Barista - Temporary

Barnes & Noble•Christiansburg, VA

21d•Onsite

About The Position

A Barista is an integral member of the Barnes & Noble Café team, welcoming customers, answering questions, and helping them choose beverages and café items. The role helps maintain an attractive, clean, and efficiently run Café by stocking deliveries, tending the bake case and dining area, preparing food and drinks, and serving customers at the register. Baristas are expected to work reliably, support colleagues, provide cheerful customer service, learn new skills, and contribute to a positive team environment. The role requires mastering café operations, including using registers and other technology, merchandising café and retail fixtures, receiving and stocking deliveries, preparing items accurately with recipe and product guides, completing cleaning tasks, following FIFO and product-dating practices, and applying loss-prevention and de-escalation procedures. Baristas may also support the bookfloor team and, when needed and able, work in other stores within the wider Cluster. As they gain experience, Baristas build knowledge of café products, promotions, customization options, retail offerings, training tools, and safety, hygiene, and sanitation procedures. The position offers a career path to Senior Barista as skills develop. Employees must comply with company policies and procedures. The work involves prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking.

Requirements

Reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts.
A positive, energetic, and dependable approach to assigned work.
Consideration and support for colleagues and a cheerful, helpful approach to customers.
Aptitude and willingness to learn new skills and knowledge.
Comfort and efficiency using technology such as registers, computers, tablets, programs, and other tools.
Ability to perform the physical activity required, including prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking.
Willingness to work in other stores when able and when needed.

Responsibilities

Welcome customers, answer questions, and help them select beverages and café items.
Maintain an attractive and clean Café presentation, including the bake case, dining area, counter, and retail fixtures.
Work the register quickly, reliably, and professionally.
Receive, unpack, and accurately stock deliveries.
Prepare food and drinks properly and accurately, using product knowledge, colleagues, recipe guides, and other available tools.
Complete daily and weekly café cleaning tasks and follow safety, hygiene, and sanitation procedures.
Follow FIFO practices and date products correctly and consistently.
Support the bookfloor team and, when able and needed, other stores in the wider Cluster.
Follow loss-prevention procedures, use de-escalation techniques, identify theft or problematic behavior, and seek support when needed.
Build knowledge of beverage, bakery, savory, and gifting products, café retail options, promotions, and customization recommendations.
Share knowledge of café products and promotions with customers and colleagues and support sales objectives.
Use café training tools appropriately and comply with company policies and procedures.
Maintain reliable and punctual attendance, be flexible when scheduling gaps arise, and support colleagues.

Benefits

Employee discount.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Sick pay.
Paid time off, including paid maternity and parental leave, for eligible scheduled hours.
Company-paid holidays for eligible scheduled hours.
401(k) with company match for eligible scheduled hours.
Transit benefits for eligible scheduled hours.
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits for employees scheduled 30 hours or more.
Healthcare and dependent care spending accounts for employees scheduled 30 hours or more.
Disability benefits and life insurance for employees scheduled 30 hours or more.
Tuition reimbursement for employees scheduled 30 hours or more.