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Position Summary
The Café Operations Manager owns the day-to-day performance and long-term health of Katz Coffee's consumer-facing operations: the in-house café, the mobile coffee/food truck, and the brand's presence at the IAH Terminal B café operated in partnership with a third-party operator. This role carries direct management responsibility and operating budget accountability for the café and truck and serves as the primary relationship manager for the IAH location — protecting brand standards, product quality, and the commercial relationship without direct oversight of third-party operator personnel.
This is a hands-on operating role for multiple locations including our mobile unit. The right candidate is equally comfortable pulling shots during a rush, reviewing a weekly labor report, troubleshooting an espresso machine, and sitting across the table from an airport concessions partner.
Key Responsibilities
People & Scheduling
- Hire, onboard, train, coach, and manage performance for café and mobile unit staff in coordination with HR
- Build and maintain staff schedules across the cafes and events calendar, balancing coverage against equipment and staffing capacity
- Review and validate timecards for all direct reports, including event-based hours; resolve discrepancies and submit to the central payroll function by established deadlines
- Provide barista training support, calibration, and quality coaching as needed
Financial Accountability
- Own operating budget performance for the café and mobile unit — COGS, labor, and cost control
- Reconcile daily sales; track margin and labor against targets
- Analyze per-event profitability for mobile deployments
- Deliver timely, accurate monthly financial reporting to leadership
Supply Chain & Inventory
- Manage ordering, par levels, vendor coordination, and stock rotation across the café and truck to prevent both outages and waste
- Plan load-outs and complete post-event inventory reconciliation for mobile operations
- Coordinate supply chain with the third-party operator team at IAH — forecasting, ordering cadence, delivery logistics, and resolution of product availability issues
Menu & Product Quality
- Develop or create coffee and food menu viability across the café and truck: seasonal offerings, pricing, margin analysis, recipe standards, and beverage quality
- Adapt menu execution to mobile operating constraints
- Monitor product quality and customer satisfaction at IAH including scheduled mystery shopping our locations to reinforce company standards; conduct quality audits against Katz Coffee standards
Equipment, Facilities & Vehicles
- Manage preventive maintenance and service scheduling for all production equipment (espresso machines, grinders, brewers, refrigeration) across the café and truck
- Oversee vehicle maintenance, inspections, registration, and roadworthiness; coordinate repairs to minimize downtime
- Maintain facility, production area, and commissary cleanliness, organization, and health-code readiness at all times
- Conduct regular IAH site visits to assess facility organization and cleanliness against Katz Coffee standards; document findings and drive corrective action through the partner
Daily Operations & Systems
- Own opening and closing procedures; ensure consistent execution across all shifts
- Administer POS systems at both the café and mobile unit — menu configuration, pricing updates, user access, connectivity, troubleshooting, reconciliation, and integration with company systems
Events & Compliance
- Maintain the event calendar, including booking coordination and logistics planning
- Secure event permitting and required documentation for each engagement
- Ensure compliance with Texas state and Harris County regulations, including mobile food unit permitting, food handler and manager certifications, and fire/propane requirements
Qualifications
Required
- 3+ years of management experience in specialty coffee, food service, restaurant, or retail operations, including direct responsibility for staffing and financial results
- Demonstrated accountability for operating budgets — COGS, labor management, and cost control
- Working knowledge of espresso equipment operation, calibration, and basic troubleshooting
- Experience with POS systems, scheduling software, and inventory management tools
- Food Manager Certification (or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire)
- Valid Texas driver's license with a clean driving record
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to represent Katz Coffee professionally with external partners
- Ability to work a variable schedule including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and event dates
Preferred
- Specialty coffee background with knowledge of sourcing, roast profiles, and quality standards
- Mobile food unit or event catering experience, including permitting
- Experience managing a franchise, licensee, or third-party operator relationship
- Familiarity with airport concessions or other high-security/high-compliance environments
- Experience with NetSuite or comparable ERP systems
Physical Requirements
Able to lift and move up to 50 lbs., stand for extended periods, and work in variable indoor and outdoor conditions including heat and inclement weather. Requires travel between the café, roastery, event sites, and IAH Terminal B. Must be able to obtain airport security badging as required for terminal access.
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