Position: Café Manager

Reports to: Director of Social Enterprise, Business Development & Operations

Status: Full-Time / Exempt

Hours: Maximum of 40 hours/week

Hours of Operations: Monday-Friday / 7am-4pm, Saturday / 8am-2pm

Organizational Description. North Lawndale Employment Network is a comprehensive workforce development agency on Chicago’s West Side dedicated to advancing the economic outcomes of the community’s residents through innovative employment initiatives, including our social enterprises. In August 2021, North Lawndale Employment Network transitioned to a new campus which features a premier community café for residents and stakeholders.

Our Mission. To improve the earning potential of the North Lawndale community through innovative employment initiatives that lead to economic advancement and an improved quality of life for residents.

Opportunity. We are seeking a dynamic Café Manager to take on a leadership role as we grow our newest social enterprise, the beelove® café and consider opportunities for pop-up and permanent sites in other locations.

Key Responsibilities.

· Leads the interview and candidate selection process for café staff, with consultation from HR & Director of Social Enterprise – Business Operations.

· Works with Programs department to build pipeline of North Lawndale talent through education, outreach, and barista apprentice program.

· Ensures new staff members receive onboarding and training within first 90 days of employment.

· Create the staffing schedule, taking staffing needs and labor cost parameters into account.

· Conducts 30-60-90 day and annual performance evaluations that are timely and constructive.

· Prepares and gives timely reports on café performance to various stakeholders at meetings such as bi-weekly social enterprise meeting and monthly staff meetings.

· Handles discipline of employees along with Human Resources and as needed and in accordance with company policy.

· Plans and organizes daily activities related to cafe operations and guest experience, including administration of the café customer loyalty program.

· Manages vendor relationships, including providing feedback to existing vendors and sourcing new vendors.

· Oversees product quality by creating a menu of food and beverage options that balances consistency with seasonal or special items.

· Measures operational performance and guest satisfaction by analyzing sales & inventory data, financial data, and guest feedback.

· Coordinates with other support departments such as Human Resources, Finance, to ensure successful café and catering operations.

· Oversees the café team’s delivery of high-quality catering service.

· Inventory Management

· Assists with budget preparation for operations unit.

· Maintains strong controls of cash management in accordance with guidelines from Finance Department.

· Ensures staff compliance with food safety requirements and works with Director of Social Enterprise to ensure compliance with local business regulations.

· Coordinates with marketing department to determine pricing, timing, and number of sales promotions. Provides content and visual inputs to the marketing team for social media and other promotions.

· Provides inputs and recommendations for regular pricing reviews.

· Performs other related duties as required.

Qualifications.

· Excellent managerial and supervisory skills.

· 12 months of experience in a managerial role; preferably in the food & beverage industry.

· Extensive knowledge of foodservice operations

· Ability to interpret financial data as needed to set sales goals.

· Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

· Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.

· Current Food Managers Certification required.

· Must be able to stand, walk and move 6-8 hours per day while on shift.

· Must be able to bend and reach for stored items, lifting to 50lbs.

· Must be able to climb ladders for store maintenance tasks.

· Must be able to access and navigate the production facility.

Core Values

Neighborhood-focused employment initiatives are fundamental.

Successful programs are neighborhood-focused and community-driven, so they meet the specific needs of individuals.

Quality of work matters.

People who work hard should not be poor. A full-time job must meet basic needs and offer conditions for engagement, advancement, and respect.

Economic mobility is essential to reducing poverty.

Family supporting wages and financial literacy are core to addressing economic insecurity, which disproportionally affects African American, Latino, and other families of color. Economic insecurity is not only impacting the poor; it has grown to threaten the middle class. Self-employment and entrepreneurship are critically important economic mobility strategies to generate income and boost household finances.

We must address the racial wealth gap and social inequality.

The United States’ history of racially charged public policy has created the modern racial wealth divide not just through the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, but through the more recent race-based discrimination in hiring, housing subsidies, tax subsidies, and veteran benefits as well as other implicitly and explicitly racist public policies.

Everyone deserves human dignity and empowerment.

To uphold this belief, we do all of our work in a manner that values human dignity and eliminates shame, humiliation, and stigma by building on the strengths that help our participants and community survive loss and trauma and rebalance the power dynamic between participants and authority figures.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $50,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Paid training
• Vision insurance

Experience level:

• 1 year

Restaurant type:

• Café
• Coffee shop

Shift:

• Day shift
• Morning shift

Weekly day range:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location: In person