Love coffee, live music, fresh baking, and being part of something exciting?
Robo Lounge is Ottawa's newest café, cocktail bar, and live music venue. By day, we're a welcoming café serving coffee, baked goods, and fresh sandwiches. By night, we're a vibrant listening room hosting jazz, singer-songwriters, blues artists, and community events.
We're looking for a hands-on Kitchen Manager / Café Lead who wants more than just another kitchen job. This is an opportunity to help shape a growing independent business while working in one of Ottawa's most unique hospitality environments.
About the Role
You'll be responsible for leading our food program and supervising the team responsible for preparing fresh sandwiches, baked goods, soups, and café offerings. You'll oversee inventory, ordering, kitchen standards, and service execution while ensuring guests receive an exceptional experience from morning coffee through evening performances.
Coffee and espresso service are an important part of this role. The successful candidate will be comfortable stepping behind the espresso machine, supporting café operations during busy periods, and helping maintain the high standards our guests expect.
Responsibilities
- Lead and supervise daily food preparation operations
- Train, coach, and supervise kitchen and café staff
- Ensure consistent quality and presentation of all food offerings
- Support coffee and espresso service during peak periods
- Maintain kitchen organization, cleanliness, and food safety standards
- Ensure appropriate service levels are maintained throughout the day
- Manage inventory and maintain par levels
- Place orders with suppliers and receive deliveries
- Monitor food costs and minimize waste
- Coordinate food service with bar staff during live events and performances
- Help develop new menu items and seasonal offerings
- Create systems and procedures that support consistency and growth
What We're Looking For
- Experience in a café, bakery, kitchen, or food-service leadership role
- Strong leadership and supervisory skills
- Experience training and developing staff
- Strong organizational and time-management abilities
- Experience with inventory management and ordering
- Confidence working with espresso equipment and café service
- Food Handler Certification (or willingness to obtain)
- Positive attitude and solution-oriented mindset
Most kitchen jobs don't come with a soundtrack.
At Robo Lounge, you'll work alongside musicians, artists, and a passionate community of regulars. You'll have front-row access to live jazz, folk, blues, and singer-songwriter performances while helping build something special from the ground up.
Perks
- Full-time hours
- Competitive hourly wage based on experience
- Complimentary coffee while working
- Employee food and beverage discounts
- Access to live performances and special events
- Creative input into menus and offerings
You're a leader first.
You enjoy coaching staff, maintaining standards, and building systems that help a team succeed. You're equally comfortable leading food preparation, managing inventory, pulling espresso shots, and ensuring guests receive excellent service.
You understand that great hospitality is about consistency, teamwork, and creating memorable experiences for every guest who walks through the door.
If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.
Please apply with your resume and a brief note telling us why you'd be a great fit for Robo Lounge.
Pay: $17.60-$20.60 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
