Opening General Manager

UpWest Coffee | Linglestown, PA

Full-Time | Starting at $55,000/year

The menu feels curated instead of crowded.

The espresso program is taken seriously.

The bar actually flows.

The music, lighting, packaging, service, and little details all feel intentional.

UpWest Coffee is opening in Linglestown, PA, and we’re building something refined, warm, modern, and distinctly local.

We want the quality and polish of a high-end café without the stiffness. Local inspiration without the gimmicks. Great coffee without the attitude.

And we’re looking for a General Manager who wants to help shape it.

You won’t inherit someone else’s finished playbook.

You’ll help write it.

If you’ve spent years working in coffee and thought:

“If I ever got the chance to build one my way, I know what I’d do...”

This might be that chance.

You’ll join UpWest before opening and work directly with ownership on:

* Espresso recipes, dial-in, dose, yield, and extraction standards

* Grinder calibration and quality-control procedures

* Milk texture and beverage build standards

* Core menu, signature drinks, and seasonal offerings

* Equipment selection and placement

* Bar layout and workflow

* Inventory, pars, ordering, and waste controls

* Barista training and onboarding

* Opening and closing procedures

* Service standards

* Customer flow and overall café experience

We want someone who thinks about quality, speed, consistency, hospitality, and efficiency at the same time.

We’re not looking for 75 drinks on a menu board.

We’d rather have a focused menu with drinks people genuinely remember.

* Core espresso drinks

* Hot and iced beverages

* Signature drinks

* Seasonal features

* Locally inspired ideas

* Recipes and portion standards

* Beverage costing

* Menu balance

* Speed of execution

UpWest should feel connected to Linglestown, Harrisburg, and Central Pennsylvania without becoming cheesy or predictable.

The goal isn’t to slap a local landmark’s name on a caramel latte.

We want ideas that actually belong here.

You’ll help recruit and train our opening barista team.

* Interviewing and hiring

* Developing onboarding

* Teaching espresso fundamentals

* Milk steaming and drink construction

* Station training

* Cleaning and sanitation standards

* Customer-service expectations

* Evaluating barista readiness

* Ongoing coaching and development

We want a real training system with real standards, not five different ways to make the same drink depending on who happens to be working.

After opening, you’ll lead day-to-day operations, including:

* Team leadership and scheduling

* Hiring and performance management

* Beverage quality

* Inventory and ordering

* Vendor coordination

* Pars and waste

* POS and cash handling

* Equipment care

* Café cleanliness

* Labor management

* Beverage and food COGS

* Product mix

* Sales trends

* Staffing relative to volume

You don’t need to be an accountant.

But you should understand why wasting a case of oat milk every month matters.

The UpWest Experience

Beautiful but comfortable.

Upscale but approachable.

Coffee-forward without being coffee-snobbish.

Local without being kitschy.

Someone should feel equally comfortable ordering a dialed-in espresso or a vanilla latte.

You’ll help define what that experience feels like.

Your exact title matters less than what you know how to do.

You may currently be a:

* Café Manager

* Assistant General Manager

* Assistant Café Manager

* Coffee Program Manager

* Head Barista

* Lead Barista

* Barista Trainer

* Experienced specialty-coffee professional ready for your first GM role

* Meaningful specialty-coffee experience

* Hands-on espresso experience

* Confidence dialing in

* Strong milk-steaming fundamentals

* Experience training baristas

* Leadership experience

* Understanding of café workflow

* Inventory and ordering experience

* Strong hospitality instincts

* High standards for cleanliness and consistency

* The ability to solve problems without waiting to be told what to do

We especially want to hear from people who have helped with café openings, menu development, bar design, beverage costing, training systems, equipment selection, or coffee-program development.

The General Manager must hold or be willing to obtain an approved Certified Food Protection Manager credential, such as ServSafe Manager, meeting applicable Pennsylvania food-safety requirements.

Specialty-coffee certifications such as SCA Barista Skills, Brewing, or Sensory Skills are welcome but not required.

Experience matters more to us than collecting certifications.

Starting salary: $55,000 per year

UpWest is a startup, and this reflects where the business is at launch, not necessarily where we expect the role to remain as the café grows.

As UpWest establishes itself and becomes a stronger, more profitable operation, we intend for the opportunities associated with this role to grow along with the business.

This is a starting point, not a statement about the future ceiling of the position.

UpWest Coffee will also operate as a no-tip establishment. Employees will be compensated directly by the company rather than relying on customer tips as part of their regular compensation.

This is a full-time management position.

Expect significant hands-on involvement during pre-opening and launch, including early mornings and weekends when needed.

That said, we’re not looking to create a permanent six-day-a-week barista position and call it management.

A successful GM will build a team and systems strong enough that the operation doesn’t depend on them personally rescuing every shift.

Skip the generic cover letter.

1. If you could build your ideal coffee shop, what would you do differently?

2. What’s the best coffee program you’ve worked with or experienced, and why?

3. You’re handed the keys to UpWest four weeks before opening. What’s on your priority list?

4. What espresso machines, grinders, brewing equipment, roasters, or coffee programs have you worked with?

5. Tell us about something you created or improved in a café that you’re proud of.

We’re not looking for the most polished answers.

We’re looking for the person who reads this posting and already has ideas.