Restaurant Shift Lead - Team Tips!

SLB of Iowa, LLC; Dubuque (IA); On-site; USD 21,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted meals

Full benefits

Paid vacation

Job summary

Panera Bread in Dubuque is seeking a Shift Lead who will oversee daily bakery-café operations, set expectations, and coach a fast-paced team to deliver great guest experiences.

You’ll open or close the shop, manage tasks and schedules, handle guest concerns with professionalism, and uphold food safety and brand standards while fostering a warm, collaborative culture that keeps customers coming back.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in food service or retail.
• Strong communication and people skills.
• Be able to lead by example and coach teammates.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily shift operations and set expectations for the team.
• Open and/or close the bakery-café.
• Assign tasks, manage break schedules, and keep the shift running smoothly.
• Address guest concerns promptly and professionally.
• Ensure food safety, cleanliness, and brand standards are met.
• Monitor product quality, freshness, and presentation.
• Support onboarding and training of new Associates.
• Assist with cash handling, drawer counts, and basic shift reporting.
• Communicate shift performance, issues, and wins to management.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Teamwork

Coaching

Job description

As a Shift Lead with Panera Bread, you’ll do more than run a shift; you’ll lead with purpose. Connect with amazing guests, support a growing bakery-café, and make a real impact on your local community every single day.

Why step into leadership with Panera? You shape the experience.

• Lead with Trust - You’re empowered to make decisions and lead with confidence.
• Team-First Culture - Supportive managers and a team that has your back.
• Real Growth Potential - Build leadership skills that clear your pathway to upper-level management.
• Purpose-Driven Work - Serve fresh food and create a warm atmosphere for the team and our guests.
• Delicious Deals - Enjoy discounted employee meals on every shift.
• Full-Time, Full-Benefits -Medical, dental, vision, FSA, 401(k), paid vacation, & major holidays off.
• Competitive Compensation - $18/hour + team tips!

At Panera, RISE is our commitment to delivering great food, genuine hospitality, and a workplace where people feel valued. Our mission is to elevate everyday meals into moments of comfort, connection, and joy. We do this by refreshing our menu with high-quality, flavorful ingredients; igniting value through thoughtfully crafted offerings at accessible price points; serving with excellence by bringing Panera Warmth to every guest interaction and creating an everyday oasis in our bakery-cafés; and expanding our network through growth and modernization. At Panera, our guests are at the center of everything we do—and our people make it possible.

Day-to-Day Duties:

• Lead daily shift operations and set expectations for the team.
• Open and/or close the bakery-café.
• Assign tasks, manage break schedules, and keep the shift running smoothly.
• Address guest concerns promptly and professionally.
• Ensure food safety, cleanliness, and brand standards are met.
• Monitor product quality, freshness, and presentation.
• Support onboarding and training of new Associates.
• Assist with cash handling, drawer counts, and basic shift reporting.
• Communicate shift performance, issues, and wins to management.

Experience and Skills

What You Bring to the Table:

• A team-first, guest-focused mindset that makes everyone feel welcome.
• A positive, can-do attitude that sets the tone for the team.
• The ability to lead by example, work alongside the team, and jump in wherever needed.
• Enthusiasm to coach, support, encourage, and celebrate wins in the moment.
• Motivation to make the team and the café succeed.
• Passion for creating a warm, friendly culture.

The Recipe for Success:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Proven leadership experience in food service or retail.
• Strong communication and people skills.
• Ability to lift up-to 40-lbs and be on your feet for periods of time with occasional bending or stooping.
• Must successfully pass a pre-employment background check.

Qualified applicants are considered for employment, and employees are treated during employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status or sexual orientation. Solely to help us comply with federal and state Equal Opportunity record keeping, reporting, and other legal requirements, we request that you complete this data information questionnaire. Please note: Refusal to complete this information will not subject any applicant or employee to adverse treatment. The information that you provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file, separate from all other records. This information will not be used in consideration for your employment.

Veteran

This employer is a Government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans' Adjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002, 38 U.S.C. 4212 (VEVRAA), which requires Government contractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment:

• Disabled veterans;
• Recently separated veterans;
• Active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans;
• Armed Forces service medal veterans.

These classifications are defined as follows:

• A "disabled veteran" is one of the following:
  • A veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
  • A person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
• A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.
• An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
• An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.