Job Description
Cafe Manager — NYC Coffee Shop
Friends in Common
Who We Are
Our coffee shop is built around excellent coffee, thoughtful food, warm service, and the pleasure of spending time together. As we prepare to open in New York City, we’re looking for a hands-on Cafe Manager to build the team, lead the opening, and take full ownership of the café’s daily performance.
The coffee shop will sit alongside BAM Labs in New York City. The Cafe Manager will work closely with the BAM team so the two experiences feel connected, while building a café with its own identity and community.
Who You Are
This person should care deeply about coffee quality and hospitality, while being equally comfortable managing inventory, schedules, costs, and the details that keep a café running well. The Cafe Manager will set the standard on the floor and make sure the experience is consistent, whether the founders are present or not.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Pre Opening
• Open the café
• Create and manage a detailed opening checklist, keeping the founders informed of decisions, deadlines, and anything blocking launch.
In partnership with BAM’s executive team,
• Hire and train the opening team, build schedules, and run practice services before opening.
• Set up operating procedures for drink preparation, guest service, inventory, ordering, cleaning, opening and closing, and handling guest concerns.
• Coordinate with suppliers and service providers to ensure equipment, products, and operating systems are ready for launch.
Own Coffee Quality
• Take responsibility for the quality and consistency of every coffee drink served.
• Dial in espresso at the start of each day and recalibrate throughout service, adjusting grind, dose, yield, and extraction as conditions change.
• Set and maintain recipes and preparation standards for espresso, filter coffee, milk drinks, and seasonal beverages.
• Train baristas on dialing in, milk texture, drink preparation, presentation, and how to recognize and correct a drink that falls below standard.
• Taste drinks regularly, give immediate feedback, and address quality issues before they become habits.
• Oversee the cleaning, maintenance, and performance of espresso machines, grinders, brewers, and water filtration equipment.
• Work with the coffee supplier on bean selection, freshness, training, and improvements to the coffee program.
People Management
• Interview, hire, onboard, coach, and evaluate café employees.
• Build schedules that support strong service while staying within labor targets.
• Assign positions, manage breaks and shift changes, and adjust coverage as demand changes.
• Develop shift leaders who can maintain standards when you are away.
• Practice and promote positive communication between all staff in all areas of establishment.
Own Inventory and Purchasing
• Order all goods needed to operate the café, including but not limited to: coffee, milk, food, ingredients, cups, packaging, and cleaning supplies.
• Set stock levels and ordering schedules based on sales, expected demand, supplier lead times, and available storage.
• Conduct regular inventory counts, track usage and waste, and investigate discrepancies.
• Receive deliveries, verify quantities and quality against orders, and resolve supplier issues.
• Maintain proper storage, labeling, and stock rotation to protect freshness and reduce waste.
• Monitor costs and supplier performance while ensuring core products are consistently available.
Lead Service
• Ensure the café is clean, stocked, and ready to open each morning, and properly closed and secured each night.
• Ensure all retail shelves, products, signage are fully stocked and presentable.
• Be present on the floor during key service periods, setting the pace and supporting the team when the café is busy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of core products and processes, and communicate to your team and customers in service to brand building.
• Make sure every guest receives attentive, natural service and that the café feels welcoming throughout the day.
• Anticipate and respond to customer needs by constantly evaluating the environment and customers for indicators, and coach team members to do the same.
• Resolve guest concerns promptly and use feedback to improve the experience.
• Build relationships with regulars and the surrounding neighborhood, helping Friends in Common become a place people choose to return to.
Health and Safety
• Maintain food safety, cleanliness, equipment, and workplace standards at all times.
• Perform daily DOH walkthroughs to ensure areas are DOH inspection ready.
• Maintain chemical storage and MSDS to OSHA standards.
• Immediately inform senior management in the event of a DOH or Fire inspection.
Financials
• Review sales, transactions, average spend, labor, product costs, and waste; use those numbers to make practical improvements.
• Oversee cash handling, refunds, discounts, and end-of-day reconciliation.
• Share a concise weekly update with the founders covering performance, staffing, guest feedback, issues, and next steps.
REQUIREMENTS
• Strong technical coffee knowledge and the ability to dial in espresso, maintain drink standards, and train baristas.
• Experience managing a busy specialty coffee shop or café, including direct responsibility for staff, service, inventory, and financial performance.
• Experience hiring, scheduling, coaching, and developing a team.
• Confidence with purchasing, inventory controls, vendor management, and cost tracking.
• A hands-on approach: you notice what needs attention and are willing to step in.
• Clear communication, sound judgment under pressure, and a genuine commitment to hospitality.
• Industry standards and guidelines for Food and Beverage, Hospitality, Service, and Coffee.
• NYC Food Safety Handlers Card (keep on your person at all times while you are working).
• Experience opening a new café is a plus.
Employment :
Compensation :
Benefits
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
BAM Labs provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
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