Barista - Temporary

Barnes & Noble • Portage, MI

20d • 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 supports an attractive, clean café and its efficient operation by stocking deliveries, maintaining the bake case and dining area, preparing food and drinks, and serving customers quickly and professionally at the register.

Baristas are expected to demonstrate reliable attendance, flexibility when scheduling gaps arise, a positive and energetic approach to work, consideration for colleagues, cheerful customer service, and willingness to learn. The position requires learning and applying operational skills, including using registers and other technology, merchandising, receiving and stocking products, preparing food and drinks accurately, cleaning, following FIFO and product-dating practices, supporting the bookfloor team when needed, and applying loss-prevention and de-escalation procedures.

The work involves prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking. Baristas may work at other stores when able and when needed to support the wider Cluster. As they gain experience, they develop café product knowledge, maintain appealing product presentation, support sales objectives and promotions, recommend customizations, use training tools, and follow food safety, hygiene, and sanitation procedures. With demonstrated mastery of the role’s skills, the expected next career step is Senior Barista.

Requirements

• Maintain reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts.
• Be flexible and responsive to store needs, including filling scheduling gaps when able.
• Bring a positive, willing, energetic, and reliable approach to assigned work.
• Be supportive and considerate of colleagues and helpful to the team.
• Provide cheerful, helpful customer service.
• Show aptitude and willingness to learn new skills and knowledge.
• Enjoy working as a barista.
• Develop proficiency in café operational competencies, including customer service, register operation, food and drink preparation, merchandising, stocking, cleaning, FIFO, and product dating.
• Ability to perform prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking.

Responsibilities

• Welcome customers, answer questions, and help them select beverages and café items.
• Maintain attractive café presentation and support efficient café operations.
• Unpack and stock deliveries; maintain the bake case and dining area.
• Operate registers quickly, accurately, and in a friendly, professional manner.
• Use registers, computers, tablets, programs, and other tools comfortably and efficiently.
• Maintain café, counter, and floor retail fixture presentation and cleanliness through merchandising.
• Prepare food and drinks accurately using knowledge, colleagues, recipe guides, product specification sheets, and other available tools.
• Complete daily and weekly cleaning tasks reliably during shifts.
• Follow FIFO practices and date products consistently and correctly.
• Support the bookfloor team when needed.
• Understand loss-prevention procedures and de-escalation techniques; identify theft and seek support for problematic behaviors and issues.
• Build knowledge of beverage, bakery, savory, and gifting products, and use it to maintain appealing presentation.
• Share knowledge of new limited-time offers and café promotions with customers and colleagues, and support sales objectives.
• Recommend food and beverage customizations to customers.
• Build knowledge and engagement in café retail options and use café training tools appropriately.
• Follow café safety, hygiene, and sanitation guidelines and procedures.
• Comply with company policies and procedures.

Benefits

• Employee discount
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Sick pay
• Paid time off, including paid maternity and parental leave (for qualifying scheduled hours)
• Company-paid holidays (for qualifying scheduled hours)
• Transit benefits (for qualifying scheduled hours)
• 401(k) with company match (for qualifying 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 (for employees scheduled 30 hours or more)
• Life insurance (for employees scheduled 30 hours or more)
• Tuition reimbursement (for employees scheduled 30 hours or more)

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed