General Manager

Coffee & Bagel Brands; Montana; On-site; USD 59,724,000 - 114,018,000; Full time

Job summary

Caribou Coffee in Minnesota is seeking a General Manager to lead our Stillwater shop, drive sales, and build a high-performing team focused on guest experience. You will supervise daily operations, manage staffing, training, and performance, and ensure compliance with SOPs, food safety, and brand standards.

This role reports to Area or District Manager and requires a results-driven leader. Join a brand dedicated to serving great coffee and creating day-making experiences that resonate with our

Qualifications

• Minimum 1–2 years of restaurant/retail/guest service management experience.
• Must be 18+ with valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
• Full-time availability (40–47 hours per week), including weekends and holidays.
• Preferred: ServSafe certification or ability to obtain within 90 days; experience with P&L, recruiting, and training.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations to maximize sales, guest experience, and staff performance.
• Staffing: maintain levels, schedules, bench strength, and succession plans.
• Coach and develop team through training, feedback, and recognition.
• Ensure SOPs, brand standards, food safety, and loss prevention.
• Oversee guest experience across in-store, drive-thru, mobile, and delivery channels.

Skills

Restaurant/retail/guest service mgmt

Team leadership

Coaching & development

Customer focus

Education

High school diploma or GED

ServSafe certification (preferred)

Tools

Toast

CrunchTime

Teamwox

EcoSure

Medallia

Workday

Beekeeper

Job description

At Caribou Coffee we create day-making experiences that spark a chain reaction of GOOD! This is our purpose. Our team brings this to life by focusing on what’s really important around here – TEAM, GUEST, BUSINESS! It’s that simple. If you’re ready to work somewhere you can be yourself while making an impact on your community, creating life-long relationships, and serving the best coffee around, join our herd!

Position Overview

The General Manager is accountable for the overall performance of the coffeehouse — its financial results, its team, and the guest experience that connects them. Reporting to the Area or District Manager, the General Manager leads all aspects of daily operations and builds a high-performing, engaged team by setting clear expectations, holding team members accountable, and maintaining a healthy coffeehouse culture centered in exceptional guest experience. Success in this role requires the ability to maximize sales and traffic growth, develop and coach the team, and lead by example. The General Manager demonstrates a sustained commitment to Team, Guest, and Business, and brings the core values to life by embodying Caribou's purpose: to create day-making experiences that spark a chain reaction of GOOD.

Core Responsibilities

TEAM

Maintain staffing levels that meet business needs across all shifts, especially peak dayparts. Create accurate, demand-based schedules, publish them on time, and proactively develop bench strength and succession plans. Build and retain a skilled, experienced team by setting clear goals, coaching performance, recognizing contributions, and consistently using Caribou tools and resources to strengthen engagement and reduce turnover. Own the execution and completion of role-based training, promotional window training, onboarding, and all related development initiatives. Understand what motivates each team member, address concerns promptly, and provide individualized coaching and support that strengthens relationships and helps each person reach their full potential. Model and uphold company policies, practices, and standards, and maintain a safe, supportive environment for team members and guests. Use designated Caribou systems and tools accurately, consistently, and within required timelines to complete administrative and operational tasks, maintain reliable records, monitor coffeehouse performance, and support timely follow-up and informed decision-making.

GUEST

Lead the coffeehouse to bring Caribou’s STAR guest service model to life on every shift, inspiring and empowering the team to deliver outstanding guest experiences through craft, hospitality, and consistency while reinforcing the standard through training, coaching, and recognition. Drive measurable improvement in guest satisfaction, speed of service, and loyalty, using guest feedback and coffeehouse data to inform specific, repeatable actions. Ensure every beverage and food item meets SOP and brand standards throughout the day. Coach the team to read guests and dayparts, anticipate demand, and prepare the coffeehouse to perform ahead of peak. Own the guest experience across all channels, in‑coffeehouse, drive‑thru, mobile order, and delivery, maintaining consistent speed of service and order accuracy across each, and managing channel flow so no single channel disrupts overall service during peak. Facilitate the timely resolution of guest, team, supply chain, and asset‑related issues.

