Cafe Team
We’re looking for a barista to join our team! Being part of a co-operative is really wonderful for folks who value community and want to be heard and respected in a working environment. This is not your average barista position. Being part of Firestorm has it’s challenges and demands and is not for someone with an already super full plate. That being said for self-directed folks who have a strong desire to work in a space with compassionate, community-oriented, radically-minded people, Firestorm could be a great fit!
Job Title
Prospective Member / Barista
Job Purpose
Plan, organize and participate in cafe operations to meet co-operative objectives. Support all cafe activities, including sales, menu planning, ordering and receiving. Acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to transition into an ownership role.
Job Duration
This is a six to nine month long position with the opportunity to move into a long-term position upon completion (see below). The job may begin immediately, starting with one or more paid training days, depending on applicant experience level.
Compensation
Varies based on hours worked, expected average weekly pay of $198
Typical Duties
- Open and close the store, reviewing sales receipts regularly to ensure the integrity of cafe operations.
- Prepare and serve specialty beverages quickly while maintaining standards above the industry norm.
- Assemble light cafe fare and maintain food displays.
- Operate efficiently during high volume hours, with a co-worker or solo.
- Provide exceptional customer service while cultivating a safe(r), respectful and comfortable atmosphere for patrons and workers.
- Describe menu and retail items, suggesting purchase opportunities based on customer needs.
- Be proactive in solving customer problems and satisfying hard-to-please individuals.
- Wash dishes, clean workspaces and maintain high cleanliness standards throughout the store.
- Participate in various collective meetings, working collaboratively with others to promote a healthy and financially sound co-operative.
- Assess cafe needs for supplies and inventory. Research products and negotiate pricing. Generate purchase orders, set pricing for resale, and authorize payment to vendors.
- Help to establish and maintain programs, policies and technologies to address operational and longterm goals, including cash handling, beverage recipes, menu margins, health and safety, promotions and customer service.
- Manage spending and regularly monitor budgetary information.
- Create and execute marketing plans leveraging social media, business website, electronic newsletters and other promotional technologies.
Required Skills & Qualifications
- Six months or more of barista experience.
- The ability to multitask and effectively utilize time.
- A passion for coffee culture and customer service.
- The ability to plan, organize and implement complex projects.
- A desire to participate in a collaborative work environment.
- Passion for community-centered work.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- 25+ hours/week of availability.
Desired Skills & Qualifications
- Experience working with a manual espresso machine.
- Experience working with and steaming non-dairy milks.
- Familiarity with the technical language of the coffee industry.
- Experience with consensus decision-making and collective work environments.
- Stable, long-term residency in Asheville with knowledge of the West Asheville neighborhood.
- ServSafe food handling certification.
- Fluency in Spanish.
- Super cool latte art skills.
About Our Co-operative
Firestorm Books & Coffee is an eight-year old worker co-operative with roots in Asheville’s activist, anarchist and vegan communities. We operate without a boss or general manager and work together as a collective, making decisions using formal consensus process. Our business operates with a goal of generating value for its workers and its community rather than accruing profit.
Prospective membership is available to individuals who believe that they might be interested in owning a share of our co-operative. Over the course of six to nine months, a prospective member will have the opportunity to become intimately familiar with our collective, and vice versa. At the end of this period the prospective member may be invited to continue their work in an expanded role as co-owner. For more information on this process, see here.
Our collective is a majority femme and queer project that centers anti-oppression work both within our co-op and in our community. Individuals from traditionally-marginalized communities strongly encouraged to apply.
For consideration, please submit resume and cover letter to cafe@firestorm.coop.