Brenen’s Cafe | The Ohio State University Campus

Brenen’s Cafe is looking for a dependable, hands-on Assistant Manager to help lead our weekday café operation on The Ohio State University campus.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced restaurant or café professional who prefers an early-morning, Monday-through-Friday schedule. A major part of this role is helping open the café, baking and preparing products, organizing the team, and making sure we are fully prepared for a successful breakfast and lunch service.

We are looking for a strong second-in-command who can support the General Manager, take ownership of daily responsibilities, and lead the team without needing constant direction.

Schedule

Full-time position

Monday through Friday

No regular weekend shifts

Early-morning availability is required

Shifts begin before the café opens to allow time for baking, food preparation, and setup

Located on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio

Exact starting times may vary depending on the needs of the café and the university schedule.

Primary Responsibilities

The Assistant Manager will work alongside the General Manager to oversee daily café operations, including:

Opening the café in the early morning

Baking breads, pastries, and other café products

Completing morning food preparation and product setup

Preparing, slicing, portioning, and organizing ingredients

Ensuring the café is fully stocked and ready before service

Leading and positioning employees for successful shifts

Managing breakfast and lunch execution

Maintaining food quality, presentation, and portion standards

Providing friendly and professional customer service

Supervising, training, coaching, and motivating team members

Maintaining a clean, organized, and food-safe workplace

Ordering products from approved vendors

Monitoring inventory, product levels, and food waste

Assisting with employee scheduling

Handling customer concerns professionally

Supporting opening, cleaning, prep, and other daily café duties

Stepping into any position necessary to help the team succeed

This is a hands-on leadership position. The Assistant Manager must be willing and able to learn and perform every job in the café.

Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate:

Has restaurant, café, bakery, deli, or food-service management experience

Has experience in a Panera-style, fast-casual, bakery-café, or high-volume lunch environment

Enjoys working early mornings

Has baking, culinary, food-preparation, or kitchen experience

Is culinary-minded or able to learn recipes and preparation standards quickly

Is excellent with customers

Can manage preparation, baking, product setup, lunch execution, and employee positioning

Is professional, dependable, organized, and detail-oriented

Can recognize what needs to be done and take action without constant direction

Communicates clearly with employees, customers, and management

Is comfortable giving direction and holding employees accountable

Leads by example and is willing to work alongside the team

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must have:

At least two years of supervisory or management experience

Restaurant, café, bakery, kitchen, or food-service experience

Strong early-morning and weekday availability

A high school diploma or equivalent; college education is preferred

Knowledge of food-safety regulations and health department standards

Basic knowledge of inventory, ordering, food costs, and profit-and-loss statements

Basic math and accounting skills

Strong leadership, communication, customer-service, and conflict-resolution skills

Reliable transportation and consistent attendance

A professional appearance and attitude

The ability to work full-time, Monday through Friday

Physical Requirements

The Assistant Manager must be able to:

Stand and work on their feet for shifts of approximately eight hours

Regularly lift and carry 35–50 pounds

Bend, stretch, push, pull, and reach

Perform repetitive food-preparation and baking tasks

Continuously use both hands and wrists

Work safely and efficiently in a fast-paced café environment

Why Join Brenen’s Cafe?

Brenen’s Cafe has been part of the Ohio State community for decades. We take pride in serving high-quality food made with quality ingredients, offering unique menu combinations, and providing exceptional customer service.

This position offers the consistency of a weekday schedule while still providing the energy and opportunity of a busy campus café. For the right person, the Assistant Manager position could be the beginning of a rewarding long-term career with us.

If you are an experienced café or restaurant leader who enjoys early mornings, baking, preparing excellent food, serving customers, and helping a team succeed, we would love to hear from you.

Apply today to join the Brenen’s Cafe team on The Ohio State University campus.