Café and Retail Associate - Chestnut

Job Title : Café and Retail Associate - Chestnut

Hours : Full time, 32-40 hours/week (weekends and evenings required)

Department : Retail team - Chestnut Location

Report : Chestnut Manager

Wage : Starts at $21/hour plus tips

About Us
Dandelion Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in San Francisco’s Mission District. We make chocolate from only two ingredients, cocoa beans and cane sugar, and travel to origins as often as we can to build good, trusting relationships with the producers who grow and ferment cacao beans . Now we’re seeking a Full-time Café and Retail Associate at our Chestnut shop who will celebrate the care and thoughtfulness that goes into our chocolate through thoughtful service of our drinks and pastries. 

About the Role
As an associate, you’ll first learn everything about chocolate from where it’s grown, how it’s processed, and how to make your own batch of chocolate. With the variety of visitors that come through the Chestnut every day, you'll become an expert taster of all of our drinks, treats, and bars and know how the cocoa origin impacts the flavor of the chocolate bar. While we’re chocolate makers, we are also passionate and excited about coffee, and we train with Ritual Coffee Roasters. This role starts at $21/hour plus tips. 

A typical café day might start with reading the daily café report and knowing to expect the dishwasher repair person in the morning and a walking tour group around noon. When the line is down the corridor, your focus turns to ensuring each person receives a thoughtful, exquisite experience. During welcomed breaks from the rushes, you might restock the retail shelves, sweep the floor, or adjust the espresso machine to ensure that shots are pouring consistently. 

About You
Our ideal candidate is a mature, team-oriented person who is excited to learn and share their excitement about chocolate and coffee. You develop authentic rapport with guests, can work independently as necessary, and you have the savvy know-how to navigate unexpected situations with confidence. Whether it’s a regular asking for you to hand deliver their hot chocolate to their car so they don’t wake their sleeping baby or a camera crew showing up to film, you maintain your cool and jump in to help when needed. You aren’t intimidated by a long line of excited people and you love making spaces more efficient in downtime so that you’re ready for the busy period. Ideally, this isn’t your first time working in guest service and food  service, and you are excited to grow in your role and take on more responsibility. 

Responsibilities

• Coffee & Chocolate Excellence: Create hot chocolate drinks and espresso drinks with our manual machine and brew coffee with a consistent level of excellence. Know allergen information and be able to answer questions about our chocolate, pastries, and drinks with ease. Make recommendations for pairing chocolate with espresso drinks based upon your chocolate knowledge and experience.
• Guest Service: Regardless of the day of the week or the crowds, guests can depend upon you for an amazing drink and pastry experience. Be timely, dress professionally, and develop long-standing relationships so that visitors look forward to your thoughtful attention.
• Systems & Processes: Identify ways to improve operating procedures, checklists, and documentation so that your individual observations benefit the entire team and lead to all-around cafe improvements.
• Team-player: Be a positive, team-oriented player who brings the team up even when the line is out the door. Your coworkers want to work with you again (and again and again). 
• Other tasks as necessary

Requirements

• Weekend & Weekday Availability: Our shop is open 7 days/week so some flexibility in scheduling is helpful. We are looking for availability on weekends and evenings.
• Great Interpersonal Skills: you should be able to develop a quick rapport with customers by detailing our chocolate making process and why you relate to it, inspiring guests to learn more about chocolate! Proven ability to work well within a team environment.
• Previous experience: 1-2 years of retail or customer-facing work experience in a fast-paced environment. Experience making espresso drinks is a huge plus!
• Language Skills: Fluent spoken English is required. Additional language skills are a plus as we frequently host guests from all over the world!

Benefits

The benefits and perks continue beyond a robust chocolate education. Dandelion Chocolate constantly invests in our people and culture. All team members receive heavily subsidized medical, vision, and dental benefits as well as the option to enroll in our 401k program. All team members receive paid vacation time, holiday pay, and paid sick time. In addition, our team members enjoy commuter benefits, FSAs, chocolate tasting opportunities, and a range of opportunities to grow and develop within the company.

How to Apply

Dandelion Chocolate is growing and we are invested in employees who take ownership over their role in order to contribute in a bigger way with us. To stand out from the crowd, send us your resume and an optional cover letter that details your favorite food experience or influence. Keep in mind that we value passion, attitude, and hard work, so tell us what inspires you to join our café team.