Lead Barista - FT

About the role

As Lead Barista at the Barnes & Noble café in Duluth, you provide leadership to the café team, ensuring compelling product presentations, efficient café operations, and a welcoming environment where baristas feel supported and customers receive excellent service.

Responsibilities

• Guide baristas in maintaining compelling product presentations and overseeing the efficient running of the café.
• Create a welcoming environment where team members feel supported to raise questions or concerns and trust that they will be addressed promptly.
• Prioritize resources and barista support to keep shifts on track.
• Support the bookfloor team with presentation standards and maintenance.
• Actively coach the team to follow loss‑prevention procedures and maintain a safe, secure bookstore.
• Place food and beverage orders accurately and timely using available tools.
• Complete and submit accurate monthly inventory and waste logs.
• Coach the team in delivering effective food and beverage recommendations to customers.
• Lead and support the café’s focus on key sales objectives such as new LTOs, café promotions, and Membership.
• Use café training tools and resources to help baristas broaden their experience.
• Apply knowledge of café safety, hygiene, sanitation guidelines and procedures to maintain all standards.

Requirements

• Demonstrate reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts, setting the standard for the team.
• Be flexible and responsive to scheduling gaps, willing to work early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and most holidays.
• Approach work with a positive, proactive attitude, leading by example with purpose and energy.
• Be supportive and considerate of colleagues, consistently helping others and setting a positive example.
• Always be cheerful with customers, going out of your way to assist them.
• Show aptitude and willingness to learn new skills, acquire new knowledge, and apply it appropriately while guiding others.
• Be curious, continuously learning, and demonstrate ambition and initiative to develop a bookselling or café career.
• Act as a resource for baristas and booksellers, addressing and resolving concerns and raising them to leadership.
• Prioritize resources and barista support appropriately to keep the shift on track.
• Above all, show that you enjoy being a barista.

Skills

• Mastered skills in drink making, food preparation, and use of all café tools and processes to model best practices and coach others.
• Strong merchandising skills to coach the team in creating and maintaining a full, vibrant bake case and adjusting displays while meeting cleanliness and presentation standards.
• Ability to guide baristas in applying effective visual merchandising skills to keep counter and floor retail fixtures neat and tidy.
• Speed of service at registers, actively coaching baristas in customer conversations and improving register speed and accuracy.
• Skill in guiding baristas to receive and unpack deliveries, and to stock efficiently and accurately using FIFO practices.
• Ability to support baristas in keeping the café clean and tidy through excellent execution of daily and weekly cleaning tasks.
• Knowledge of café training tools and resources to help baristas broaden their experience.
• Understanding of café safety, hygiene, sanitation guidelines and procedures to maintain all standards.

Benefits

• For employees scheduled to work less than 20 hours per week: Employee Discount, EAP, and Sick Pay.
• For employees scheduled to work between 20 and 29.99 hours per week: Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay, Paid Time Off (including paid Maternity and Parental Leave), Company Paid Holidays, Transit, and 401(k) with Company Match.
• For employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week: Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay, Paid Time Off (including paid Maternity and Parental Leave), Company Paid Holidays, 401(k) with Company Match, Comprehensive Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, and Vision), Healthcare and Dependent Care Spending Accounts, Healthcare Spending Account, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Transit, and Tuition Reimbursement.
• All benefits are provided in accordance with the terms of the current plan and may be subject to future change; benefits may vary depending on location/state regulations.

Pay

Hourly rate starts at $19.75, depending on experience, seniority, geographic location, and other factors permitted by law.

Schedule

The store is open from early mornings to late evenings every day, including weekends and most holidays. Flexibility to fill scheduling gaps as needed is required.