Cafe Team Expert

Role Overview

Based at the Ridgeland, Mississippi location, this full-time Café Team Expert position supports the café as a hands-on leader. The role centers on guiding team members, creating a friendly customer experience, and using business data to improve sales, reduce waste, manage inventory, and strengthen overall café performance. You will partner with the Store Manager to shape and adjust action plans that help the café meet its goals.

What Success Looks Like

This position calls for someone who models strong workplace habits and sets the tone for the team. You should bring dependable attendance, flexibility to cover scheduling gaps when needed, a positive attitude, and a willingness to support coworkers and customers with patience and respect. The job also expects strong communication, active listening, initiative, and a genuine enthusiasm for café work and barista service.

Core Duties and Training Areas

You will be trained to perform the operational tasks of a Barnes & Noble barista and to coach others in those areas as you gain expertise. That includes preparing drinks, maintaining food and beverage presentation standards, handling the register efficiently, supporting the bookfloor team when needed, and helping enforce loss prevention and safety practices. You will also be expected to help manage inventory, complete monthly inventory and waste reporting accurately and on time, and contribute to the wider cluster by supporting other stores when required.

Growth and Performance Expectations

As your experience builds, you will be expected to offer stronger product recommendations, read sales and inventory reports, identify waste patterns, and work with the Store Manager on café performance, training, and profitability opportunities. Maintaining proper food safety, hygiene, and sanitation standards is also part of the role. All responsibilities must be carried out in line with company policies and procedures.

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

This is an active role that involves long periods of standing, repeated bending, lifting, and frequent walking. The café operates early in the morning through late evening every day, including weekends and most holidays, so schedule flexibility is important.

Benefits

Benefits vary by scheduled weekly hours. Team members scheduled for fewer than 20 hours per week receive employee discount, EAP, and sick pay. Those scheduled between 20 and 29.99 hours per week receive employee discount, EAP, sick pay, paid time off including paid maternity and parental leave, company-paid holidays, transit benefits, and a 401(k) with company match. Team members scheduled for 30 or more hours per week receive those benefits plus comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, healthcare and dependent care spending accounts, healthcare spending account, disability benefits, life insurance, transit benefits, and tuition reimbursement. All benefits are subject to the terms of the current plan, may change in the future, and may vary by location and state regulations. Additional benefit details can be provided by the recruiter or Human Resources.