Barista - Temporary

Barnes & Noble•Orland Park, IL

24d•Onsite

About The Position

A Barista is an integral member of a Barnes & Noble Café team, welcoming customers, answering questions, and helping them select beverages and café items. The role supports the efficient operation and attractive presentation of the Café by serving customers at the register, stocking deliveries, and maintaining the bake case and dining area. Baristas are expected to be cheerful, helpful, reliable, flexible, supportive of colleagues, willing to learn, and enthusiastic about the work. The position requires learning and applying operational skills, including using registers and other technology, merchandising café products and retail fixtures, preparing food and drinks accurately, receiving and stocking deliveries, completing cleaning tasks, following FIFO and product-dating practices, and applying loss-prevention and de-escalation procedures. Baristas may support the bookfloor team and may work at other stores when needed and able, supporting the wider Cluster. As experience grows, Baristas develop product knowledge across beverages, bakery, savory items, and gifting; maintain appealing displays; communicate promotions and sales objectives; recommend customizations; use café training tools; and apply safety, hygiene, and sanitation procedures. Employees who demonstrate mastery are expected to advance to Senior Barista. The role involves prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking, and requires compliance with company policies and procedures.

Requirements

Reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts.
Flexibility and responsiveness to store scheduling needs, including the ability to fill scheduling gaps when able.
A positive, purposeful, energetic, and reliable approach to assigned work.
A supportive and considerate approach to colleagues and willingness to help the team.
A cheerful, helpful approach to customers.
Aptitude and willingness to learn new skills and acquire store knowledge.
Comfort and efficiency using registers, computers, tablets, programs, and other tools.
Ability to perform physical activity including prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking.
Ability to work in other stores when able and when needed to support the wider Cluster.

Responsibilities

Welcome customers cheerfully, answer questions, and help connect them with beverages and café items.
Maintain the Café’s presentation, including the bake case, dining area, counter, and floor retail fixtures.
Operate registers quickly, competently, and reliably while providing professional customer service.
Unpack and receive deliveries, then stock products efficiently and accurately.
Prepare food and beverages accurately, using product information and recipe guides as needed.
Complete daily and weekly café cleaning tasks and maintain cleanliness.
Follow First In First Out (FIFO) practices and date products correctly and consistently.
Support the bookfloor team when needed and support other stores in the wider Cluster when able and required.
Apply loss-prevention procedures and de-escalation techniques, identify theft or problematic behavior, and seek support as appropriate.
Build café product knowledge and use it to maintain appealing displays, support promotions, recommend customizations, and engage customers and colleagues.
Use café training tools and follow café safety, hygiene, and sanitation procedures.
Maintain reliable and punctual attendance, help fill scheduling gaps when able, and support colleagues.
Comply with company policies and procedures.