Koala Cafe - Cafe Manager

Koala is a global furniture brand bringing Australian design and innovation to the world. We create forward-thinking products that solve problems for people and homes everywhere, driven by our purpose to make the world a more comfortable place.

We’ve always believed in doing things differently, whether in the way we develop products, how we do people and culture, or the way we bring the brand to life. That mindset has fuelled our growth, helping us disrupt categories in ways that are creative, bold and often unexpected. While we’re a household name in Australia, our journey on the global stage is only just beginning.

Since launching in 2015, our furniture has reached homes across Australia, Japan, the US and the UK. As a B Corp-certified, customer-obsessed, and data-led company, we’re committed to revolutionising furniture for generations to come through design, innovation, and meaningful sustainability.

Role Description (English)

Japanese version follows.

At Koala Aoyama Store \& Koala Cafe, our mission is to transform our physical retail environment of “just a mattress store” into a premier destination where customers can immerse themselves in the world of Koala through touch and feel, taste, and aroma.

As a Cafe Manager, you will direct the flagship Koala Cafe in Aoyama, overseeing the intersection of culinary quality, stringent hygiene, and staff leadership. Your objective is to champion a premium hospitality experience that enriches our brand prestige and ensures seamless daily operations.

The successful candidate will demonstrate profound food and beverage expertise coupled with a proven track record in operational management.

More concretely:

• Drive Showroom Performance

  • Increase foot traffic
  • Extend customer dwell time
  • Support mattress and furniture conversion indirectly
  • Create a reason to visit beyond shopping

  • Strengthen Brand Experience

  • Translate Koala’s comfort philosophy into a sensory experience

  • Deliver a consistent, warm, urban laid-back hospitality style
  • Make the café part of the Koala world, not a separate business

  • Operate Efficiently \& Profitably

  • Maintain strong cost control (COGS, waste, staffing)

  • Ensure operational excellence and food safety
  • Build a scalable café model for potential future retail expansions

  • Build Community \& Repeat Visits

  • Become a neighborhood touchpoint in Aoyama

  • Host events, tastings, seasonal activations
  • Encourage repeat visits independent of purchase intent

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Oversee all daily café operations
• Ensure food safety, hygiene, and compliance with Japanese regulations
• Manage opening and closing procedures
• Maintain cleanliness and visual presentation aligned with Koala brand standards
• Develop and maintain cafe SOPs for all key processes

Food \& Menu Ownership

• Maintain quality and consistency of signature items (avo toast, salmon bagels, granola bowls, pastries, etc.)
• Support seasonal menu updates in collaboration with Marketing
• Manage supplier relationships and stock control
• Control food waste and COGS

Team Management

• Lead 1 full-time barista + 4 part-time staff
• Create shift schedules
• Train team on service standards and product knowledge
• Foster a positive, energetic, and brand-aligned team culture
• Onboard new staff in line with cafe growth needs or changes.

Customer Experience

• Ensure a warm, premium but relaxed service experience
• Handle customer feedback and resolve issues
• Act as a brand ambassador within the showroom environment
• Establish a structured customer feedback loop with documented actions

Community \& Events

• Plan and execute quarterly community activations, tastings, and seasonal events
• Collaborate with Marketing on in-store event calendar
• Build relationships with the local Aoyama community and neighbouring businesses

Financial \& Admin

• Monitor daily sales and costs
• Manage inventory and ordering
• Support monthly reporting

Ideal background

• Strong taste and presentation sense
• Ability to take ownership and initiative
• Enjoys ideation and creation
• Calm under pressure
• Operationally sharp
• Enjoys building team culture
• Understands this café is part of a brand experience, not just F\&B

Required Experience

• 3+ years experience in café or small restaurant management
• Strong understanding of food operations and hygiene especially within a Japanese F\&B environment.
• Experience managing small teams
• Japanese fluency required
• English is a plus

Required License

• 食品衛生責任者
• 防火管理者（あれば尚可）

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職務内容（日本語）

Koala 青山ストアおよびKoala Cafeでは、「単なるマットレスストア」という物理的な小売空間を、お客様が“触れる・感じる” “味わう” “香りを楽しむ” ことでKoalaの世界観に没入できるプレミアムな体験型空間へと進化させることをミッションとしています。

Cafe Managerとして、青山にあるフラッグシップKoala Cafeの運営を統括し、料理の品質管理、衛生管理、スタッフマネジメントを横断的にリードしていただきます。

ブランド価値を高めるプレミアムなホスピタリティ体験を提供しながら、日々のオペレーションを円滑に運営することが求められます。

このポジションで成功するためには、飲食における深い専門知識と、オペレーションマネジメントにおける実績を兼ね備えている方です。

具体的には以下の通りです：

ショールームのパフォーマンス向上

• 来店客数（フットトラフィック）の増加
• お客様の滞在時間の延長
• マットレスや家具のコンバージョン（購買）への間接的な貢献
• 買い物以外の「来店する理由」の創出

ブランド体験の強化

• Koalaの「快適さ」という哲学を五感で感じられる体験に落とし込む
• 一貫した、温かみのある都会的でリラックスしたホスピタリティスタイルの提供
• カフェを独立した事業としてではなく、Koalaのブランド世界観の一部として位置づける

