Prologue is a new independent bookshop coming to South Manchester, complete with a bar, speciality coffee shop and dedicated event space. A new concept for the North, in a huge, dedicated unit, Prologue is going to be the go-to destination for book lovers, coffee drinkers and culture seekers across the region.
We are now searching for our founding team to help shape what Prologue becomes and be a key part of its success.
Our Founding Head Barista will lead and curate the coffee and daytime café programme at Prologue, helping shape the atmosphere and experience of the space from day one.
The café will be the heartbeat of the shop during the day- somewhere people come to read, work, meet friends, and spend time. Alongside building a speciality coffee offering, this role will also oversee our daytime food offering, including pastries, cakes, and other light café items.
This role is about more than making great coffee. It’s about establishing the systems, standards, and culture that define our café experience from day one.
If you take pride in your craft, care deeply about hospitality, and want the opportunity to help build something special from the ground up, we would love to hear from you.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and take full ownership of the coffee programme at Prologue
- Curate and develop our coffee and café offering, including drinks, pastries, cakes, and light daytime food
- Ensure consistently excellent coffee quality and service standards across the café
- Dial in espresso and maintain optimal coffee quality throughout the day
- Work closely with our coffee supplier to develop and evolve our coffee offering
- Establish workflows, standards, and systems that support an efficient café operation
- Recruit, train, and mentor baristas as the café team grows
- Set and maintain high standards for drink preparation, workflow, and presentation
- Oversee the daytime café food offering, including pastries, cakes, and other light items
- Manage ordering and supplier relationships for baked goods and café food items
- Ensure food displays are attractive, well-stocked, and maintained throughout the day
- Maintain high standards of food safety, hygiene, and stock rotation
- Manage stock levels and ordering for coffee, milk, and café supplies
- Monitor equipment performance and ensure the coffee bar is maintained to a high standard
- Deliver warm, welcoming service and help create a café atmosphere people want to return to
- Operate our point-of-sale system and ensure smooth service during busy periods
- Work closely with the bookselling and bar teams to create a seamless experience across the space
- Support drinks service during evening events when required
- Play a role in shaping the culture and hospitality standards of Prologue
- Contribute ideas that improve the café experience and overall customer offering
- Support the owners with operational improvements and new initiatives as the business grows
Person Description
We hire a little differently. For us, the right person outweighs qualifications and experience every time, so we don't have person descriptions for our roles or minimum experience requirements and the like (not even secretly!).
Instead, we have core traits and behaviours that are a good indicator of being a fit for our team across all roles:
- You care deeply about great coffee and hospitality
- You’re also partial to a good book
- You're a great communicator who connects easily with people from all walks of life
- You're motivated to build and improve systems, standards, and experiences
- You're kind, friendly, and enjoy creating welcoming spaces
- You're a self-starter who takes ownership and initiative
- You're a natural team leader who enjoys helping others improve
- You have excellent attention to detail
- You bring creativity and ideas to the table
- You're comfortable giving and receiving feedback
- You're a quick learner who enjoys developing your craft
- You're happy to roll up your sleeves and help wherever needed
- You're professional and dependable
- You stay calm and focused under pressure
- You're comfortable using modern technology and systems
With that said, someone with a strong bar/hospitality background and the knowledge to take this area of the business my the horns will have a strong advantage.
For this role we are looking for someone to join us full-time. As Prologue is an all-day venue, weekend work will be required as may evening shifts.
Benefits
- 28 days annual leave
- 40% off everything in the shop — including books!
- Free hot and soft drinks from our café
- 24/7 employee wellbeing helpline, including counselling and financial advice
- Company pension contributions (for eligible team members)
- Access to early proof copies, exclusive content, and more
- Opportunity to attend industry events
- Team socials
