General Manager

About Us

Better Buzz Coffee seeks General Managers! We are Buzzing with excitement to have you apply if you share our passion for coffee! See why Life is Better Buzzed! https://betterbuzzcoffee.com/

We are committed to providing outstanding guest service to our community while fostering a fun and upbeat work environment for our team. We are always pushing forward, growing and improving to ensure we are the absolute best we can be. Leaders who are excited to challenge themselves and grow will find great opportunities with Better Buzz Coffee! We are nimble and always in motion!

Better Buzz Coffee offers a unique food and drink menu at each of our locations. A fan-favorite is our "The Best Drink Ever", which is the drink that made us a household name in San Diego, CA.

The General Manager is the most senior leader within a Better Buzz café and is accountable for delivering consistent, brand-defining guest experience, building and developing a high-performing team, and operating a profitable, compliant business. The General Manager spends the majority of their time leading the team and managing café operations. The General Manager executes goals, solves problems, leads with integrity and sound judgment, and serves as an example of excellence for guests, team members, and the wider Better Buzz community. Everyday, in every cafe, we inspire our team and our community to rise early, dream big, have fun and maximize their human potential! We are on a relentless pursuit to elevate the coffee experience and our General Managers are responsible for upholding this mission statement on a daily basis.

Our chosen candidate will train for 8 weeks, assist in the market and wait to be awarded a store. This candidate may be part of a new opening or may be needed to backfill a different location to support our growth.

Pay & Schedule

• Hourly rate: $32.00–$35.00/hour based on a 45-hour work week
• Annual range: approximately $79,000–$86,000 based on hours worked
• Significant monthly bonus potential once awarded a location
• Open availability required – days, nights, weekends, holidays
• 45 hours of work per week

Benefits

• Work with an amazing team of coffee enthusiasts
• Work with a quickly growing brand
• Opportunities for career growth and advancement
• Full benefits packages available including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 401K with a match
• Paid time off
• Paid training
• Monthly bonus potential once awarded a location

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Build, lead, and develop a team of Assistant General Managers, Lead Shift Supervisors, Shift Supervisors, and Team Ambassadors and Baristas who embody the Better Buzz culture
• Act with integrity, honesty and knowledge to promote the Company's culture, values and mission
• Source, interview, hire, and onboard new team members through the company applicant tracking system; identify and develop internal talent for promotion
• Address all team concerns with urgency, fairness, clarity, strength and compassion
• Champion a workplace environment free of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and ensure all mandated trainings

Guest Experience & Brand Standards

• Lead the team to deliver exceptional guest experience
• Resolve guest concerns professionally and recover the experience with empathy and urgency
• Champion training and readiness for all brand initiatives, promotions, and seasonal campaigns

Operations & Financial Performance

• Operate the café to meet or exceed financial targets (e.g., sales, labor, food cost, and waste targets)
• Build and post accurate, compliant team schedules in advance; manage labor to forecast and team availability
• Manage to given metrics, identify gaps, build plans to close gaps, cascade plans to team to execute
• Drive overall sales through consistent modelling of hospitable service and upselling
• Promote adherence to overall speed of service, fulfillment and drive-thru time
• Maintain a high level of guest feedback scores
• Ensure all meal and rest breaks are taken and properly recorded in accordance with state law
• Lead and ensure proper inventory (e.g., pars, ordering, receiving, rotation, storage, and waste tracking)
• Maintain cash handling integrity and follow loss prevention protocols

Compliance, Safety & Wellbeing

• Maintain food safety and sanitation standards in line with ANSI certified Manager certification and county health requirements
• Comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, including state specific wage and hour, scheduling, and leave requirements
• Complete and document required incident reporting, including workplace injury, harassment complaints, and communicable disease notifications under AB 685
• Maintain a safe physical environment for guests and team members and promote a culture of psychological safety

Communication & Partnership

• 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

Qualifications

Required:

• 3 years of prior general management experience in a similar high-velocity, high-volume coffee or fast casual environment
• Manager Food Safety Certification
• Open availability – days, nights, weekends, holidays
• 45 hours of work per week

Preferred:

• Associate's Degree
• Drive-Thru experience
• New location opening experience

About Better Buzz

Founded in 2002 by two college students with a dream and a coffee cart, Better Buzz has grown into a thriving community with locations across California, Nevada, Arizona and soon, Florida. We roast our own organic, fair trade, and rainforest-certified coffee weekly! We're serious about quality, connection, and having a blast while doing it. At Better Buzz, you're not just making coffee — you're making people's day. Come live the Buzz Life. Learn more about us at www.betterbuzzcoffee.com.