BUSINESS

Take ownership of coffeehouse performance, leading the team to drive sales, profitability, and operational excellence, including through executing local marketing efforts. Maintain a consistent and adaptable presence in the coffeehouse in accordance with Caribou scheduling standards, including peak dayparts, inventory, administrative work, promotional window sets, and holidays. Ensure the coffeehouse is open, staffed, and fully operational during all expected business hours by taking ownership of shift coverage needs and providing direct operational support when necessary. Manage inventory, replenishment, waste, and asset processes to maintain accurate inventory levels, minimize loss, allocate resources efficiently, and support uninterrupted coffeehouse operations. Apply financial planning knowledge to manage the coffeehouse P&L and safeguard company resources. Focus on top‑line sales while managing expenses to business needs. Monitor labor as a percentage of sales, cost of goods, waste, and controllable expenses. Ensure cash flow growth through ethical, disciplined fiscal responsibility. Create focus and energy around meeting and exceeding sales goals during promotions, seasonal windows, and daily operations. Own cash controls and loss prevention. Enforce accurate cash handling and register accountability every shift, manage cash over/short to standard, and protect the coffeehouse against internal and external loss. Maintain rigorous standards in food safety, sanitation, and health protocols.

Skills and Qualifications

Bring Caribou’s Core Values to life in all that you do: Support One Another, Make Fun Happen, Be Yourself, Take Ownership, Serve with Love. Build trust through transparent communication and consistent follow‑through. Display resilience and composure, maintaining focus and perspective in dynamic environments. Act as a change leader, embracing growth and fostering adaptability in the team. Provide a coffeehouse environment that sets equitable standards for people development and goal achievement. Support General Manager peers through partnership and collaboration. Provide and receive feedback with positive intent, demonstrating empathy, professionalism, and a commitment to growth, while handling challenging situations and confidential information with empathy and consistency. Take ownership of difficult conversations by seeking to understand team members and providing resolutions in a timely manner. Willingness to learn new systems and tools as they are introduced to support the business.

Qualifications:

Required: A minimum of 1–2 years of restaurant, retail, or guest service management experience, or a combination of experience and education. Must be 18 years of age or older. Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for supply chain, operational, and marketing tasks. Reliable transportation to and from the workplace. Ability to work full‑time (40‑47 hours per week). The role regularly requires overtime, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Preferred: ServSafe certification, or the ability to obtain it within 90 days of employment. Experience with sales building, Profit & Loss (P&L) statements, recruitment, and training. Proficiency with coffeehouse systems including Toast, CrunchTime, Teamwox, EcoSure, Medallia, Workday, and Beekeeper. High school diploma or GED equivalent.

Address: 1830 Market Drive (Stillwater Marketplace III), Stillwater, Minnesota 55082

Compensation Range: $20.82 - $39.77 per hour *Starting pay is subject to Local and State Minimum Wage regulations. **Ranges reflect what employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for such position.

The physical demands for this position are reaching, lifting up to 50 pounds, sitting, standing, for 4 to 8 hours, bending, and moving intermittently during working hours. These physical demands may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodations. The duties of this position may change from time to time. Caribou Coffee reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the company or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Caribou Coffee Operating Company, Inc. and its affiliates are proud to be Equal Opportunity Employers to all applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type based on any characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

Brand: Caribou Coffee Caribou Coffee serves high-quality handcrafted beverages and crave-worthy food in more than 800 coffeehouses worldwide. Committed to building personal connections and supporting the communities it serves, Caribou uses premium ingredients like specialty-grade coffee and real chocolate chips in our handcrafted beverages to help create day‑making experiences for every guest. Caribou Coffee is part of Panera Brands with Panera Bread® and Einstein Bros.® Bagels. To learn more, visit cariboucoffee.com.