Cafe Lead

Job Description

Job Description

CAFÉ LEAD

Location: New General Café & Coffee Bar – Winter Park, FL
Employment Type: Full-Time

ABOUT NEW GENERAL

New General is a health-forward café and coffee bar focused on creating familiar, house-made food and beverages with nutrition, wellness, and quality in mind. We are committed to exceptional hospitality and thoughtful ingredients. We never utilize seed oils or cane sugar, serve organic milks, and source locally whenever possible.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Café Lead is a hands-on leadership position responsible for supporting and leading the day-to-day success of the front of house. This person sets the standard for hospitality, coffee quality, service, teamwork, cleanliness, and operational excellence.

The Café Lead must be highly present on the floor and confident leading a team during busy service periods. They must have a strong background in craft coffee, understand how to troubleshoot equipment and POS issues as they arise, and be able to make thoughtful decisions that always consider the guest experience.

This role requires a leader who can motivate and develop others, have constructive conversations when needed, and create a team environment where everyone understands the importance of working collectively toward the same goal: delivering an exceptional experience for every customer.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIESLEADERSHIP & TEAM DEVELOPMENT

• Lead the front-of-house team with confidence, professionalism, and a positive attitude.
• Motivate team members to work collectively and support one another.
• Set clear expectations and hold team members accountable for performance, hospitality, quality, and workplace standards.
• Have constructive and direct conversations with staff when performance, behavior, or expectations need to be addressed.
• Provide feedback in a way that is respectful, productive, and focused on growth.
• Help team members understand how their individual actions impact the overall guest experience.
• Lead by example through a strong work ethic, professionalism, urgency, and willingness to step into any role when needed.
• Foster a collaborative environment where every team member considers the customer when making decisions.
• Help coach and develop team members to become stronger, more confident contributors.

COFFEE & BEVERAGE EXPERTISE

• Maintain a high level of knowledge and experience in craft coffee and espresso.
• Ensure all coffee and espresso beverages meet New General's standards for quality, consistency, presentation, and speed.
• Coach and support baristas on espresso quality, drink preparation, milk steaming, workflow, and beverage consistency.
• Monitor beverage ticket times and identify opportunities to improve bar efficiency without sacrificing quality.
• Troubleshoot common coffee and espresso equipment issues as they arise.
• Understand when an equipment issue can be resolved in-house and when it needs to be escalated for service or repair.
• Assist with routine coffee equipment maintenance and ensure the team is following proper cleaning and care procedures.

OPERATIONS & PROBLEM SOLVING

• Troubleshoot POS and technology issues as they arise during service.
• Quickly assess operational issues and take appropriate action to minimize disruptions to the guest experience.
• Remain calm and solution-oriented when unexpected issues occur.
• Support and maintain efficient workflows during busy service periods.
• Monitor ticket times and service flow throughout each shift.
• Identify bottlenecks and work proactively with the team to keep service moving.
• Ensure orders are accurate and modifications are communicated clearly.
• Maintain a strong sense of urgency while protecting quality and hospitality.

GUEST EXPERIENCE & HOSPITALITY

• Lead with the guest in mind and encourage the team to consider the customer in every decision they make.
• Ensure every guest receives warm, knowledgeable, and efficient service.
• Help resolve guest concerns professionally and confidently.
• Maintain strong knowledge of the menu, ingredients, allergens, modifications, and products.
• Ensure the team communicates accurately and confidently with guests.
• Create and maintain a welcoming, polished, and hospitable café environment.
• Recognize opportunities to improve the guest experience and take initiative to make improvements.

QUALITY & DAILY OPERATIONS

• Maintain high standards for food and beverage quality and presentation.
• Monitor orders before they leave the café to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Assist with opening and closing responsibilities.
• Ensure all front-of-house areas are clean, organized, stocked, and guest-ready.
• Monitor product levels and communicate operational needs to management.
• Support the bar, register, food running, and café support positions as needed.
• Ensure the team follows all food safety, sanitation, and operational procedures.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 2+ years of craft coffee experience required.
• Previous experience in a hospitality leadership role at the Supervisor level or above required.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of espresso preparation, bar workflow, coffee quality, and beverage consistency.
• Ability to troubleshoot common coffee and espresso equipment issues.
• Experience troubleshooting and resolving POS and basic technology issues in a fast-paced service environment.
• Proven ability to lead, motivate, coach, and hold a team accountable.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to have constructive, sometimes difficult, conversations with staff.
• Ability to remain calm, organized, and solution-oriented during busy or challenging shifts.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Strong understanding of hospitality and the ability to make decisions with the customer experience in mind.
• Ability to multitask and maintain a strong sense of urgency.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and lift up to 30 pounds.
• Availability to work weekends and holidays as needed.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The ideal Café Lead is someone who:

• Has a genuine passion and deep understanding of craft coffee.
• Has proven experience successfully leading a hospitality team.
• Is comfortable taking ownership and solving problems as they arise.
• Can troubleshoot both coffee equipment and POS issues without becoming overwhelmed.
• Knows how to have direct, constructive conversations with staff.
• Can motivate a team to work collectively rather than individually.
• Leads with both accountability and respect.
• Understands that every decision should ultimately consider its impact on the customer.
• Is highly present, observant, and proactive.
• Can balance speed, accuracy, quality, and hospitality.
• Takes pride in maintaining a clean, organized, efficient, and welcoming café.
• Is committed to developing others and raising the overall standard of the team.

The Café Lead is a key member of the New General leadership team. This person is expected to lead from the floor, solve problems in real time, develop the team, and ensure that every aspect of the café consistently reflects our standards of quality, hospitality, and care for the customer.

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