Now Hiring

We're hiring one person, for a set schedule: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 AM – 3 PM. Four days a week, every week, year-round. Read that line twice before you apply — it's the whole job, and it's the part we can't be flexible on.

Those four days are when Charlevoix shows up, so they're the days the cafe needs someone it can count on. This is meant to be your primary job, not a shift you fit around another one. If you're looking for a few flexible hours, we're genuinely glad you thought of us — but this isn't that role, and we'd rather say so on the first screen than in the third conversation.

Cafe Meria isn't your average cafe. We build an experience around house-made food, quality ingredients, and a warm, vibrant atmosphere — and we're looking for someone who cares about food, hospitality, and working in a fast-moving cafe environment.

The menu runs wide: coffee and espresso, matcha, tea, Meria Chai, smoothies, refreshers and juices, and made-to-order food. You'll learn every part of it.

The schedule

This is a set schedule, not an open one. The same four days, the same hours, every week:

The cafe's doors open at 9 and close at 2. The hour on either end is what makes those five hours work — pastries out, espresso dialed, prep done before the first guest, and the room reset after the last one.

That's 28 hours across four days, year-round. Through the summer the cafe gets much busier and there are more hours available for anyone who wants them — this July two teammates worked 40-hour weeks — but the four days are the commitment in every season.

The reason is simple. Over this past season Sunday and Saturday were far and away the busiest days — each about twice the traffic of a Monday — with Friday next and Thursday opening the stretch. Those are the days the cafe most needs someone it can count on, and a cafe that's a different place depending on who's working isn't the cafe we're trying to run.

What comes with it

• Year-round work in a town where most of it disappears in October
• $16/hour guaranteed from your first shift, paid weekly by direct deposit
• Trained on every station — espresso, food, bowls, register — not just one
• Employee discount on food and drinks
• More hours through the summer, and a path to the $18 lead tier
• Time off works the way it should — tell us early and we'll cover the days

The role

There is one role at Cafe Meria, and every teammate learns every station — espresso, smoothies, food prep, bowls, register, stocking, cleaning. The team rotates with the day and supports each other across stations.

The role rests on two ideas: be present with guests, and stay ready. When guests are in the cafe, they come first — greet them as they walk in, hold the door when your hands are free, and stay attentive enough that nobody has to wave or get up to ask a question. If a guest is looking around for help, walk over before they have to ask.

Our kiosks are part of the experience and they help the day move — we're glad to have them. But any guest who'd rather have a person walk them through the menu and place the order with them gets that, every time.

When the cafe is quiet, that's the moment to ready it for the next group. There is always something to prep, clean, organize, or reset — and a shift that uses its quiet minutes well is the one that handles the next rush smoothly.

When you notice something that needs attention — a dirty surface, a low supply, something out of place — handle it if you have the time. If you don't, add it to the team list so the next teammate with a quiet minute picks it up.

A typical shift

How pay works

Your weekly pay is three pieces stacked together — paid every Monday through Square direct deposit:

1. Base wage — $5.50/hour (Michigan tipped rate). The smaller piece.
2. Tips — tips are shared, not kept individually. This is where most of the money is. Card tips left at the register are split by Square automatically, per transaction, among whoever is clocked in at the moment each one is left — not gathered into a weekly pot and divided at the end. So the effort you put into a busy shift lands on that shift, for you and whoever is working it with you. Cash from the jar is shared out across the shift that earned it. Owners and managers don't take a share.
3. The floor — a guaranteed $16/hour, from your first shift. If a quiet week leaves base + tips under $16/hour, the cafe pays the difference on that week's payroll. It isn't a policy we describe and forget: every Monday the week's numbers get checked person by person, and the make-up is entered before payroll submits. The floor protects you on quiet weeks; tips are the upside on busy ones.

What the 2026 season actually paid

These are team averages from the 2026 payroll — real weeks, not projections, and not a promise about next season. Tips are split per transaction among whoever is clocked in, so an individual week can land above or below the team average. What the cafe guarantees is the $16 floor.

Advancement isn't about seniority — it's about what you've learned and how independently you can work. As you build skill across stations and the cafe can count on you without prompting, you move up.

What you'll do

• Prepare and serve food and drink items with care and consistency
• Welcome guests at the door, walk them through the menu when they want a hand, and place orders with them at the kiosk or the counter
• Run and serve tables, and take care of guests throughout their visit — anticipate needs before guests have to ask
• Learn the menu and the ingredients behind it, so you can speak about Cafe Meria with confidence
• Operate the POS and handle transactions accurately
• Use quiet stretches to prep, clean, organize, and reset stations so the cafe is ready for the next group
• When you spot something that needs attention, handle it if you have time — or add it to the team list so the next teammate with a quiet minute picks it up
• Restock and organize supplies, and follow food safety and handling practices
• Collaborate with the team to keep the day moving
• Contribute to the cafe's social media when time allows — photos, ideas, daily specials

What we're looking for

• Free Thursday through Sunday, 8 AM – 3 PM, every week. This is the one we can't bend on, and it's the most common reason we say no
• A way to get to 101 Mason St for an 8 AM start, in January as well as July
• Dependable — the whole point of a set schedule is that the cafe knows who's opening
• Strong customer service instincts — the ability to engage warmly and effectively
• Composure and efficiency through busy rushes
• Time management across multiple tasks in a fast-moving environment
• Interest in barista or culinary work — experience is a plus, not a requirement; we train every station
• Basic math for cash handling
• Comfortable lifting 40+ lbs (stocking, deliveries, ice). Reasonable accommodations available — let us know what you need
• Natural with making guest recommendations
• Interest in creative social media content is a plus