Front of the House Cafe Attendant

🌟 Now Hiring: Front of House Cafe Attendant!! 🌟

📍 Seattle (South Lake Union) AND Burien (Lavish Roots Headquarters)

📅 Shift Available: Monday – Friday, 6:30 AM - 3:00 PM | Enjoy your weekends off!

💰 Pay Range: $24 – $28 per hour (Based on experience, skill, and education)

The Front of House Café Attendant is a full-time, on-site staff role embedded at a world-class research institution in Seattle, Washington — an organization whose staff and visitors depend on a seamless, welcoming café experience every day. Serving as the primary guest-facing presence for Lavish Roots Catering & Hospitality, this person owns the full arc of daily café service: morning setup and beverage program, breakfast and lunch station management, multi-site logistics, food safety compliance, and end-of-day breakdown across up to three campus locations. The position reports to the on-site lead and maintains active coordination with the Lavish Roots headquarters team in Burien, WA.

🌟 WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING 🌟Café Setup & Opening Operations
●    Open the café each morning: power on all equipment, set up sanitation buckets in both the kitchen and café, and prepare the space for service.
●    Manage the coffee and beverage program from open to close — brewing regular and decaf, maintaining consistent stock, and refreshing the station throughout the day.
●    Set out breakfast condiments, porridge bar components, cups, and guest-facing signage aligned to the weekly menu program.
●    Ensure all stations are clean, fully stocked, and guest-ready before breakfast service begins.

Breakfast & Lunch Station Management
●    Build and maintain all breakfast service stations, including a hot porridge bar, yogurt and cold bar, pastry display, and grab-and-go fridge offerings.
●    Transition café to lunch service: build the salad and grain bar, bring soups to proper serving temperature and transfer to warmers, and set up the panini and sandwich station with appropriate instructional signage.
●    Monitor and replenish all stations continuously throughout the service window; apply basic cooking methods and food-finishing techniques to maintain quality and presentation standards.
●    Perform light equipment maintenance including cleaning griddles and ovens as needed.

Food Safety & Sanitation Compliance
●    Post Time/Temp Control signs and allergen signs at each food and beverage station prior to and throughout service.
●    Manage dairy and non-dairy Time as Control Cards at the coffee station, discarding and refreshing items per food safety protocol throughout the day.
●    Check and refresh sanitation buckets in both the kitchen and café on a regular schedule throughout the shift.
●    Document all waste items in the designated waste tracking spreadsheet during lunch breakdown.

Guest Experience & Floor Presence
●    Maintain a consistent, active presence on the café floor throughout breakfast and lunch service — assisting Self-Checkout guests, answering questions, and creating a welcoming environment guests are glad to return to.
●    Greet and engage guests with warmth and professionalism consistent with Lavish Roots hospitality standards.
●    Accurately answer questions about ingredients, allergens, common dietary lifestyles (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free), and nutritional content.

Point of Sale & Inventory Management
●    Conduct daily item inventory in Square at scheduled touchpoints throughout the shift and communicate supply needs to headquarters in real time.
●    Operate Square and any other point-of-sale systems as part of daily service; learn and adopt new technology platforms as introduced by Lavish Roots.

Multi-Site Operations & Logistics
●    Primary work site is the main campus café. Secondary assignments include restocking grab-and-go and dairy/non-dairy items at a satellite self-checkout location (every 2 – 3 days) and delivering dairy and non-dairy to a third campus location (every 3 – 5 days).
●    Manage time and tasks effectively across all three sites throughout the workday, walking or transporting items between campus locations a few blocks apart as operational needs require.

Closing Procedures
●    Execute a full lunch breakdown: clear and wash all serviceware, return food to the kitchen, clean cold wells, and document waste.
●    Complete coffee station shutdown (dump remaining coffee, clean and rinse pots, restock supplies for next day) and power off all equipment powered on at opening.
●    Perform a daily full clean-down of all equipment (oven, Panini Presses, oatmeal pots, cold wells), countertops, and storage facilities (cabinets, shelving, fridge interiors).
●    Complete a final walkthrough to confirm power-down before clocking out at 3:00 PM.

