About the Company Baaloo Coffee Roasters is a family-owned Ethiopian specialty coffee producer, importer, and roaster based in the Memphis area. Baaloo features single-origin coffees from exceptional coffee-growing regions, with a special focus on coffee grown through our family's farm and sourcing relationships in the Harar region of Ethiopia. Baaloo Café will be the first café opened under the Baaloo brand.

Our motto is:

"Yoo Baaloo Bareede, Buna Bareede" — "If the leaves are vibrant, the coffee will be exceptional." It reflects our belief that excellent coffee starts with care, patience, and respect for the plant, the producer, and the customer. About the Role Baaloo is hiring its first Café Manager to help prepare for opening and leading day-to-day operations after launch. This role is best suited for someone who has strong coffee knowledge, practical food and beverage management experience, and the ability to stay organized in a startup environment where systems are still being built. The right candidate will be comfortable with a fast-moving environment, changing priorities, and the need to solve problems quickly and professionally. This role will begin as a part-time position of approximately 25 hours per week to prepare for a soft café opening. The position is expected to transition to full-time by Grand Opening as the café moves into regular operations by the end of August. This is a hands-on management role. The Café Manager will help Baaloo leadership create the first version of many of the café's operating systems, train the opening team, support menu development, and help establish the service standards, routines, and culture of the café. Before soft opening, the Café Manager will work closely with the team to help build the foundation of the business. After soft opening, the Café Manager will be responsible for managing daily café operations, coaching staff, maintaining quality standards, supporting customer service, and controlling key operating costs. What you'll do With support for leadership, the Café Manager will help: Develop the café's first training and operations manual Create opening, closing, cleaning, and service checklists Support hiring for baristas and an assistant manager Help train the opening staff on service, workflow, drink preparation, and café standards Assist with menu development, drink execution and operational feasibility Identify operational gaps and help solve problems before launch After opening, the Café Manager will transition into a full-time position and be responsible for: Managing daily café operations, maintaining a clean, organized, food-safe café environment Supporting excellent customer service and handling customer issues professionally Communicating regularly with ownership and leadership about operations, staffing, sales, inventory, and problems that need attention Working 1-2 barista shifts per week, or more as needed Ensuring opening and closing checklists are completed correctly Coaching baristas on service, workflow, speed, cleanliness, and drink quality Maintaining standards for espresso, pour over, cold brew, nitro cold brew, and brewed coffee service A major part of this role will be controlling the café's operating costs. The Café Manager will be expected to: Build and maintain staff schedules based on business needs Control labor costs while maintaining service quality Track inventory and product usage Place or recommend orders for coffee, milk, syrups, cups, paper goods, pastries, and other supplies Monitor purchasing rates and reduce unnecessary waste Help establish par levels for key inventory items Track product shortages, spoilage, and waste Communicate cost concerns early and clearly The Café Manager will also assist growth for customer traffic and brand awareness by: Suggesting events, promotions, partnerships, or marketing ideas Helping execute café events or community activations Supporting seasonal drinks or limited-time menu items Helping create a welcoming café culture that reflects the Baaloo brand Identifying opportunities to improve the customer experience What We're Looking For The ideal candidate is a practical, organized, coffee-focused leader who can build structure in a new café environment. This person should be comfortable working directly on bar, training others, solving problems, and communicating clearly with ownership. You should be able to lead without needing every process already written for you. Baaloo is a new café, and the first manager will play a major role in building the systems that future staff will follow. Requirements At least 3 years of restaurant, café, coffee shop, or food and beverage management experience Strong working knowledge of specialty coffee and espresso service Ability to train and coach baristas Experience hiring, onboarding, or training hourly staff Ability to work hands-on barista shifts as needed Experience with inventory, ordering, waste control, and labor management Strong communication and organization skills Ability to work in a new business/startup environment Ability to create structure, checklists, and routines where none currently exist Morning/daytime availability Reliable transportation Commitment to food safety, cleanliness, and professional service standards Nice to have qualifications Prior café manager, coffee shop manager, lead barista, or assistant manager experience Experience opening a new café, restaurant, or retail food business Experience using Toast POS or similar POS systems Experience with manual espresso preparation, grinder dialing, tamping, milk steaming, pour over, cold brew, and nitro cold brew Interest in Ethiopian coffee, specialty coffee sourcing, or coffee education ServSafe or other food safety certification

Pay:

$21.00 - $23.00 per hour

Benefits:

Employee discount Health insurance Paid time off Paid training

Work Location:

In person