Cafe Culinary Lead

Position Title: Café Culinary Lead

Reports to: Café Chef & Manager

Classification

Type: Part-time, non-exempt position. 25-28 hours per week

Schedule: Availability to be scheduled to work weekdays, evenings, weekends and holidays.

Minimum starting hourly rate: $14-$18 depending on experience

Scott Family Amazeum Overview

The Scott Family Amazeum is a hands-on, interactive museum in Northwest Arkansas and recognized as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. We create a fun environment where risk taking, imagining, problem solving, discovery, collaboration, and exploration bring children and adults together to learn and grow.

Core Purpose: The Amazeum exists to spark and nurture the curious and creative spirit in all of us.

Through experiences with the Amazeum, individuals and the community are engaged in building relationships and developing identities as creative, curious, and innovative shapers for the region. Learning at the Amazeum is an active, playful exploration that inspires curiosity. It is rooted in inquiry-based discovery and involves an element of risk. Hands-on learning opportunities allow guests to exercise critical thinking in the context of play.

The Amazeum facility includes approximately 50,000 square feet of indoor space and one acre of outdoor exhibition and activity space. The museum is located at the intersection of Museum Way and J Street in Bentonville, AR.

Position Summary

The Café Culinary Lead supports daily operations at Headwaters Café by helping lead café team members, providing excellent guest service, preparing and overseeing food and beverage orders, supporting point-of-sale operations, handling cash and payment transactions accurately, and maintaining a clean, safe, efficient, and welcoming café environment.

This position serves as a shift leader and point of contact during daily café operations. The Café Culinary Lead helps ensure that menu items are prepared according to approved recipes, food safety standards are followed, stations remain stocked and organized, guest concerns are handled professionally, and café team members receive direction and support throughout the shift.

The ideal candidate has strong guest service skills, solid culinary knowledge, cash handling experience, leadership experience, and the ability to make sound decisions in a fast-paced, family-friendly café environment. The Café Culinary Lead reports to the Café Chef and Manager.

Essential Functions

• Provide excellent customer service for Amazeum guests and team members using the café.
• Serve as a shift leader for café operations, helping direct Café Associates during daily service, peak periods, school group visits, events, and closing procedures.
• Proactively and warmly welcome café guests, respond to questions, and offer guidance on menu items, ordering, pickup, seating, allergens, and café procedures.
• Support and model a positive, professional, family-friendly service experience for all café guests and team members.
• Effectively operate the café point-of-sale system in accordance with established procedures, entering orders accurately and processing payments.
• Accurately process cash, credit card, mobile payment, discount, gift card, and other approved transactions.
• Assist with cash handling procedures, including making change, verifying payment accuracy, supporting cash drawer accountability, and reporting discrepancies to the Café Chef and Manager.
• Prepare, assemble, and oversee café menu items according to approved recipes, portion standards, presentation expectations, and food safety procedures.
• Help to maintain consistent food quality, proper preparation standards, accurate cooking or heating, safe holding, and efficient service.
• Assist with breakfast items, grab-and-go items, snacks, handhelds, bowls, kids’ meals, coffee, beverages, and other café offerings as assigned.
• Monitor food quality, product levels, expiration dates, and station readiness throughout the shift; take appropriate action when items are low, expired, damaged, or not meeting quality standards.
• Make appropriate shift-level decisions to support guest service, food safety, team communication, and smooth café operations.
• Escalate guest concerns, staffing issues, equipment concerns, product shortages, safety concerns, or operational problems to the Café Chef and Manager as needed.
• Maintain clean, organized, and stocked food prep, beverage, service, cashier, and guest-facing stations throughout the shift.
• Follow and reinforce food safety standards including handwashing, glove use, allergen awareness, proper food storage, labeling, dating, FIFO rotation, temperature control, and prevention of cross-contamination.
• Support team members in following café recipes, portion standards, cleaning expectations, and guest service procedures.
• Help maintain a clean and welcoming dining area, including bussing tables and cleaning surfaces.Restock guest supplies including napkins, utensils, cups, lids, condiments, straws, bags, and other disposables.
• Assist with dishwashing, small wares cleaning, equipment cleaning, and end-of-shift sanitation tasks as assigned.
• Lead or support opening and closing procedures, including station setup, cleaning checklists, restocking, securing food and supplies, and communicating shift notes.
• Assist with receiving, organizing, labeling, dating, and storing food, beverage, paper goods, and café supplies as needed.
• Help maintain the appearance and functionality of café workstations, guest queues, pickup areas, seating areas, and related spaces.
• Communicate clearly with Café, and Amazeum team members to support accurate orders, smooth service, and guest satisfaction.
• Support café operations during school group visits, birthday celebrations, special events, peak attendance days, and extended operating hours as needed.
• Represent the Amazeum in a professional manner at all times, including adherence to department standards, guest service expectations, and organizational policies.
• Perform additional duties as required.

General Duties

The responsibilities listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. The Amazeum reserves the right to revise or change position duties and responsibilities as necessary to accommodate changing organizational needs.