OPEN POSITIONS

Cook

Overview:

There and Back Cafe & Games is a novel tabletop game and hobby concept. Our morning fares lean towards a few different avocado toasts and breakfast sandwiches. Lunches and dinners focus mainly on artisanal sandwiches and heartier foods that rotate in (such as housemade soups, mac ‘n cheese, lasagne, and whatever inspires us). We frequently flip our menu for themed watch parties when a new TV show or movie launches and also do quarterly themed prix fixe dinners.

What We’re Looking For in a Cook:

We are not your traditional restaurant and kitchen. The ideal person would welcome the opportunity to get creative in a very small kitchen. We’ve been making miracles happen with the foods we offer since opening 2 years ago. We think of it as a fun challenge, rather than a roadblock.

We’re looking for someone who has restaurant /cafe cooking experience, has a creative flair, enjoys coming up with new food ideas, and can plate dishes in an attractive way. Someone who is multi-talented and not only focused/trained as a line cook (our kitchen is too small for a line—you’d be fulfilling orders start to finish). On weekends, when we’re super busy, we try to have two cooks.

If you are classically trained or used to only working in a chef’s kitchen, then our place is probably not what you’re after. However, if you enjoy letting your nerdiness shine through frequently changing and movie/TV/book-themed dishes, you’ll love it here. We are a small, but creative bunch who enjoy bouncing new food ideas off of each other and having a lot of fun with what we’re creating. We frequently hold themed dinners, where we entirely flip the menu. We have access to a full kitchen at Empress, as needed, for prep and cooking with appliances that we are not allowed to have in our small kitchen.

You’ll need to have some nerdiness flowing through your veins — TV, movies, or games. We rely on each other to crank up the nerdy food and beverage flair.

Idea candidate will be okay with serving beer, wine, ciders, and meads (as a backup to the front-of-house staff) as needed and will need to take, and pass, the Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Training Program as well as have, or be able to pass, the ServeSafe Food Training.

You’ll be cross-trained in our coffee service duties if you want to learn.

You’ll be responsible for end-of-shift inventory of food items and adding what’s needed to our shared grocery app and Sysco orders.

If there is one thing to impress upon applicants it’s is that you must be comfortable working Downtown. This is a city job for a city person. Driving and parking Downtown should not be an issue for you. Light rail lets off across the street from us. There is a security-patrolled parking garage across the street.

What Makes Us Different:

For starters, we’re unique in that our environment is laid-back. Customers are typically coming to settle in with a multi-hour-long game, which makes food service less frenzied. We offer a positive and empowering space for you to grow your cooking skills.

We’ve built a busy environment of customers in our first two years of being open, and are a popular place with not only the gaming community but also Downtown workers who enjoy good food and stellar coffee.

Perks:

• Paid time off.
• 30% off of any purchases at There and Back Cafe and Capital Books.
• One complimentary meal and beverage per shift.
• Access to an ever-growing collection of tabletop games. (If you finish your duties, we encourage our employees to engage in exploring, and learning, our many types of gaming activities as a way to become more familiar with our offerings and, time-permitting, kick-start a customer’s game by giving them an overview of it or suggesting games you enjoy).

Compensation:

This is a tipped position. You’ll equally share shift tips with whomever else is working. Compensation will be $18.00 per hour (+tips).

On-Call Barista

This is a unique position for someone who doesn’t want a full-time position and wants the freedom to do other things rather than have a set schedule.

We’re looking for someone to be a filler for when a barista or bar-back goes on vacation or calls out. As you can imagine, vacations are forseeable and can be planned in advance, but call-outs due to illness or life crisis happens on the fly. We’d like this person to have a fairly flexible schedule to accommodate last-minute opportunities.

Pay: $17/hour + shared tips

Expectations:

• Must have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Have at least 2 years of barista experience at a coffee shop.
• Have knowledge of making popular drinks (espresso, pour-over, French press, Chemex)
• Candidate will have an outgoing personality and have the skills necessary to develop themed drinks. We expect to change out certain drinks throughout the year or for specific holidays or movie releases.
• Must have experience calibrating espresso grinders.
• Create hot, iced, and blended beverages.
• Must be able to take, and pass, the Safe Food Handlers class.
• Have the ability to take, and pass, the ABC Responsible Beverage Service class to serve beer, wine, and cider
• Follow all state, local, and private company protocols regarding food safety and general health for the safety of everyone.
• Follow closing task lists to ensure the cafe operates smoothly.
• Carry food and beverages to customers’ tables.
• Ensure that tables, chairs, the play area, and public areas are promptly cleared of dishes and sanitized after use.
• Feel comfortable assisting with taking garbages to the dumpster in the alley (buddy team encouraged).
• Occasionally receive and organize food and beverage deliveries.
• Count the register before and/or after a shift.
• Make sure equipment stays clean and fully operational.
• Safely and accurately operate the espresso machine (we will train you on our La Marzzoco).
• Assist with sweeping, mopping, and cleaning the store during/after a shift.
• Assist our team with getting dishes into the dishwasher and bussing tables (we all do it).
• Be willing to learn how to help the kitchen prepare simple orders (rare, but we all learn each other’s jobs).
• Assist customers by taking their food and beverage orders on our point-of-sale system. You’ll be trained on Square.

Perks:

• Paid time off.
• 401k.
• 30% off of any purchases at There and Back Cafe and Capital Books.
• One complimentary meal and beverage per shift at There and Back Cafe.
• $3/day parking in a security-patroled garage across the street.
• Access to an ever-growing collection of tabletop games. (If you finish your duties, we encourage our employees to engage in exploring, and learning, our many types of gaming activities as a way to become more familiar with our offerings and, time-permitting, kick-start a customer’s game by giving them an overview of it or suggesting games you enjoy).

Must be comfortable working in Downtown Sacramento.