Part-Time or Full-Time Cafe and Retail Associate

About Us

Dandelion Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in San Francisco’s Mission District. We make chocolate from only two ingredients, cocoa beans and cane sugar, and travel to origins as often as we can to build good, trusting relationships with the producers who grow and ferment cacao beans. Now we’re seeking a Part-Time (24 hours/week) Retail Associate at our Fillmore Street store as well as a Part-time to Full-time Cafe and Retail Associate at our 16th Street and Ferry Building locations. who will celebrate the care and thoughtfulness that goes into our chocolate through thoughtful and attentive service.

About the Role

As a retail associate, you’ll first learn everything about chocolate from where it’s grown, how it’s processed, and how to make your own batch of chocolate. You’ll become an expert taster of all of our confections, treats, and bars and know how the cocoa origin impacts the flavor of the chocolate bar. This role starts at $20.75/hour plus tips at cafe locations and $23.75/hour at the retail-only Fillmore Street location.

A typical day might start with opening up the shop by first making sure that the shelves are fully stocked and look their best. When we have multiple guests in the store, your focus turns to ensuring each person receives a thoughtful, exquisite experience. When a guest comes into the store, you know the questions to ask to help them find exactly what they are looking for so that they leave happy and hopefully having learned a little more about chocolate!

About You

Our ideal candidate is a mature, team-oriented person who is excited to learn and share their excitement about chocolate. You develop authentic rapport with guests, can work independently as necessary, and you have the savvy know-how to navigate unexpected situations with confidence. Whether it’s a regular asking for you to hand deliver their chocolate to their car so they don’t wake their sleeping baby or a chocolate enthusiast who has a hundred questions, you maintain your cool and jump in to help when needed. You aren’t intimidated by a long line of excited people and you love making spaces more efficient in downtime so that you’re ready for the busy period. Ideally, this isn’t your first time working in guest service, and you are excited to grow in your role and take on more responsibility.

Responsibilities

Chocolate Excellence: Know allergen information and be able to answer questions about our products with ease. Make recommendations to guests based upon your chocolate knowledge and experience.

Guest Service: Regardless of the day of the week or the crowds, guests can depend upon you for an amazing drink and pastry experience. Be timely, dress professionally, and develop long-standing relationships so that visitors look forward to your thoughtful attention.

Systems & Processes: Identify ways to improve operating procedures, checklists, and documentation so that your individual observations benefit the entire team and lead to all-around cafe improvements.

Team-player: Be a positive, team-oriented player who brings the team up even when the line is out the door. Your coworkers want to work with you again (and again and again).

Other tasks as necessary

Requirements

Great Interpersonal Skills: you should be able to develop a quick rapport with customers by detailing our chocolate making process and why you relate to it, inspiring guests to learn more about chocolate! Proven ability to work well within a team environment.

Previous experience: 1-2 years of retail or customer-facing work experience in a fast-paced environment. Experience making espresso drinks is a huge plus!

Weekend & Weekday Availability: Some evening and weekend availability is required.

Physical Stamina: You are comfortable walking, standing, bending, and occasionally lifting (25 lbs) throughout the 8 hour shift.

Language Skills: Fluent spoken English is required. Additional language skills are a plus as we frequently host guests from all over the world!

Benefits

The benefits and perks continue beyond a robust chocolate education. Dandelion Chocolate constantly invests in our people and culture. All team members receive heavily subsidized medical, vision, and dental benefits as well as the option to enroll in our 401k program. All team members receive paid vacation time, holiday pay, and paid sick time. In addition, our team members enjoy commuter benefits, FSAs, chocolate tasting opportunities, and a range of opportunities to grow and develop within the company.

How to Apply

Dandelion Chocolate is growing and we are invested in employees who take ownership over their role in order to contribute in a bigger way with us. To stand out from the crowd, send us your resume and a cover letter that details your favorite food experience or influence. Keep in mind that we value passion, attitude, and hard work, so tell us what inspires you to join our café team.