
• Mental health counseling reimbursement
• And more!

Why Willow?

At Willow, we believe Love God. Love People. Change the World. isn’t just a mission statement—it shapes the way we serve one another and our communities.

If you’re passionate about hospitality, enjoy leading people and operations, and want to use your gifts to create welcoming environments where people can encounter Jesus, we’d love to hear from you.

Requirements

What We’re Looking For

• Previous experience managing or overseeing a restaurant, coffeeshop, or similar food-service operation.
• Experience leading both employees and volunteers in a customer-service environment.
• Strong financial and administrative skills, including budgeting, scheduling, ordering, and managing operating costs.
• Experience using a point-of-sale (POS) system.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and operational details.
• Excellent communication and customer-service skills with a relational, people-focused approach.
• An innovative and entrepreneurial mindset with an interest in identifying opportunities to increase sales, efficiency, and profitability.
• A collaborative and coachable approach, with a willingness to learn and stay current with food-service and hospitality industry practices.
• A college education is preferred.