GENERAL MANGER

Paper Plane Coffee Co.; Maplewood (NJ); On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-based bonus

Paid vacation

Free coffee

Employee discounts

Education & travel opportunities

Job summary

Paper Plane Coffee Co. is opening its second café inside The Terminal in Maplewood and seeks a hands-on General Manager to build the opening team, establish systems, and lead the café with minimal owner involvement.

This role blends front-of-house leadership with back-of-house oversight: coaching staff, managing labor, inventory, payroll and P&L, and supervising the kitchen partner while ensuring a premier guest experience.

Qualifications

• Specialty-coffee experience essential.
• Comfort dialing in espresso and evaluating baristas.
• Strong leadership with experience managing labor, inventory, payroll and P&L.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day Maplewood café performance and opening team.
• Support the bar during peak service and coach the team.
• Establish repeatable procedures and strong operating systems.
• Maintain quality coffee, service and cleanliness standards.

Skills

Espresso dialing

Barista leadership

Coffee quality checks

Labor management

Inventory management

Payroll management

P&L knowledge

Guest service

Team training

Job description

Paper Plane Coffee Co. is preparing to open our second café inside The Terminal, a new gathering place next to the Maplewood train station. We're looking for a General Manager who can build the opening team, establish strong systems and lead the café without needing constant owner involvement.

This is a hands-on role. The General Manager will spend significant time on the floor, support the bar during busy rushes, coach the team, solve guest issues and take ownership of the numbers and day-to-day operation. Specialty-coffee experience is essential. You should be as comfortable dialing in espresso and evaluating baristas as you are managing labor, inventory, payroll and P&L.

The café will also include a food program led by a separate kitchen leader. The General Manager will supervise that leader while overseeing the overall guest experience throughout the space.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The General Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day performance of the Maplewood café, including the following:

SPECIALTY COFFEE EXPERIENCE

This is a hands-on café leadership position. The General Manager must be able to work confidently behind the bar, maintain Paper Plane's coffee standards and support the team during high-volume service.

• Dial in espresso and troubleshoot extraction throughout service
• Work quickly and confidently on a high-volume espresso bar
• Steam milk and execute consistent latte art
• Prepare the complete café beverage menu to standard
• Train, coach and evaluate baristas
• Conduct regular coffee-quality checks and correct issues immediately
• Maintain recipes, workflow standards and proper equipment-cleaning procedures
• Identify equipment problems and coordinate maintenance when needed
• Step behind the bar during rushes, staff callouts and unexpected coverage gaps

Extensive barista experience is strongly preferred, although we are open to candidates without a fixed number of years if their coffee skills and leadership ability are exceptional.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• A calm and steady leader who performs well under pressure
• A warm, visible hospitality presence who enjoys working alongside the team
• Strong experience hiring, scheduling, training and developing employees
• An organized systems builder who can turn expectations into repeatable procedures
• A capable teacher and coach who gives clear, useful feedback
• Comfort managing labor, inventory, payroll and café financial performance
• An entrepreneurial and resourceful approach to solving problems
• Clear communication and sound judgment
• Experience handling guest concerns professionally and thoughtfully
• A genuine interest in building relationships within the Maplewood community
• Experience opening a new café, restaurant or other high-volume hospitality operation is strongly preferred

We do not have a fixed minimum number of years for this position. The quality of your experience, leadership ability and demonstrated skills matter more to us than a specific number.

SCHEDULE & AVAILABILITY

This is a full-time position with a flexible schedule averaging approximately 45-50 hours per week. The General Manager will work a combination of opening, mid and closing shifts, with most weeks weighted toward mid shifts.

Mid shifts will allow the General Manager to support the morning rush and complete administrative work during slower portions of the day. The position requires availability for early mornings, evenings, weekends and some holidays.

As the café’s operational leader, the General Manager must also be prepared to step in when callouts, unusually busy service or other unexpected circumstances require additional coverage.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

During the first six months, the General Manager will be expected to:

• Recruit, hire and prepare the opening café team
• Build a strong training program and establish clear operating procedures
• Lead a smooth opening and stabilize daily café operations
• Create reliable systems for scheduling, payroll, ordering, inventory and communication
• Meet established labor, inventory and profitability targets
• Maintain consistently excellent coffee, service and cleanliness standards
• Resolve operational challenges without requiring constant owner involvement
• Establish Paper Plane as a thoughtful and engaged member of the Maplewood community

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The anticipated salary range for this position is $75,000-$85,000 per year, based on experience and qualifications.

• Performance-based bonus
• Paid vacation
• Free coffee and employee discounts
• Opportunities for professional coffee education and travel

HIRING PROCESS

We are prepared to hire as soon as we find the right person. Selected candidates will be asked to provide professional references, and any offer of employment may be contingent upon a satisfactory background check conducted in accordance with applicable law.

Paper Plane Coffee Co. is an equal-opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.