Associate, New Store Openings

Playa Bowls • Belmar, NJ

6d • $22 - $25 • Remote

About The Position

The New Store Openings (NSO) Associate is a positive, enthusiastic person who brings new Playa Bowls shops to life. This role supports new and existing franchisees and licensees through every stage of shop opening, from pre-opening readiness through post-opening execution, training teams, coaching franchisees, and troubleshooting issues in real time. The New Store Openings (NSO) Associate serves as Playa Bowls’ brand ambassador on the ground, ensuring every new shop opens set up for long-term operational excellence and a consistently great guest experience.

Requirements

• Valid driver's license, with the ability to travel extensively to support new shop openings.
• Strong communication and active listening skills, with the ability to work independently and adapt to changing environments.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to multitask, stay organized, and remain detail-oriented under pressure.
• Great customer service instincts, with a genuine team-player mindset.
• Must be willing and able to travel at least 2 weeks per month, as needed, for restaurant visitation, scheduled meetings, or company functions.
• Must be available to work weekends.
• Must be 21 years of age to comply with state age travel requirements.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods of time.
• Must be able to lift or otherwise move 25–40 pounds occasionally.
• Must be able to retrieve items from high and low shelving, the fridge/freezer, and under counters.

Nice To Haves

• Personality traits that include being smart, friendly, outgoing, empathetic, and committed, with strong follow-through.
• A genuine passion for the Playa Bowls brand and business and a good sense of fun.
• New shop opening execution and franchise partner coaching
• Pre-opening checklist and food safety assessment
• Crew training and train-the-trainer facilitation
• Labor scheduling and management best practices
• Guest service and SURF standard execution
• Vendor and system troubleshooting (POS, TapMango, Chatmeter, Sysco)
• Brand standards and planogram compliance

Responsibilities

• Serves as Playa Bowls Brand Ambassador, protecting and upholding brand standards across every new shop opening.
• Conducts the pre-opening operations checklist and food safety assessment, formally approving the shop for opening.
• Facilitates and supports pre-shop opening set-up, ensuring the shop is set up and merchandised to brand standards and planograms, including equipment and smallware’s placement, front-of-house/back-of-house/management office set-up, and functionality troubleshooting.
• Manages inventory readiness, scheduling and receiving product and dry goods deliveries to confirm proper quality, quantity, and storage requirements are met.
• Leads and facilitates pre-shop opening crew training for a franchisee’s first shop, and trains the trainer for subsequent shop openings (shop two and beyond).
• Coaches, supports, and guides the franchisee and their team through opening and post-opening, providing constructive feedback to set them up for success executing the Playa Bowls Way.
• Observes, coaches, and supports team execution across pre-open, open, and post-open phases, covering labor management (reviewing schedules and sharing best practices), product quality (monitoring prep, portioning, garnishing, packaging, and presentation), and guest service (ensuring consistent execution of the SURF service standard).
• Services guests using the point-of-sale system, prepares product, and jumps in wherever needed, serving as a hands-on role model for the team.
• Supports the franchisee and manager with vendor issues and guest complaint resolution.
• Performs key resource, system, and vendor knowledge checks to confirm understanding of platforms including POS, TapMango, Chatmeter, GroupMe, and Sysco.

Benefits

• Real work-life balance with stronger flexibility: Scheduling and support built around sustainable hours, so you can lead new shop openings without sacrificing your schedule — so you have more time for life outside of work.
• A cleaner, more refreshing shift: Playa Bowls shops run on blenders, refrigerators, and freezers instead of fryers and grills, so you're not leaving every shift smelling like a kitchen.
• A different kind of environment: Bright, casual shops paired with a relaxed dress code make Playa feel more like an oasis than a traditional fast-food kitchen.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed