Cafe Team Expert

Barnes & Noble•Lancaster, PA

10d

About The Position

As a Café Team Expert (CTE) at a Barnes & Noble bookstore, you are an integral leader for the café team, developing team knowledge and helping create a welcoming environment for customers. You use data to influence sales, trends, waste, inventory, and other business components, and collaborate with the Store Manager to develop and adapt café action plans that deliver expected results. You are expected to lead by example, support the store team, provide helpful customer service, develop your own skills, communicate clearly, and prioritize resources and barista support during shifts. The role includes mastering the operational competencies of a Barnes & Noble Barista and coaching others in those areas. Responsibilities include preparing drinks, maintaining food and beverage presentation standards, visual merchandising, operating the register efficiently, supporting bookselling when available, following loss prevention procedures, managing food and beverage orders, and completing monthly inventory and waste logs accurately and on time. As your experience grows, you will review sales, inventory, and waste reports; make informed recommendations to maximize sales and profitability; meet regularly with the Store Manager about café performance and opportunities; and maintain café safety, hygiene, and sanitation standards. The position involves prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and considerable walking. You may work in other stores when able and needed to support the wider Cluster. Compliance with all company policies and procedures is required. The bookstore is open from early mornings to late evenings every day, including weekends and most holidays, and the role may require filling scheduling gaps when able.

Requirements

Reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts.
Flexibility to fill scheduling gaps when able and respond to store needs.
Positive, proactive, supportive, and respectful approach to work and colleagues.
Customer-focused and cheerful service, with a willingness to go out of the way to help customers.
Initiative in personal development, enthusiasm for learning, and willingness to use feedback to improve.
Active listening and clear communication skills.
Ability to prioritize resources and barista support to keep shifts on track.
Enjoyment of working as a barista.
Ability to perform prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and considerable walking.
Availability may be needed for early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and most holidays.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop the café team, modeling high standards and helping create a welcoming customer environment.
Use business data to influence café sales, trends, waste, inventory, and profitability.
Collaborate with the Store Manager to develop, implement, and adapt café action plans.
Master barista operations, including drink preparation and maintaining food and beverage presentation standards.
Model and coach effective drink-making, food and beverage display, and visual merchandising practices.
Maintain counter and floor retail fixtures using visual merchandising skills.
Operate the register efficiently, take orders, and coach others on efficient order taking and speed of service.
Support the bookfloor team with bookselling when available.
Coach the team to follow loss prevention procedures and help maintain a safe, secure bookstore, including identifying theft and de-escalating challenging situations and problematic behaviors.
Manage café inventory through effective food and beverage ordering.
Complete and submit accurate monthly inventory and waste logs on time.
Make food and beverage recommendations to customers and serve as a role model for the team.
Review category sales, inventory quantities, and product waste reports and act on the information to maximize sales and profitability.
Meet regularly with the Store Manager to review café sales performance, profitability, training, and opportunities.
Maintain café safety, hygiene, and sanitation standards.
Support other stores in the Cluster when able and needed.
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 employees scheduled 20 or more hours per week)
Company Paid Holidays (for employees scheduled 20 or more hours per week)
Transit benefits (for employees scheduled 20 or more hours per week)
401(k) with Company Match (for employees scheduled 20 or more hours per week)
Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision (for employees scheduled 30 or more hours per week)
Healthcare and dependent care spending accounts (for employees scheduled 30 or more hours per week)
Disability benefits (for employees scheduled 30 or more hours per week)
Life insurance (for employees scheduled 30 or more hours per week)
Tuition reimbursement (for employees scheduled 30 or more hours per week)