Communication & Team Coordination
●    Communicate supply needs, 86'd items, service updates, and operational issues to the headquarters team in a timely manner.
●    Collaborate with the on-site lead and HQ team to ensure seamless daily operations across all sites.
●    Represent Lavish Roots with professionalism at all times.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required
●    Minimum one year of experience in a café, restaurant, corporate dining, or hospitality environment.
●    Familiarity with basic cooking, food finishing, and culinary techniques — required.
●    Demonstrated knowledge of food allergens, common dietary lifestyles (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free), and basic nutrition.
●    Experience with Square or comparable point-of-sale systems; comfort learning new technology platforms quickly.
●    Comfort with coffee brewing and beverage station management at a production volume.
●    Strong interpersonal/communication skills; ability to engage professionally with scientists, researchers, and administrative staff.
●    Highly organized; able to manage multiple concurrent tasks across multiple locations with a calm, steady presence.
●    Ability to follow operational procedures and SOPs consistently and take direction readily.
●    Collaborative, team-oriented mindset with a genuine commitment to guest experience.
●    Ability to communicate in English (speaking, reading, and writing).
●    Authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred
●    Experience in corporate dining, institutional foodservice, or contract catering.
●    Familiarity with allergen management protocols and Time/Temp Control signage compliance.
●    Experience managing multi-site or satellite location logistics.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
This is an active, on-your-feet position. The physical demands described here are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this role.
●    Standing and walking a minimum of 8.5 hours per day; shifts may extend during busy periods.
●    Regular walking between campus locations throughout the workday, including transporting product and equipment.
●    Lifting and carrying up to 40 lbs of product and equipment regularly.
●    Heavy and repetitive hand and arm motion during food service, station setup, and cleanup.
●    Standing, walking, bending, twisting, reaching above shoulders, stooping, kneeling, and balancing throughout the shift.
●    Removing hot items from equipment and handling containers of various sizes and shapes.
●    Must be able to observe and detect emergency situations and distinguish product by taste, texture, temperature, and appearance.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED
●    Valid King County Food Handler Permit (must be obtained within 10 days of start date if not already held).
●    Valid Washington State MAST Alcohol Server Permit — Class 12.
●    Non-slip, closed-toe shoes required for all shifts.
●    Must successfully pass a background check in accordance with Washington State's Fair Chance Employment Act, RCW Chapter 49.94.

SCHEDULE & AVAILABILITY
Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM – 3:00 PM (8.5-hour shift including one 30-minute meal break and two 10-minute discretionary breaks). Schedule may be adjusted based on event and catering operational needs; changes will be communicated with advance notice whenever possible.

Mandatory Overtime
During busy periods, Lavish Roots may require team members to work extended hours. In these cases, overtime is considered a condition of employment, and refusal to accept it when reasonable notice has been given is cause for discipline, up to and including termination.

WHY LAVISH ROOTS?

📅  Work-Life Balance  Monday to Friday with weekends off and generous paid time off.
🍴  Free On-Shift Meals  Fuel your day with food made by our own talented team.
📈  Career Growth  Real opportunities to develop your skills and advance from within.
🤝  Collaborative Environment  A passionate, people-first team that values growth and excellence.
🛡  Robust Benefits Package  Majority company-paid medical, dental & vision · Commuter benefits · 10 vacation days, 5 sick days, 12 paid holidays · Annual performance-based raises.

Other Duties: This job description is not designed to cover a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required. Duties may change at any time with or without notice.
Equal Employment Opportunity: Lavish Roots INC is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions — including hiring, promotion, discipline, and discharge — are based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.
 

Requirements

• Valid King County Food Handler Permit 
• Valid Washington State MAST Alcohol Server Permit - Class 12
• Ability to understand and communicate basic English (speaking, writing and reading) 
• Completes Learn, Legal, and Privacy courses required by Meta

*NOTE: Where permitted by law, applicants who are offered a position for this location may be asked about their vaccination status, which must meet minimum business requirements.  All religious, medical, or other legally recognized exemptions regarding vaccination status will be considered.

Physical Demands

• Some heavy lifting (may lift 10-40 lbs.) and possible moving of equipment required
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision for safe navigation of work area and use of equipment
• Heavy and repetitive hand and arm motion involved in production and clean up 
• Standing, walking, bending, twisting, and balance are all required to perform job task
• Reaching across surfaces while moving containers, reaching above shoulders for containers for removal and storage
• Standing a minimum of 8 hours a day
• Carrying containers of different sizes and different types of product of all shapes and sizes
• Removing hot items from oven 
• Able to work 10 hours or more shift plus ability to stand, sit or walk for extended periods of time
• Must possess hearing, visual, and sensory abilities to observe and detect emergency situations; also distinguish product, taste, texture, and temperature 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a Team Member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the Team Member is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. Physical requirements include stooping, standing, climbing and frequent lifting of equipment. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the Team Member for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

 Work Authorization/Security Clearance

Authorized to work in the U.S.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Lavish Roots INC is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law. 

Salary : $24 - $28