Cafe Manager | Chicago

About Blank Street

At Blank Street, we’re on a mission to become the defining food and beverage brand of our generation. From the very beginning, we’ve set out to add a spark to ordinary experiences through elevated products, attention-to-detail, and a commitment to making every moment memorable. We’re motivated by the millions of customers we serve across cities, and know that our potential is unlimited. It all starts with our people and their commitment to make magic happen each and every day. Like the sound of this? Keep reading

Add a Spark to the Ordinary… 

General Managers are central to the success of Blank Street and take full ownership of their four walls. They are accountable for training and developing all team members, leading by example on facilities, product quality, and customer experience, and maintaining strong operational standards through effective inventory and performance management. General Managers are also responsible for hiring great talent, driving business growth and continuous improvement, and may support light project work that contributes to the broader business and their own professional development.

Who We’re Looking For

• Experience hiring, developing and managing hospitality teams
• Experience managing inventory and supply chain ordering
• Love for coffee and customer service
• Experience working in a unionized environment is a plus
• Strong knowledge of specialty coffee, espresso and equipment is a must
• Strong decision making and multi-taking skills
• Strong interpersonal communication skills

What You’ll Own

• Create a motivating and engaging team culture by consistently celebrating, training, coaching, and mentoring your team.
• Step in to cover scheduling gaps or time off in the store schedule
• Create and publish staff schedules according to state and local labor laws
• Review and approve timecards and paid time off requests in a timely manner ensuring your team is paid accurately and on time
• Recruit super star talent in collaboration with the People Team
• Oversee and validate the quality of training being executed by your Shift Leads, providing feedback and coaching where needed
• Ensure coffee accreditations are handled on time for new employees in line with company standards
• Work to maintain the very best team engagement scores
• Maintain food and beverage quality standards across your store and ensure recipes are executed accurately and consistently by your team
• Own all ordering, vendor relations, waste management, inventory counts and general compliance of our Inventory Management System
• Spend 50-70% of your week leading by example behind the bar through customer service and production of technically excellent food and beverage products
• Ensure the safety, cleanliness and presentation of your location in line with company policies
• Maintain operational excellence achieving company standard scores and above via our auditing platform
• Develop meaningful ties with neighborhood businesses and people to help grow local brand loyalty
• Be a champion of your store’s financial performance and peak business throughput
• Grow your store AOV, meet sales goals through creative initiatives and gain team buy in to share the same vision
• Ensure your location meets operations and product quality audit standards, quickly action any feedback to improve

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience managing and leading single-store unit operations in high growth hospitality or consumer brands
• Full Time availability: 45 hours per week, 5 days of availability required and must be available to work 2 peak days (usually weekend days, weekend as described as Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Benefits & Perks

• $70,000 – $95,000 annual salary
  • Blank Street, in good faith, believes that the posted salary range is accurate for this role in Chicago at the time of posting. Our salary ranges are rooted in the desire to pay competitively relative to our organization size and industry, reflecting just one part of the total compensation package. Blank Street may pay more or less than the posted range based on factors such as relevant experience and skills, qualifications and location, among others. This range may be modified in the future.
• 15 days of paid annual leave (on top of company-observed holidays and sick time) 
• Three health plan options, with full coverage available for two employee-only tiers.
• Commuter benefits 
• Parental leave
• Bereavement leave
• Exclusive access to our coveted Regulars program – yes, that means free coffee, matcha and more! ☕️
• Regular social outings with the team
• Free Blank Street swag