Store Manager

About the Role

The Store Manager will take full responsibility for the Versova café, overseeing guest experience, personnel, profitability, and compliance. This role involves launching Blenz Coffee's inaugural store in Mumbai and establishing a benchmark for subsequent cafés.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all pre-opening efforts coordinating with fit-out, equipment, and brand teams, including snag lists, equipment commissioning, inventory stocking, and trial runs.
• Complete Blenz brand training and certify the team prior to opening.
• Organize and execute the grand opening in collaboration with the marketing team.
• Ensure each beverage and customer visit meets Blenz's global standards in recipe, speed, cleanliness, and hospitality.
• Address escalated guest feedback and online reviews promptly within 24 hours.
• Conduct routine brand standard audits and address any deficiencies identified.
• Recruit, onboard, train, and evaluate store staff in partnership with UPLYV HR.
• Develop weekly staffing schedules aligned with foot traffic, labor budgets, and labor laws.
• Coach baristas on quality, latte art, and upselling; cultivate talent pipeline for promotion.
• Enforce the Store Workplace Policy and POSH guidelines; serve as the primary contact for personnel concerns.
• Manage the store's profit and loss, including sales, cost control, waste minimization, labor expenses, and other controllable costs.
• Boost sales through local marketing, community partnerships, corporate orders, and delivery platforms.
• Monitor daily sales, average transaction value, and customer footfall; report weekly results to UPLYV.
• Order and receive inventory from authorized suppliers; oversee stock levels, expiration, and waste.
• Maintain and service all equipment such as espresso machines, grinders, ovens, and refrigeration units on schedule.
• Perform daily cash, card, and UPI reconciliations; follow POS and audit procedures.
• Ensure all licenses including FSSAI, Shops & Establishments, and fire safety are current and displayed.
• Maintain food safety and hygiene standards based on HACCP; retain audit-ready logs.
• Manage store opening/closing procedures, cash security, and incident reporting.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum 5 to 8 years experience in cafes, quick-service restaurants, or hospitality, with at least 2 years in a managerial or assistant managerial position running a store or outlet.
• Experience with premium or international coffee or food & beverage brands preferred. Prior involvement in store openings is a major advantage.
• Graduate degree in any field; hospitality or hotel management diploma is an added benefit.
• proficient in profit and loss oversight, inventory control, shift rostering, POS systems, and Excel; strong leadership and guest issue resolution capabilities.
• FSSAI FoSTaC food safety supervisor certification preferred or willingness to obtain it within six months.
• Fluency in English and Hindi required; knowledge of Marathi is advantageous.
• Flexible availability including early, late, weekend, and holiday shifts.

Success Criteria in First Year

• Store opens as scheduled with a fully certified team.
• Achieves or surpasses sales and gross margin targets set in the approved budget.
• Maintains brand, food safety, and hygiene audit scores at or above Blenz standards.
• Controls staff turnover below target percentage with at least one internal promotion.

Compensation and Benefits

Annual salary ranges between Rs. 4,80,000 and Rs. 6,00,000 depending on candidate excellence, including performance incentives, provident fund, ESIC (where applicable), and statutory benefits.