Barista - Temporary

Barnes & Noble•Lynchburg, VA

21d•Onsite

About The Position

A Barnes & Noble Barista is an integral member of the Café team, welcoming customers, answering questions, and helping them choose beverages and café items. The role contributes to an attractive, clean, and efficiently run Café by stocking deliveries, maintaining displays and dining areas, preparing food and drinks, and serving customers at the register. Baristas are expected to be cheerful, reliable, punctual, supportive of colleagues, willing to learn, and flexible in responding to store needs. Baristas learn and perform the operational competencies of the role, including using registers and other technology, merchandising café and retail fixtures, receiving and stocking deliveries, preparing food and beverages accurately, maintaining cleanliness, following FIFO and product-dating practices, supporting the bookfloor team when needed, and following loss prevention and de-escalation procedures. The work involves prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and frequent walking. Employees may work in other stores when able and when needed to support the wider Cluster. As they gain experience, Baristas build product knowledge across beverages, bakery, savory options, and gifting; maintain appealing displays; communicate promotions and sales objectives; recommend customizations; and follow café safety, hygiene, and sanitation guidelines. The role is expected to develop toward the next career step, Senior Barista, as the employee demonstrates mastery of the required skills. Employees must comply with company policies and procedures.

Requirements

Maintain reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts.
Be flexible and responsive to store scheduling needs, including filling scheduling gaps when able.
Work positively, purposefully, energetically, and reliably.
Be supportive and considerate of colleagues and willing to help the team.
Be consistently cheerful and helpful with customers.
Show aptitude and willingness to learn new skills and acquire knowledge.
Use registers, computers, tablets, programs, and other tools comfortably and efficiently.
Perform prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and frequent walking.

Responsibilities

Welcome customers cheerfully, answer questions, and help them select beverages and café items.
Operate registers quickly and professionally to provide reliable customer service.
Help unpack and stock deliveries accurately and efficiently.
Maintain the attractive presentation, cleanliness, and efficient operation of the Café, including the bakes case and dining area.
Maintain café and retail fixture presentation through merchandising and visual merchandising.
Prepare food and beverages accurately using product knowledge, recipe guides, product specifications, and other available tools.
Complete daily and weekly café cleaning tasks and follow food safety, hygiene, sanitation, and product-dating procedures.
Follow First In First Out (FIFO) practices and date products consistently and correctly.
Support the bookfloor team and wider Cluster when needed, including working in other stores when able.
Identify theft and problematic behaviors, follow loss prevention procedures, and seek support or use de-escalation techniques as appropriate.
Build knowledge of café products, promotions, and retail offerings and use it to support sales and make customer recommendations.