General Manager – New Coffee Shop Opening
Skyway Coffee
Chicago, Illinois
Full-time | 40 hours per week
Starting at $20.00/hour, with annual performance and compensation reviews during the first three years of employment and opportunities for growth as Skyway Coffee expands.
About Skyway Coffee
Skyway Coffee is a new community-focused coffee shop opening in Chicago. Our goal is to provide high-quality beverages in a safe, welcoming gathering space centered around excellent service, community connection, and a family-friendly atmosphere.
We are looking for an experienced, dependable General Manager who wants more than a traditional management position. Because this is a new coffee shop, the General Manager will have the opportunity to help shape the menu, build the team, establish operating standards, create the workplace culture, and participate in decisions leading up to opening day.
The right person will be able to share ideas, see those ideas put into action, and have a meaningful voice in how the shop operates.
Position Overview
The General Manager will work closely with the owner to prepare Skyway Coffee for opening and oversee day-to-day operations after launch. This is a hands-on position that combines leadership, barista work, employee management, customer service, administrative responsibilities, and community involvement.
The General Manager must be comfortable working alongside employees, preparing beverages, helping customers, solving problems, and stepping into any area of the shop when needed.
This is a full-time position scheduled for approximately 40 hours per week. Initial shop hours are expected to be Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Weekend availability may be required in the future as business hours expand. Schedules and responsibilities may adjust based on the needs of the business.
Responsibilities
The General Manager will be responsible for:
- Supporting pre-opening planning and opening-day preparation
- Helping establish the shop’s menu, procedures, service standards, and workplace culture
- Opening and closing the coffee shop
- Overseeing daily operations and ensuring the shop runs safely and efficiently
- Preparing coffee, espresso drinks, tea, and other menu items
- Maintaining consistent beverage quality and presentation
- Providing friendly, professional customer service
- Hiring employees with the support of the owner
- Training, coaching, and developing baristas and customer-service staff
- Creating employee schedules and coordinating shift coverage
- Conducting employee performance reviews
- Reviewing employee time records and assisting with payroll administration
- Monitoring attendance, performance, and workplace conduct
- Managing cash handling, deposits, register procedures, and daily sales reconciliation
- Monitoring inventory and placing supply orders
- Receiving deliveries and maintaining organized storage areas
- Maintaining food safety, sanitation, cleanliness, and equipment-care standards
- Addressing customer questions, complaints, and service concerns
- Helping control labor, waste, and operating expenses
- Communicating business needs, concerns, and opportunities to the owner
- Helping develop promotions, community partnerships, and customer-engagement ideas
- Planning and working community events
- Assisting with private parties, sip-and-craft nights, rentals, and other special events as agreed upon
- Performing other reasonable duties needed to support the successful operation of the shop
Required Qualifications
Applicants must have:
- At least two years of coffee shop, café, or restaurant management experience
- Previous barista experience
- Experience operating and maintaining a commercial espresso machine
- Experience training and supervising employees
- Strong customer-service and communication skills
- Experience with cash handling, inventory, scheduling, and daily operations
- The ability to work independently and make responsible decisions
- The ability to remain calm, professional, and organized during busy periods
- Reliable transportation and dependable attendance
- The ability to stand for extended periods and perform normal coffee shop duties
- Availability to work a full-time schedule of approximately 40 hours per week
- Flexibility to work weekends in the future if operating hours expand
Food-handler certification is required. The selected candidate must obtain or maintain any certifications required for the position. If the candidate lacks the certification at the time of application, they must be enrolled in an approved course for certification or have applied within their first two weeks of hire.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is:
- Dependable
- A confident and supportive leader
- A self-starter
- Positive and welcoming
- Organized
- Comfortable working in a new business environment
- Excited to help develop systems and improve operations
- Able to balance employee leadership with hands-on customer service
- Interested in building long-term relationships with customers and the surrounding community
Compensation and Benefits
Skyway Coffee offers:
- Starting pay of $20 per hour
- Full-time employment averaging 40 hours per week
- Paid time off in accordance with company policy and applicable law
- One free beverage per scheduled shift
- A 10% employee discount
- Performance and compensation reviews
- The opportunity to help build a new coffee shop from the ground up
- A meaningful voice in menu development, operating decisions, employee culture, and community programming
- Opportunities to help create and lead private events and community activities
- The chance to work directly with the owner in a growing local business
Schedule
The initial schedule is expected to be based around Monday through Friday operating hours of 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The General Manager’s schedule may include time before opening or after closing for preparation, inventory, payroll, meetings, training, and administrative responsibilities.
Weekend hours may be introduced in the future. The schedule, operating hours, and job responsibilities may adjust as the business grows.
How to Apply
Please submit your resume through Indeed and complete the required screening questions.
Applicants selected for consideration may be contacted for an initial interview, a second interview, reference checks, and a practical or scenario-based assessment.
Skyway Coffee is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made based on qualifications, experience, business needs, and the ability to perform the responsibilities of the position.
Pay: $20.00 - $20.01 per hour
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- Please briefly describe your management experience in a coffee shop, café, or restaurant. Include the number of employees you supervised and your primary responsibilities.
- Please describe your barista and espresso-machine experience. What types of beverages and equipment have you worked with?
- Skyway Coffee is a new business, and the General Manager will help establish procedures, menu ideas, employee expectations, and workplace culture. What interests you about helping build a coffee shop from the ground up?
- Describe a time you trained or coached an employee who was struggling. What did you do, and what was the outcome?
- Describe how you would respond if the shop became unexpectedly busy, an employee called off, and a customer raised a service complaint at the same time.
- What methods have you used to control inventory, reduce waste, manage labor, or improve profitability?
- This role may include community events, private parties, and special evening or weekend activities. Please describe any relevant event-planning or community-engagement experience you have.
Experience:
- coffee shop, café, or restaurant management: 2 years (Required)
- Barista: 1 year (Required)
- operating a commercial espresso machine: 1 year (Required)
Shift availability:
Work Location: In person
