Operations Manager, Blank Street
Los Angeles
$120-160k
Coffee chain
Job no longer available
Coffee chain
501-1000 employees
Job no longer available
$120-160k
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To become the defining food and beverage brands of our generation.
Role
Who you are
- 5+ years experience in retail or hospitality multi-unit operations, with a track record of successfully launching and managing multiple locations
- Strong leadership skills, including the ability to lead and develop salaried managers and create a positive, high-performance culture
- Experience with market entry and new store openings, including managing operational logistics, staffing, and ensuring successful ramp-up and execution
- Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities, with a hands-on approach to tackling operational challenges and delivering results
- Exceptional communication and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple locations and stakeholders while maintaining operational efficiency
- Passion for delivering exceptional customer service and hospitality
- Strong autonomy, sound judgment, and the ability to manage operations independently
- Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Highly effective interpersonal and communication skills, capable of leading teams and collaborating across departments
- Skilled in emotional intelligence and conflict resolution to foster a positive, welcoming workplace
- Well-versed in change management, adapting to business needs and driving continuous improvement
- Proven training and development capabilities to nurture team growth and leadership
- Ability to troubleshoot and solve problems, prioritizing issues based on urgency
- Hands on and highly action-oriented
- Deep knowledge and interest in specialty coffee, hospitality, restaurants or retail
- Positive, enthusiastic and results driven
- Passionate people leader and developer
- Interested in continuous personal growth
What the job involves
- As the Founding Operations Leader for the Los Angeles region, you will be responsible for launching and scaling Blank Street’s presence in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
- You’ll design and execute the full market entry strategy, building the operational plan, hiring and developing the founding team, creating scalable systems, and overseeing the successful opening and day-to-day performance of our first LA store as its General Manager for the first 6–12 months
- You’ll recruit, train, and lead a high-performing team of Baristas and Shift Leads, establish the gold standard for customer experience and operational excellence, and take full ownership of the store’s financial and operational performance
- As we rapidly expand to 7+ stores within the first year, you’ll evolve into a multi-unit Operations Manager overseeing the entire LA portfolio
- You will hire and mentor future General Managers, implement operational playbooks, drive accountability across locations, and ensure consistency in performance, culture, and customer experience as the region scales
- This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned operator to build, lead, and scale a new market from the ground up
- As Blank Street’s LA market ambassador, you’ll be the critical link between HQ and the field ensuring smooth execution, strong performance, and a distinctly Blank Street experience across every store in the region
- Create and manage a positive, engaging work culture
- Train, mentor, and celebrate your team
- Fill leadership gaps when needed
- Manage scheduling, time and attendance practices for the market
- Oversee labor strategy and budget
- Collaborate with your managers to hire and support hourly hiring
- Ensure training quality and team development
- Address performance issues promptly and fairly
- Partner with People Team on employee relations
- Help manage change to keep Blank Street evolving smoothly
- Maintain top engagement scores and host market events
- Represent the Blank Street brand and values to customers and teammates
- Hold your team accountable for food and beverage quality
- Oversee ordering, vendor relations, waste, and inventory when needed
- Lead by example behind the bar for 30% of your week, ensuring excellent service and product quality
- Ensure safety, cleanliness, and presentation of locations
- Prepare stores for weather, new launches, or LTOs
- Solve facility issues quickly
- Work with HQ to improve store design, maintenance, and customer experience
- Take ownership of store performance and find growth opportunities
- Maintain NPS and Google review scores
- Build relationships with local businesses to grow brand loyalty
- Stay updated on company tools, processes, and communication
- Identify and address performance gaps
- Share best practices and collaborate with other leaders
- Help with New Store Openings in your region
- Pilot new initiatives and act as a trusted partner for new ideas
- Support marketing and brand collaborations
- Attend training and department meetings
Our take
More people deserve great coffee and Blank Street strives to make this possible. Blank Street’s formula involves technology enabled, micro-footprint brick-and-mortar spaces which operate at a cheap price meaning they can produce excellent coffee, also, at a reasonable price.
What started as one electric-powered coffee cart in 2020 has expanded to over 90 locations across the US and the UK. Blank Street wants to serve coffee cheaper than Starbucks but tastier than Dunkin’ Donuts – its main competitors – and has done so with automation, specifically Eversys espresso makers that can produce 700 drinks an hour.
The chain has received mighty financing too, including from real estate tycoon Tishman Speyer as well as from General Catalyst Partners and Tiger Global Management. This brand is certainly making its mark as its growth has remained at an impressive rate, especially following its entrance into the thriving coffee shop market in the UK.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
11% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Mar 2023
$20m
EARLY VC
Oct 2021
$25m
SERIES A
Total funding: $52m
Company HQ
South Williamsburg, NY
Leadership
Issam Freiha
(Co-Founder & CEO)Issam co-founded Blank Street in 2020 alongside Vinay. Previously, he was a Partner at Reshape Ventures and Graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Economics & Statistics.
Vinay Menda
(Co-Founder & President)Vinay graduated from NYU Stern School of Business with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance in 2015. And he is currently a Managing Partner at Reshape Ventures.
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