Kitchen Team Member / Prep Cook

Merchant Coffee is growing, and we’re looking for the right person to join our kitchen team.

We are a community-centered small business coffee shop and café serving breakfast, lunch, baked goods, and thoughtfully prepared food in a warm, welcoming environment. Our kitchen is small but mighty, and we are looking for someone dependable, creative, organized, and genuinely passionate about good food.

This role is ideal for someone who loves to eat, loves to work in a encouraging team environment, and has a well-rounded palate. Someone who appreciates clean, nourishing ingredients, understands that simple food can still be beautiful, and gets excited about creating things people actually crave.

We are looking for a person who can follow systems, but also bring thoughtful ideas to the table as our food program continues to grow.

What You’ll Be Doing

As a Café Kitchen Team Member / Prep Cook, you’ll help keep our food program running smoothly, consistently, and beautifully.

Responsibilities include:

Preparing café menu items according to recipes and standards
Assisting with breakfast, lunch, and seasonal food prep
Maintaining a clean, organized, food-safe kitchen
Labeling, dating, and rotating ingredients properly
Following shelf-life and food safety standards
Helping with dishes, restocking, and daily kitchen reset
Communicating clearly with the front-of-house team
Supporting catering, events, and seasonal menu items as needed
Contributing creative ideas for specials, grab-and-go items, bowls, boards, baked goods, and clean, craveable café food

What We’re Looking For

The right person for this role is:

Reliable and punctual
Clean, organized, and detail-oriented
Passionate about fresh, nourishing, thoughtfully prepared food
Creative and curious in the kitchen
Interested in clean eating, seasonal ingredients, and balanced flavor
Someone with a well-rounded palate who enjoys trying new foods
Comfortable following recipes and systems consistently
Able to work independently once trained
Calm under pressure
Willing to jump in where needed
Respectful, team-minded, and communicative
Excited to help shape and grow a café food program

Previous kitchen or café experience is helpful and schooling is great, but we are willing to train the right person. A love for food, consistency, cleanliness, and creativity matters just as much.

What Makes This Role Special

Merchant is more than a coffee shop. We are a gathering place. A third space. A place where people come for good coffee, real food, and a sense of connection.

Our kitchen plays a huge part in that experience.

We are building a food program that feels fresh, approachable, nourishing, and memorable. Think thoughtfully prepared breakfast and lunch items, grab-and-go provisions, seasonal specials, gathering plates, bowls, baked goods, and food that feels good to eat.

We are looking for someone who wants to take ownership, bring ideas, keep things consistent, and help us create food that reflects the heart of Merchant: simple, beautiful, honest, and made with care.

Schedule

Part-time to start, with room to grow for the right person.
Daytime availability required.
Some weekend availability preferred.
Evening/event availability is a plus.

Pay

Competitive hourly pay based on experience.

How to Apply

Please send your resume and a short note telling us a little about yourself, your availability, and why you think you’d be a good fit for Merchant Coffee.

Bonus points if you tell us about a meal, ingredient, café, cookbook, or food experience that has inspired you lately.

We’re looking for someone who cares, shows up, keeps things clean, and takes pride in making simple food feel special.