WEEKEND SHOP LEAD / BARISTA

Location: East Village, NYC 
Hours: 14 hours/weekend* · Saturday–Sunday 
Pay: $17/hour + tips
Start date: ASAP


WHO WE ARE
Cakes by Klein is a boutique bakery on St. Marks Place. We make the custom wedding and birthday cakes you've probably seen on Instagram, plus weekend retail — mini cakes in our pink tins, cookies, and espresso drinks. We've been open for two years and we're growing fast. This is a chance to be the face of the shop as we double in size.


WHO YOU ARE
You are the kind of person who can talk to anyone. You remember the regulars' names by week three. You notice when the sprinkles are running low before anyone asks. You can hold a real conversation with the tourists wandering in from St. Marks. You’re a natural salesman without being pushy. You sell the heart and story of CBK.


SPECIFICALLY, YOU ARE:

  • Genuinely warm. Bubbly without being performative. Customers should feel like they walked into a friend's kitchen.

  • Detail-obsessed about the small things. Pink tins stacked just so. Counters wiped clean. Sales entered correctly in PoS. Closing checklist completed every night.

  • Reliable. If you say you'll be there at 10 am Saturday, you're there at 9:45. We are a tiny team and your shift starting on time is the whole day's tone.

  • Curious about food. You don't need to be a trained baker — but you should care about the difference between a good cookie and a great one.


WHAT YOU’LL DO
Opening (10 am or 11 am depending on day):

  • Unlock, turn on equipment, prep case

  • Bake the day's cookie batches from prepped dough

  • Pull and dial in espresso, check milk steam pressure

  • Stock display with the day's tins + fresh cookies

  • Greet first customers by 11 am sharp

During hours:

  • Run the Square POS terminal — sales, returns, gift cards, tips

  • Make espresso drinks: espresso, cortados, cappuccinos, lattes, drips

  • Engage every customer — talk about the CBK story, the flavors, the way the bakery runs

  • Manage flow when it's busy without losing the warmth

Closing:

  • Clean espresso machine to spec

  • Restock for next day

  • Lock-up checklist — every line item, every time

Occasional / cross-training:

  • Assist with custom cake deliveries on busy weekends

  • Help with prep when wedding orders stack up

  • Cover a prep morning if needed


WHAT YOU BRING:
Required:

  • 1+ year of customer-facing work — bakery, café, restaurant, retail

  • NYC food handler license (or willing to get one in — we'll pay)

  • Confidence with a POS system (we use Square)

  • Reliable transportation to St. Marks & Ave A

  • Legal authorization to work in the US

Nice to have:

  • Prior basic barista experience (we'll train if not)

  • Basic baking experience

  • Instagram/TikTok fluency — bonus if you've shot/edited content


SCHEDULE
The standard schedule is Saturday 10am-5:30 pm & Sunday, 11 am - 5:30 pm (1 hour prior and 30 minutes after retail hours)
*Current retail days are Saturday & Sunday, potential to open on Fridays in future


WHAT WE OFFER

  • $17/hour base + share of tip pool 

  • Free coffee + free cookie or cake per shift

  • Real growth: if you crush this role, you'll have first dibs on management when we expand

  • Small team (3 people including you). No corporate BS.


HOW TO APPLY
Email hanna@cakesbyklein.com with:

  1. A short paragraph on why this role is interesting to you (we want to hear your voice — don't send your typical cover letter template!)

  2. Your résumé OR a list of your last 2–3 jobs with dates

  3. One sentence about what your go-to small pleasure or treat is. We're hiring for taste!

We respond to every applicant within a week.

Cakes by Klein is an equal opportunity employer. We don't care about your background — we care if you'll make the shop better.