George Howell Coffee is an artisanal coffee roaster with a flagship cafe at The Godfrey Hotel in Boston, two smaller cafés in Boston Public Market and Newtonville. Later this fall we are opening a café / wine bar in the heart of Harvard Square within the setting of a vibrant new bookstore.

As a company, we are passionate about our guests and want them to take part in the adventure as we explore the rainbow of coffee flavors. With the opening of our café inside the Lovestruck bookstore, we want to bring that same passion and adventure to our guests with wine! With our deep roots in excellence, we strive to deliver, without overpowering, all the translucent layers of flavor inherent to great coffees; Our wine program will share this dedication to quality, highlighting small production, well-made delicious wine by the glass and bottle. George Howell is committed to our employees, paying above-average wages, promoting education about coffee and wine, and offering career advancement through its mentoring program. We hope to meet you soon.

At our café at Lovestruck Books, the Wine Bar Manager is at the center of the guest’s evening hospitality experience and our team’s performance. Our managers create a warm, welcoming environment for the guests and staff.

Our Lovestruck Books Wine Bar Manager is responsible for overseeing the day to evening transition of the café to a wine bar. We will have a curated selection of wines, beer, cordials and mocktails paired with crafted charcuterie and desserts. The Wine Bar manager will work closely with the daytime café manager and will be expected to control financial costs and working with the team to deliver on expectations set by leadership. We are looking for a candidate that will take ownership over the evening operations of the café ensuring every aspect is executed with excellence in mind.

Beverage Program & Bar Management:

• Our ideal candidate would help to manage a successful bar program at Lovestruck. Wine knowledge or experience working in a bar is preferred, and additional training and guidance will be provided. As a manager, your responsibilities will include:
• Providing exemplary wine service to guests at all times
• Training staff on new wines and other alcoholic beverages
• Beverage menu development, from wine curation & selection to providing printed customer copy
• Ensuring beverage pricing is accurate and industry standard
• Ordering weekly bar inventory
• Maintaining professional and productive relationships with a wide network of alcohol distributors & importers

General Wine Bar/Café responsibilities

• Work with senior management to identify, develop and evaluate innovative offerings in the café/wine bar including, evening focused artisanal foods, specialty beverages and coffee.
• Oversee all operations for the cafe during evening hours, ensuring top guest experiences and the highest team performance in a best-in-class work environment.
• Work closely with Bookstore staff and management to ensure an enjoyable environment for all guests; and properly monitoring and ensuring cleanliness of all areas of the café and bookstore.
• Oversee and mentor the wine bar staff of 10 members including bar and evening kitchen staff.
• Assist with evening special events which could include managing/catering food and drinks.
• Interview, hire, coach, direct, support, and recognize Team Members through performance feedback, including disciplinary action when necessary
• Assist in achieving sales and profitability goals while leading the team in providing an experience that is grounded in hospitality
• Control operating expenses through the timely maintenance of the café/wine bar and equipment
• Train on preparation of coffee drinks offered in the evenings and ensuring the wine bar team has a good knowledge of the coffee drinks and coffee retail bags offered.
• Participate with launching a specialty mocktail program and various events.
• Work with bookstore management to provide excellent service and product to their guests
• Ensure consistent achievement of speed and steps of service at all business levels
• Teach our company’s quality standards to Team Members and ensure we maintain those standards
• Participate in ongoing personal training to advance your food and beverage knowledge and share this knowledge to the guests and staff
• Ensure guests and staff are warmly received and welcomed at every opportunity and engage with our guests to deliver a personalized experience
• Perform all roles and duties of a Team Member as needed
• Constantly develop, propose, and implement improvements to service and operations—thinking outside the box to make our café and wine bar stand alone as an industry innovator and leader
• Ensure all areas of guest experience meet or exceed all established benchmarks for quality and consistency
• Anticipate guest and store needs by constantly evaluating operations, forecasts and trends including keeping well stocked and adjusting pars as needed given sales volume
• Enforce sanitary practices for food handling, exceptional cleanliness, and maintenance of kitchen, dining and storage areas.
• Perform basic banking and accounting duties, with support of the leadership team

We are looking for leaders who:

• Put people first
• Demonstrate a passion for our quality artisanal products
• Display contagious energy
• Emphasize teamwork
• Are committed to delivering top performance and exceeding standards
• Are process driven
• Have excellent communication and customer service skills
• Maintain punctual and consistent attendance
• Driven to constantly improve and grow
• Wine knowledge, or experience working in a bar, is preferred and candidates will need be TIPS certified.
• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience, preferred in café and restaurant management or related field. A combination of practical experience and education will be considered as an alternative.
• Minimum of three years of directly related café or casual dining restaurant management experience which includes personnel management and operational experience.
• Can fluently read and speak English.
• Fully functional with Toast POS operations, or similar POS system, and MS Office

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to maintain stationary (e.g. standing) for extended periods of time frequently and be on your feet for up to 8 hours per shift
• Ability to move around the restaurant/café throughout the day assisting staff and guests as well as performing shift responsibilities constantly
• Ability to move and lift supplies, equipment, boxes and other items up to 50 pounds from floor to shelves, under counter and up a set of stairs frequently
• Ability to reach items under counter and overhead on shelves frequently
• Ability to tolerate exposure to cleaning solutions frequently

Good Things to Know:

• Our Café is open seven (7) days a week, hours and workdays will fluctuate, candidates should expect to work weekends
• This position reports to our Chief Operating Officer and Café Operations Leader

We are an equal opportunity employer. Therefore, qualified applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or another protected category.

www.georgehowellcoffee.com

Please follow the link below to apply