FT Kitchen Shift Lead | PHL | Fishtown

Summary

As a Shift Lead you will be responsible for leading a team on shift to create and execute an incredible customer experience at every touch point of their experience at La Colombe.
During a typical shift, you will be flexing and moving about the café and kitchen to meet business needs. You’ll spend most of your time on the floor, working side-by-side with the team to ensure seamless operations.
As part of your shift routines, you will be directing and coaching the team to meet business and customer expectations. You will be trained in all areas, and the Shift Lead role is a great opportunity for learning and development that may lead to other leadership positions within the company, such as Sous Chef.

Responsibilities

Hospitality 

No matter where you are in the cafe, you will be able to pause and connect with our customers

- that might be a hello, a thank you, or providing a recommendation, and these connections will always be a priority. We take food and coffee seriously, and you will be responsible for preparing and serving our cafe menu including working on kitchen line. You will be the model and coach for the rest of the team on how to provide the best experience for our customers.

Kitchen Operations & Communication You will oversee day‑to‑day kitchen operations by maintaining clear communication with managers, FOH partners, and the kitchen team. This includes sharing daily pars, 86’d items, quality concerns, production timing, and staffing challenges. You’ll set clear expectations, provide context behind decisions, follow up to ensure alignment, and coach the team through regular feedback and check‑ins to maintain a positive, collaborative work environment.

Production, Organization & Cleanliness You will lead kitchen execution by planning daily production, tracking pars, and ensuring orders, prep, and pack‑outs are completed accurately and on time. You’ll uphold strong organizational standards—ensuring FIFO, proper labeling, and that everything has a clear home—while reinforcing safe food handling and cleanliness routines. This includes supporting porter workflows, maintaining cleaning schedules, and coaching the team to consistently deliver a clean, efficient, and well‑run kitchen.

Leader on Duty

You will set the tone for a shift while clearly communicating the expectations for the team and tasks to be completed. As a Shift Lead, you will coach employees in real time, provide constructive feedback, and facilitate ongoing training. You will also be responsible for directing employees, assigning and delegating tasks, ensuring all tasks are completed properly and correctly, and ensuring that our customers remain the focus throughout busy and slow periods alike. You will create a positive environment that allows for feedback delivered with candor and care, along with celebrating the wins. You’ll model best practices, resolve challenges, and encourage continuous learning for everyone.

Take Action

You will apply a practical approach and good judgment to tasks and issues. As needed, you must be comfortable taking on challenging situations and capable of reflecting on ways to improve next time. This is a leadership position that requires the use of independent judgement and comes with the responsibility and autonomy to make certain decisions, including but not limited to recommending corrective action and hiring decisions.

Retail Merchandising

Creating a visually appealing experience within the retail space that includes stocking, receiving, organizing and resets in both front and back of the café. Execute shift inventory tasks including identifying potential issues, taking the first step to root cause and problem the issue, and communicating the actions and follow up to managers.

You’re Our Ideal Brew If You:

• Lead by example to create a welcoming and safe work environment for our people and customers. Educate and answer our team’s questions on La Colombe products – served both in-house and in our commissary.
• Ensure key business initiatives are offered to our customers.
• Serve as a go-to leader for kitchen team members, in the absence of a manager, to assist and escalate as needed.
• Assist in training new kitchen team members during their onboarding, to build a top-notch experience.
• Complete kitchen opening and closing tasks in detail and with thoroughness, serving as a trusted key holder.

Requirements

• Proven ability to coach, direct, and lead a team in a fast-paced environment
• 2+ years' experience in similar role, with working knowledge of kitchen production systems, including pars, prep flow, pack‑out accuracy, FIFO, labeling, and cold‑case management
• Ability to uphold and reinforce kitchen standards around food safety, cleanliness, organization, and sanitation through daily execution and team accountability
• Demonstrates pride in being part of a team and consistently embodies the One Dove principles: Kindness, Respect, Deliciousness, Efficiency, and Cleanliness
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to motivate and support team members
• Ability to stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 lbs
• Must hold a valid Food Safety Manager Certificate
• Capable of frequent walking, bending, reaching, and twisting during shifts