Lead Barista

Description

About Us: 

16 On Center Chicago owns and operates several live music venues, third-party production, restaurants, bars, and food halls across Chicago and New York. Join the team of one of the country's leading independent promoters.

Our most effective service to our community comes from a team with a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds, and experiences. 16 On Center actively seeks a diverse applicant pool and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Position Summary

As a Lead Barista at Good Ambler, you will play a key role in ensuring efficient, high-quality beverage service and exceptional hospitality in a fast-paced, high-volume café. You’ll lead the barista team during service, coach on technique and speed, communicate effectively with kitchen and bakery teams, and help maintain a clean and welcoming environment for both guests and staff. Our café serves a steady stream of guests from the adjacent office buildings during the week and sees long, fast-moving lines on weekends.

Additional responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

• Leading baristas through service to ensure speed, accuracy, and quality
• Monitoring drink presentation and adjusting in real time as needed
• Maintaining a clean, well-stocked, and organized bar and customer area
• Communicating with kitchen and bakery teams on restocks and special orders
• Training new team members and offering ongoing coaching on recipes, workflows, and hospitality standards
• Modeling excellent customer service and handling guest concerns with professionalism
• Managing inventory of coffee, syrups, milk, and related supplies
• Brainstorming and supporting seasonal beverage development and communicating sales trends to management
• Reporting equipment issues or customer incidents to management promptly
• Ensuring consistent adherence to recipes, café procedures, and health code regulations
• Supporting breaks and task delegation to maintain smooth operations
• Assisting with deep cleaning and side work assignments as needed

Requirements

About You: 

• Minimum 2 years of barista experience in a high-volume café or similar setting
• 1+ year in a supervisory or lead role preferred
• Strong knowledge of coffee, espresso extraction, milk steaming, and drink building
• Familiarity with POS systems (e.g., Square, Toast)
• Friendly, professional, and customer-focused with excellent communication skills
• Effective multitasker with a strong sense of urgency and attention to detail
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, including weekends and holidays
• Must have or be willing to obtain an Illinois Food Handler’s Certification
• Able to work approximately 32–40 hours per week
• Able to stand/walk for up to 8 hours per shift
• Able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs
• Comfortable working in warm and cool environments, indoors and outdoors
• Able to tolerate noise from music and customer traffic, as well as exposure to common allergens like dairy, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, and sesame