General Manager – Naperville, IL

General Manager – Naperville, IL
GENERAL MANAGER
The standard-setter for the store, the team, and the guest experience.
Reports to
Founder/CEO or designated company leader
Supervises
Shift Leads, Baristas, and Training Baristas
Classification
Full-time; classification confirmed in the offer letter
Location
Assigned Fat Miilk café; may support other locations as needed
The role
The General Manager owns the daily health and performance of a Fat Miilk café. This leader turns brand standards into consistent execution—building a strong team, running an organized and financially responsible store, and ensuring that every guest experiences Fat Miilk with warmth, confidence, and care. The right person is both a people leader and an operator: present on the floor, clear in expectations, thoughtful in coaching, and accountable for results.
What you’ll own
- Lead all day-to-day store operations, including opening and closing readiness, service flow, cleanliness, safety, product quality, cash controls, and issue resolution.
- Build schedules that reflect business needs, approved availability, labor targets, training needs, and fair coverage; manage attendance and time-off requests through company systems.
- Recruit, onboard, train, coach, and develop café employees in partnership with company leadership; maintain training records and required certifications.
- Create consistent execution of beverage recipes, prep standards, presentation, hospitality, and the story of Vietnamese coffee and Robusta.
- Review sales, labor, waste, inventory, comps/refunds, guest feedback, and operational reports; identify patterns and take timely corrective action.
- Manage ordering, receiving, storage, pars, counts, transfers, and vendor communication to protect product availability and control waste.
- Maintain the physical condition of the store and equipment; document incidents, repairs, safety concerns, and facilities needs promptly.
- Partner with Quality/Sourcing, Operations/Brand, Logistics/Tech, and company leadership on launches, events, systems, training, and process improvements.
- Handle employee and guest concerns with discretion, consistency, and sound judgment; escalate harassment, discrimination, safety, payroll, or legal concerns immediately.
How you'll lead
- Set clear priorities before and during every shift, delegate with context, and confirm follow-through.
- Coach directly and respectfully in real time; document performance concerns and apply handbook policies consistently in partnership with leadership.
- Create an inclusive, collaborative workplace where standards are high and people can ask questions, learn, and grow.
- Model calm urgency: step into service when needed without losing sight of the full operation.
- Develop Shift Leads to run strong shifts independently and build a reliable leadership bench.
What we’re looking for
- 3+ years of café, restaurant, retail, or hospitality leadership experience; multi-unit or high-volume experience is a plus.
- Demonstrated skill in team development, scheduling, inventory, labor management, cash controls, and guest recovery.
- Strong written and verbal communication, sound judgment, and comfort giving and receiving direct feedback.
- Ability to learn and teach coffee, beverage, and brand knowledge with accuracy and enthusiasm.
- Comfort using Square, scheduling/payroll systems, digital training tools, email, and basic operational reporting.
- Availability to work a flexible schedule that may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, meetings, and store emergencies.
- Ability to stand for extended periods and regularly bend, reach, lift, and carry café supplies and equipment consistent with the role.
What success looks like
- The store is consistently clean, prepared, safe, staffed, and on brand.
- Guests receive accurate products and memorable hospitality, and recurring concerns are addressed at the root.
- Team members know what is expected, receive useful coaching, and complet