General Manager

Better Buzz Coffee Company • Folsom, NJ

8d • $32 - $35

About The Position

The General Manager is the most senior leader within a Better Buzz café and is accountable for delivering a consistent, brand-defining guest experience, building and developing a high-performing team, and operating a profitable, compliant business. The role spends the majority of its time leading the team and managing café operations. The General Manager executes goals, solves problems, leads with integrity and sound judgment, and models excellence for guests, team members, and the wider Better Buzz community.

General Managers uphold Better Buzz’s mission to inspire the team and community to rise early, dream big, have fun, and maximize their human potential while elevating the coffee experience. The successful candidate will train away from home for eight weeks, assist in an open market, and wait to be awarded a store. The role requires open availability and a 45-hour work week. Pay is $32.00–$35.00 per hour, described as approximately $79,000–$86,000 annually based on hours worked, with potential to earn a significant monthly bonus.

Better Buzz Coffee is a growing coffee company founded in 2002, with locations across California, Nevada, and Arizona and plans to expand to Florida. The company roasts its own organic, fair trade, and rainforest-certified coffee weekly. Better Buzz emphasizes quality, connection, an upbeat work environment, and outstanding guest service.

Requirements

• Three years of prior general management experience in a similar high-velocity, high-volume coffee or fast-casual environment.
• Manager Food Safety Certification.
• Open availability, including days, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Ability to work 45 hours per week.
• Ability to train away from home for the new market.

Nice To Haves

• Associate degree.
• Drive-thru experience.
• New-location opening experience.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead, and develop Assistant General Managers, Lead Shift Supervisors, Shift Supervisors, Team Ambassadors, and Baristas who embody Better Buzz culture.
• Model integrity, honesty, and knowledge in support of the company’s culture, values, and mission.
• Source, interview, hire, and onboard team members using the company applicant tracking system; identify and develop internal talent for promotion.
• Address team concerns with urgency, fairness, clarity, strength, and compassion.
• Champion a workplace free of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and ensure mandated trainings are completed.
• Lead the team in delivering an exceptional guest experience; resolve guest concerns professionally and recover the experience with empathy and urgency.
• Prepare the team for brand initiatives, promotions, and seasonal campaigns.
• Operate the café to meet or exceed financial targets, including sales, labor, food cost, and waste targets.
• Build and post accurate, compliant team schedules in advance and manage labor according to forecasts and team availability.
• Manage performance metrics, identify gaps, create plans to close them, and communicate plans to the team for execution.
• Drive sales by modeling hospitable service and upselling.
• Promote adherence to speed-of-service, fulfillment, and drive-thru time expectations.
• Maintain a high level of guest feedback scores.
• Ensure meal and rest breaks are taken and properly recorded in accordance with state law.
• Lead inventory practices, including par levels, ordering, receiving, rotation, storage, and waste tracking.
• Maintain cash-handling integrity and follow loss-prevention protocols.
• Maintain food-safety and sanitation standards in line with ANSI-certified Manager certification and county health requirements.
• Comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, including wage-and-hour, scheduling, and leave requirements.
• Complete and document required incident reporting, including workplace injuries, harassment complaints, and communicable-disease notifications under AB 685.
• Maintain a safe physical environment and promote psychological safety.
• Partner with the District Manager on team coaching, business performance, and people strategy.
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with The Hive (Better Buzz Support Center), vendors, and cross-functional partners.

Benefits

• Full benefits packages are available, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and a 401(k) with a match.
• Paid time off.
• Paid training.
• Monthly bonus potential once awarded a location.
• Opportunities for career growth and advancement.
• Work with a team of coffee enthusiasts and a quickly growing brand.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed