COMPANY INTRODUCTION
Bartleby’s Homemade Ice Cream was founded in 2024 by Rachel Kamins and Jeff Osborn, both transplants to Chicago who love ice cream and believe our adopted city needs more of it. We are opening our first scoop shop in the Northcenter neighborhood in May, with a vision to make and serve great ice cream and creative frozen treats in a friendly, community-centered space.
This first scoop shop evolved from Bartleby’s Ice Cream Cakes, a company founded by Rachel in 2019 that sold handmade, gourmet ice cream cakes through its website. With the opening of our beautiful new storefront, we’re very excited to offer classic hand-dipped cones, sundaes, and shakes, while continuing to make ice cream cakes for parties and special occasions (because ice cream cake IS the best cake).
Bartleby’s was named after a short story in which the title character works a soul-crushing job until, one day, he decides he would prefer not to. The story inspired Rachel to quit her own office job and start a business where she could make something she loves and create fulfilling work opportunities for others. Today, the business remains committed to providing meaningful, enjoyable employment in a humane work environment.
- Location: 1943 W. Byron St., Chicago (between Lincoln and Damen)
- Operating hours: 10 AM–11 PM
Our Values:
- Sweet treats should be delicious, not just sweet
- We take our craft of making great ice cream seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously
- Customers should be able to play with their ice cream
- Everyone deserves delicious desserts that fit their dietary needs
- A visit to an ice cream shop should delight all the senses
- Every business should be a good neighbor
OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE
The right person for the job has experience working in a fast-paced environment, shows passion for leading happy, productive teams, and creates and maintains systems for operational excellence. They demonstrate great customer service and people skills, a commitment to developing empowered, accountable team members, and the determination and focus to drive business success.
- Enthusiastic about customer service and inspires enthusiasm in their team
- Strong work ethic, good heart, and team-first mentality
- Exceptional organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize and achieve overlapping deadlines
- Creative, resourceful, and proactive problem solver
- Energetic, positive, and skillful communicator
- Eager to adapt and grow as a leader
- Committed to the well-being of the staff, the community, and the environment around them
MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES
The manager will oversee all front-of-house operations, including customer service, maintenance of indoor and outdoor seating areas and the customer bathroom, and supervision of on-site special events. This position reports directly to Rachel, who will manage back-of-house operations and serve as general manager of the shop, and to Jeff, who will co-direct shop finances and strategic decisions.
DAILY OPERATIONS: Covers operational requirements by scheduling employees in consultation with Rachel and assigning them to specific tasks. Anticipates customer and store needs by constantly evaluating the environment and customers. Follows all policies and procedures and ensures that employees on shift are following protocol as well.
ON-SITE EVENT SUPERVISION: Schedules on-site events and communicates with customers and outside service providers about event logistics. Coordinates staffing of events, including setup, service, and cleanup.
CLEANLINESS AND SAFETY: Maintains a safe and clean environment for customers and employees throughout all shop areas, preventing and addressing messes continually. Follows health, safety, and sanitation regulations. Promptly resolves sanitation and maintenance issues directly or by alerting Rachel.
EMPLOYEE SUPERVISION: Trains, coaches, supervises, and provides support to store employees. Creates a positive learning and work environment by providing clear, specific, timely, and respectful coaching and feedback. Ensures that conflicts among staff members are resolved quickly in an open and empathetic manner.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Models friendly, respectful, and proactive customer service. Deeply understands the Bartleby’s menu and provides excellent products to customers. Steps in to help employees on shift with customers who might need additional assistance. Responds to event inquiries and ice cream cake orders, maintains event schedule, and coordinates payments for events and cakes.
STOCK MANAGEMENT: Receives and inspects deliveries. Ensures that supplies and ingredients are continually restocked and rotated throughout each shift, discarding spoiled products appropriately. Ensures availability of merchandise and services by conducting daily inventories and communicating with vendors in coordination with Rachel. Orders and maintains employee uniform supply.
REPORTING: Runs daily and weekly sales reports from POS system. Meets weekly with Rachel and monthly with Rachel and Jeff together to review sales, expenses, and budget.
REQUIREMENTS
- 2+ years of management experience in food service (quick service, especially ice cream or coffee, is a plus)
- Exceptional customer service skills
- Chicago foodservice sanitation manager certificate
- Ability to push/pull/lift 50 lbs. of weight
- Ability to stand for extended periods
- Availability to work evenings and weekends on a regular basis
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
- $45,000 annual salary, paid biweekly
- $250 monthly stipend toward health insurance
- $115 monthly stipend toward parking or transit
- 10 days (80 hours) paid time off annually (vacations are subject to owner approval based on shift coverage, staffing, and business needs)
- Up to 4 paid hours per month volunteer service at approved nonprofit organizations
- Free ice cream!
HOW TO APPLY
Send your cover letter and resume to rachel@bartlebyscakes.com. Depending on the volume of applications, we may not be able to reply directly to all candidates. Candidates selected to move forward will be contacted in mid- to late March to schedule an interview.
