Assistant Manager

Job Summary

Sweet Lemon Kitchen is seeking a dependable, energetic, and customer-focused Assistant Manager to help lead daily café operations. This role supports the AGM in creating a welcoming guest experience, maintaining high standards for coffee, food, cleanliness, and service, and helping guide the team through busy shifts.

The Assistant Manager will assist with staff supervision, training, scheduling, inventory, cash handling, opening and closing procedures, customer service, and overall café operations. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who enjoys working in a fast-paced coffee shop environment, takes pride in quality service, and helps create a positive atmosphere for both guests and team members.

Key Responsibilities

The Assistant Manager will:

• Support the Café Manager in overseeing day-to-day café operations.
• Lead shifts and help ensure smooth, efficient service during peak and non-peak hours.
• Provide friendly, professional, and welcoming customer service.
• Assist with preparing and serving coffee, espresso drinks, teas, pastries, café food items, and other menu offerings as needed.
• Train, coach, and support baristas, cashiers, and café team members.
• Help maintain Little Lemon’s standards for beverage quality, food presentation, cleanliness, and hospitality.
• Monitor customer flow, order accuracy, wait times, and overall guest satisfaction.
• Assist with employee scheduling, shift coverage, and daily task assignments.
• Support inventory management, including ordering, receiving, stocking, and rotating products.
• Monitor supplies such as coffee beans, milk, syrups, pastries, paper goods, cleaning products, and café ingredients.
• Follow proper cash handling, register, point-of-sale, and deposit procedures.
• Assist with opening and closing duties.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, health, and workplace safety standards.
• Help resolve guest concerns professionally and escalate issues when appropriate.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and inviting café environment.
• Communicate staffing needs, maintenance issues, product shortages, customer feedback, and operational updates to management.
• Step in as manager on duty when the Café Manager is not present.

Qualifications

Required:

• Previous experience in a coffee shop, café, restaurant, bakery, hospitality, or customer service environment.
• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and support a team.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while staying organized and calm.
• Dependable attendance and punctuality.
• Basic math, cash handling, and point-of-sale system skills.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including early mornings, weekends, and holidays.
• Willingness to perform hands-on café duties alongside the team.

Preferred:

• Previous shift lead, supervisor, or assistant manager experience.
• Barista experience, including espresso drink preparation.
• Experience with inventory, ordering, scheduling, and labor management.
• Manager Food Handler Certification or the ability to obtain one.
• Knowledge of coffee, tea, café food service, and guest experience standards.

Skills and Competencies

• Friendly and hospitality-focused attitude
• Team leadership and coaching
• Strong communication skills
• Barista and café service knowledge
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Problem-solving skills
• Reliability and accountability
• Ability to multitask
• Cleanliness and organization
• Guest-focused mindset
• Ability to work well under pressure

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to bend, reach, lift, carry, and move throughout the café.
• Ability to lift up to 25-50 lbs as needed.
• Ability to work around hot equipment, coffee machines, food preparation areas, and cleaning supplies.
• Ability to perform opening, closing, cleaning, stocking, and service-related duties.

Compensation

Pay Range:  $19.50 - $22
Benefits: Employee meals/drinks, tips, health insurance, 401 K, employee discounts, Corporate Chaplain