Cafe / Experience Lead

Cafe / Experience Lead

Excelsa Coffee Inc.

Full-Time · Onsite · Cafe · San Diego

Help Define the Future of the Cafe Experience

Most cafes today are transactional.

Same menu. Same atmosphere. Same experience.

Coffee has become routine when it should feel meaningful.

Excelsa Coffee is building something different.

We believe the future cafe is more than a coffee shop. It is a showroom, tasting room, educational space, creative hub, hospitality experience, and physical expression of a movement.

Our cafe is where people first encounter Excelsa coffee and understand why it matters.

This role is not just about running shifts.

This is an opportunity to help define what the future of coffee hospitality can feel like while helping build a new category from the ground floor.

We are looking for a Cafe / Experience Lead who is obsessed with hospitality, culture, customer experience, coffee education, and operational excellence.

Someone who:

• Loves people and hospitality
• Cares deeply about details and atmosphere
• Wants to create memorable experiences
• Is excited by startups and building
• Understands that physical spaces shape culture
• Wants ownership and responsibility
• Believes in the Excelsa mission and long-term vision

This role works closely with leadership, operations, and marketing to help shape the in-person experience of the brand.

The cafe is one of the most important parts of the company.

It is where the movement becomes real.

The Role

“The cafe is more than a coffee shop. It is a showroom, tasting room, educational space, and proof of concept for the Excelsa movement.”

You will help lead day-to-day cafe operations while helping define how customers experience Excelsa through hospitality, education, storytelling, events, product presentation, and atmosphere.

This role combines:

• Hospitality
• Operations
• Brand experience
• Culture
• Retail execution
• Community building

You will work closely with marketing and leadership to create experiences people remember and talk about.

Location: San Diego, California

Type: Full-Time · In-Person

Core Responsibilities

• Maintain exceptional customer experience standards
• Support and help lead daily cafe operations and workflow
• Train and support baristas and hospitality staff
• Help manage inventory, prep, and operational consistency
• Support tastings, educational experiences, and events
• Maintain cleanliness and operational excellence
• Represent the Excelsa mission and story to customers
• Work closely with marketing on activations, launches, and cafe storytelling
• Help shape the atmosphere, flow, and customer experience of the cafe
• Support social content, customer engagement, and community moments
• Help test and evolve new hospitality concepts and experiences
• Create systems that improve consistency and service quality
  

What We’re Looking ForMust-Haves

• Hospitality oriented
• Calm, reliable, and highly accountable
• Strong communicator
• Passionate about coffee and customer experience
• Interested in specialty coffee, food culture, and hospitality
• Positive and team focused
• Excited by startups and building from the ground floor
• Comfortable moving quickly in a fast-paced environment
• Strong attention to detail and presentation
• Eager to learn and grow with the company

Bonus Experience

• Cafe or specialty coffee experience
• Barista training
• Hospitality leadership
• Retail or food service operations
• Events or experiential marketing
• Social media or community engagement
• Understanding of coffee brewing and education
• Experience with startup or founder-led environments
  

Who This Role Is For

This role is for someone who:

• Wants to help shape the future of hospitality
• Wants ownership and responsibility
• Wants to build experiences instead of simply serving transactions
• Understands that brand and hospitality are deeply connected
• Wants to grow with a company over years, not months
• Wants to help create a nationally recognized coffee brand
• Believes physical spaces still matter in a digital world

At Excelsa, growth is earned through ownership.

We value people who take initiative, solve problems early, create systems, and elevate the people around them.

Growth Path

01 — Retail Operations Lead

02 — Cafe General Manager

03 — Regional Hospitality Leadership

As Excelsa expands into additional cafes, retail experiences, and hospitality concepts, this role has significant leadership and creative growth potential.

Culture

We care deeply about:

• Hospitality
• Taste
• Atmosphere
• Storytelling
• Design
• Customer experience
• Consistency
• Ownership
• Curiosity
• Long-term thinking

We are building infrastructure, not trends.

We are looking for people who want to own their lane, build their lane, and improve their lane while helping create a new kind of coffee company.

To Apply

Send:

• Resume
• Short note on why Excelsa and this role resonate with you
• Any hospitality, cafe, retail, or customer experience background

We are looking for people excited to help define the future of coffee hospitality.

If that excites you, there is room to build here.