Barista - Temporary

Barnes & Noble•Brooklyn, NY

11d•Onsite

About The Position

A Barista is an integral member of the Barnes & Noble Café team, welcoming customers, helping them choose beverages and café items, providing professional register service, and maintaining an attractive, clean, efficiently run café. The role includes stocking deliveries, arranging the bake case and dining area, preparing food and drinks accurately, and supporting the bookstore team when needed. Baristas are expected to be reliable, punctual, positive, helpful to colleagues and customers, flexible when scheduling needs arise, and willing to learn and enjoy the work. The position requires learning operational procedures and using registers, computers, tablets, programs, recipe guides, product specification sheets, and other tools. Baristas maintain café and retail presentation, execute cleaning and sanitation tasks, follow FIFO and product-dating practices, support receiving and stocking, and apply loss-prevention and de-escalation procedures. Work may involve supporting other stores in the wider cluster when able and needed. As they develop, Baristas build knowledge of beverage, bakery, savory, gifting, and café retail products; support promotions and sales objectives; recommend food and beverage customizations; use café training tools; and follow safety, hygiene, and sanitation standards. Employees who master the role are expected to advance to Senior Barista. The role involves prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking. The position is temporary. Starting hourly pay is $20.00. Benefits vary by scheduled hours and location; listed benefits include employee discount, EAP, sick pay, paid time off, paid maternity and parental leave, company-paid holidays, transit, 401(k) with company match, health benefits, spending accounts, disability benefits, life insurance, and tuition reimbursement.

Requirements

Reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts.
Positive, purposeful, energetic, and reliable approach to assigned work.
Supportive and considerate conduct toward colleagues and a cheerful, helpful approach to customers.
Aptitude and willingness to learn new skills and acquire store knowledge.
Ability to use registers, computers, tablets, programs, and other tools comfortably and efficiently.
Ability to run a register quickly and reliably.
Ability to prepare food and drinks accurately and follow product guidance.
Ability to maintain café cleanliness and presentation and execute cleaning tasks reliably.
Ability to follow FIFO practices and date products consistently and correctly.
Ability to follow loss-prevention procedures and use de-escalation techniques, seeking support when appropriate.
Ability to perform prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking.
Ability to work collaboratively with the café and bookstore teams.

Responsibilities

Welcome customers cheerfully, answer questions, and help them select beverages and café items.
Provide quick, friendly, professional service at registers.
Maintain café presentation, cleanliness, and efficient operations, including the bake case, dining area, counter, and retail fixtures.
Unpack and receive deliveries and stock products accurately and efficiently.
Prepare food and drinks accurately, using product knowledge, colleagues, recipe guides, specification sheets, and other available tools.
Perform daily and weekly cleaning tasks and follow café safety, hygiene, sanitation, and cleanliness procedures.
Follow First In First Out (FIFO) practices and date products correctly and consistently.
Support bookstore bookfloor staff when needed and, when able, support other stores in the wider cluster.
Follow loss-prevention procedures, identify theft or problematic behavior, and seek support while using de-escalation techniques.
Build knowledge of beverage, bakery, savory, gifting, and café retail products and use it to maintain appealing presentation.
Share knowledge of new limited-time offers, café promotions, and key products with customers and colleagues to support sales objectives.
Recommend food and beverage customizations and support execution of café retail options and promotions.
Use café training tools appropriately and comply with company policies and procedures.
Maintain reliable, punctual attendance; be flexible and responsive to store scheduling needs when able.
Progress toward mastery of the role and the next career step, Senior Barista.