効率的かつ収益性の高い運営

• コスト管理の徹底（原価、廃棄、人件費）
• 高水準のオペレーションと食品安全管理の維持
• 将来的な店舗拡大を見据えた、拡張性（スケール）のあるカフェモデルの構築

コミュニティ形成とリピーター獲得

• 青山エリアのコミュニティ拠点となる存在を目指す
• イベント、試食会、季節ごとのアクティベーションの実施
• 購入意思の有無に関わらず、再来店を促す仕組みづくり

主な業務内容

オペレーションリーダーシップ

• カフェの日常運営業務全般を統括
• 日本の法規制に準拠した食品安全・衛生管理の徹底
• 開店・閉店業務の管理
• Koalaブランド基準に沿った清潔感とビジュアル管理
• 主要業務に関するカフェSOPの作成・整備

フード＆メニュー管理

• シグネチャーメニュー（アボカドトースト、サーモンベーグル、グラノーラボウル、ペイストリー等など）の品質と一貫性の維持
• マーケティングチームと連携したシーズナルメニュー開発
• シーズナルメニューの企画書（テーマ・コンセプト、コスト内訳、価格設定など）の作成
• サプライヤーとの関係構築および在庫管理
• 食品ロスとCOGS（売上原価）のコントロール

チームマネジメント

• フルタイムバリスタ1名＋パートタイムスタッフ4名のマネジメント
• シフトスケジュールの作成
• サービス基準および商品知識に関するスタッフトレーニング
• ポジティブで活気があり、ブランドの世界観を体現するチームカルチャーの醸成
• カフェの成長やニーズの変化に合わせた新スタッフのオンボーディング

カスタマーエクスペリエンス

• 温かみがあり、プレミアムでリラックスしたサービス体験の提供
• お客様のフィードバックへの対応と問題解決
• ショールーム空間におけるブランドアンバサダーとしての役割
• 改善アクションを含む顧客フィードバック管理体制の構築

コミュニティ＆イベント

• 四半期ごとのコミュニティアクティベーション、試食会、季節イベントの企画・実行
• 店内イベントカレンダーに関するマーケティングチームとの連携
• 青山の地域コミュニティや近隣店舗との関係構築

財務・管理業務

• 日次売上およびコストのモニタリング
• 在庫管理と発注業務
• 月次レポートのサポート

求める人物像

• 優れた味覚と盛り付けのセンスがある方
• 主体性とオーナーシップを持って行動できる方
• アイデアを出し、形にすることが好きな方
• プレッシャーの中でも冷静に対応できる方
• オペレーション遂行能力が高い方
• チームカルチャーを築くことを楽しめる方
• このカフェが単なる飲食店ではなく、「ブランド体験の一部」であることを理解できる方

必須経験

• カフェまたは小規模レストランでのマネジメント経験3年以上
• 飲食オペレーションおよび衛生管理への深い理解（特に日本の飲食業環境において）
• 小規模チームのマネジメント経験
• 日本語ネイティブレベル必須
• 英語スキルはあればなお可

必須資格

• 食品衛生責任者
• 防火管理者（あれば尚可）

Treehouse Perks and Privileges

Koala is only as good as its employees are happy - and we’re one happy international bilingual bunch! We offer our teams hybrid working options and the freedom and autonomy to do their best work in a way that works for them! Whether that’s working your own version of 9-6, working from home in your pajamas from time to time or hanging out at our Treehouse (this is what we call our office digs) in Omotesando, or enjoying the 20+ days annual leave (+generous time off for volunteer, parental, Koala life leave and more) you decide whatever helps you find your flow! The Treehouse has plenty of social activities to get involved with, including Thursday lunches, and help you get to know your fellow Koalas better as well as free Koala products for all employees - who better to shout from the tree tops how awesome our products are, right?! We also recognise that we can’t grow as a brand unless we support the growth of our teams so this is a strong focus for us via our Learning Management platform Juno, as well as individual and team growth budgets and dedicated days. Lastly and importantly our employee experience respects and embraces all families, formed, found and evolving. You’ll have access to our Employee Assistance Program, which includes unlimited sessions for financial, work, relationship, family or wellbeing support. We believe that simply doing ‘no harm’ isn’t good enough. So, how are we doing our part? BCorp Certified, WWF Partnership, volunteer days, a member of SoftLanding, 1% and so much more.

All in all, the Koala Kommunity is a great place to hang out and belong to!

Koalities We Look For

At Koala, we do things a little differently and we don’t shy away from the fact that we expect a lot from our employees! We want you to challenge expectations, always look to make a difference and give us something different from the norm. We want people that bring great energy, that have a long-game focus and are always curious to find new angles and approaches to the way we work. We're a team full of entrepreneurial spirit and have a relentless focus on 'what's next' but while always reviewing 'what's been done' and learning, growing and adapting. We're confident, but NEVER arrogant and we adapt to change uber quickly. Honesty and selflessness drive everything we do, as well as a total focus on exceeding our customers’ expectations. So if you feel like this could be you... well what are you waiting for? Drop us a line, and let's see what you've got! ;)

There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ candidate, Koala is a place where everyone has opportunity. So however you identify and whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day. We’re an equal opportunity employer, and recognize that a diverse workforce is crucial to our success as a business.

To read more, check out our careers, Eurostaffs, or the great work we do with Work180.