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Bistro Team Lead

Department: Hospitality Services – Fern & Feast Bistro                             

Supervisor: Manager of Food & Beverage

Supervises: N/A

FLSA Salary Classification: Non-Exempt 

Revision Date: July 2026

Availability: Ability to work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends and holiday hours. 

Position Summary:

The Bistro Team Lead is the heartbeat of the daily floor operations for the Fern & Feast Bistro located inside the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Dedicated to providing a culinary avenue for connecting people to plants, the Bistro Team Lead will guide shift operations, motivate the team to deliver exceptional hospitality, guarantee consistent and speedy food service, and ensure every guest leaves satisfied. Keeping in mind the Garden’s Core Values, this is a hands-on leadership role combining guest experience, staff supervision, food preparation, and daily administrative duties.

Essential Functions:

• Shift Management: Run smooth, efficient shifts by coordinating station assignments, managing daily food preparation, inventory management and weekly ordering to ensure the Bistro stays fully stocked and does not run out of stock on any menu items, receiving, organizing, and putting away deliveries, maintaining clean workstations and service space, and overseeing opening/closing duties that include but are not limited to trash removal, restocking all areas of the Bistro, food trailer, and concession locations, and cleaning all appliances, surface areas, floors, walls, dish areas, tables, and storage areas (including the Carriage House kitchen).
• Guest Experience: Proactively engage with guests, ensure high satisfaction, and swiftly resolve any complaints or special requests.
• Staff Mentorship: Train, onboard, and mentor new front-of-house (FOH) staff. Lead pre-shift meetings to communicate daily specials, goals, and menu updates.
• Operational Excellence: Maintain strict adherence to health, safety, and sanitation standards for food preparation (FIFO procedure) and preserve a high-quality health and food safety record. Enforce company policies & procedures and behaviors that align with the Garden’s core values. Manage internal transfers, register reconciliations, and inventory checks.
• Sales & Targets: Drive upselling and guest experience initiatives, promote daily specials, and motivate the team to meet shift sales targets.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

High School Diploma or the equivalent required with 2-3 years of experience in a high volume restaurant or hospitality environment. Ability to obtain Serve Safe Certification within first 90 days of employment. 

Success Factors:

• Exemplifies the Garden’s Core Values and a passion for providing an engaging experience to Garden visitors.  
• Demonstrates an earnest appreciation for the mission of the Garden and a genuine dedication to the Garden’s brand identity.  
• Brings a positive attitude and strong work ethic to all tasks and activities and maintains a professional demeanor under pressure.
• Strong problem-solving, conflict resolution, team management, and effective communication skills. 
• Possesses a coachable, team-oriented mindset with good work habits and a strong desire to develop in-depth knowledge of all food safety and handling and Bistro procedures.
• Ability to connect with guests by displaying an enthusiastic, welcoming attitude and representing the Garden in a warm, professional manner. Creating a positive guest experience through the high-level of service provided.
• Self-motivated and organized, with good math and calculation skills. 
• Has the ability to easily move back and forth between different job demands. 

Preferred Qualifications:

Prior experience leading or supervising staff is preferred. 21 years of age or older is preferred.  

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• Physical Demands: Ability to lift and carry between 10 - 50 lbs occasionally. Required to stand or walk continuously. Must be able to bend, climb, balance, reach, stoop, or kneel within small spaces (storage closet and kitchen areas) frequently. 
• Work Environment: Work is performed in a combined indoors and outdoors Café (commercial kitchen) environment and occasionally on the Garden’s food trailer or other outdoor concession areas, working at times in all weather conditions during special events. 
• Equipment: General office equipment, tablets, POS (point of sale register), two-way radio, operation of garden shuttle and all kitchen appliances (for the bistro and the food trailer) including gas grill and ovens, oil fryers, salad, sandwich prep coolers, microwaves, 3 compartment sink for daily dish cleaning, coffee, tea maker, etc. 

What We Offer:

• Competitive Pay: $15 - $18 per hour (plus tip share) 
• Benefits: Paid time off, health insurance, 401(k), Garden Membership, discounts, and flexible scheduling. The Huntsville Botanical Garden is recognized as a “Best Place for Working Parents in 2026”. 
• Work Environment: Work in a naturally delightful setting grounded in the values of exemplifying expertise, embracing curiosity, looking forward, collaborating with compassion and taking time to celebrate.  

Job descriptions are guidelines that attempt to characterize essential functions and responsibilities of a job, and are subject to change as needs and programs change. At Huntsville Botanical Garden job descriptions are considered neither inclusive nor exclusive. It is expected that up to 20% of your duties may change annually. 

Employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship. 

The Huntsville Botanical Garden supports a culture of inclusion that attracts, inspires, and engages people to achieve success. The Garden is committed to hire and develop employees based on job-related qualifications irrespective of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or veteran status. To increase diversity in professions related to the public garden realm, we encourage applications from underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans.