General Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Title: General Manager, McGill Café

Last Updated: February 2026

Reports to: DIRECTOR OF CAFES, Vancouver

Location: MONTREAL

WHO WE ARE

49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, a pioneer in the specialty coffee movement, was founded in 2004 and is Canada’s leading specialty coffee company. What sets us apart from other roasters is our commitment to quality, through small batch roasting and long-term relationship sourcing partnerships. We operate cafes in Vancouver and in Montreal and are leaders providing an exceptional specialty coffee experience.

In addition to our 49th Parallel Coffee, we offer Lucky’s doughnuts in our cafés. Authentic, hand-crafted and genuinely delicious, Lucky’s Doughnuts are made fresh throughout the day using the highest quality ingredients. With the same focus and commitment to quality and ingredient sourcing as our coffee, you can taste the difference in a Lucky's Doughnut.

Our Vision : BUILD NORTH AMERICA’S LEADING SPECIALTY COFFEE MOVEMENT

Our Mission : Make Specialty Coffee Accessible to More People (in More Ways) By Crafting EXCEPTIONAL DIRECT TRADE COFFEE, WITH INTENTION, That INSPIRES CURIOSITY

Our Café Focus : We uplift our guest's day with specialty coffee and tempting treats, crafted with passion to inspire joy.

THE ROLE

The General Manager is a pivotal leadership role, entrusted with shaping the daily rhythm and long-term success of the McGill café. This role leads and inspires both front- and back-of-house operations, guiding a team who develops and supports highly skilled teams. Together, they deliver exceptional experiences including our coffee, doughnuts, food, and other baked goods from our kitchen, while creating a first-class guest experience.

Reporting to the Director of Cafés in Vancouver, the General Manager works in close partnership with Executive Chef and Café leadership team while managing the front-of-house and kitchen teams. Through hands-on leadership, thoughtful execution, and a commitment to excellence, the General Manager ensures seamless day-to-day operations, strong cross-team collaboration, and a culture where both people and product consistently perform at their best.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Operations

• Oversee all operations for McGill café
• Deliver sales, labour and purchase budget for McGill café
• Implement key sales and customer programs consistently with 49th Parallel practices (UberEats, Order Ahead, customer retention and loyalty programs, sales driving initiatives etc.)
• Ability to model and provide excellent customer service and complaint resolution
• Lead and/or approve scheduling to deliver exceptional service and meet internal goals
• Lead and/or approve purchasing to deliver exceptional service and meet internal goals; assist and supervise in monthly/yearly inventory
• Work with Café leadership team to build strong 49th Parallel brand presence in Montreal market; leverage social media as a tool to build brand locally
• Lead ensuring food safety and health & safety procedures are being followed, and the location free of any CNESST files and MAPAQ concerns
• Maintain and apply Standard Operating Procedures; manage POS programming and problem solving locally as needed
• Managing local vendors (coordinating repairs and maintenance / cleaning, terrasse installation)
• Lead and be point person for city communications (inspections, permits, signage, licenses… etc.)
• Connect with other 49th Parallel departments as needed (finance/HR)
• Managing day to day situations with team; bring strong local knowledge of market, hospitality and service
• Share local knowledge including coffee and food trends with Executive Chef and Director Cafés
• Prepare performance reports; assist in ad hoc translation requests to ensure quality communications
• Is able, available, and willing to work functional shifts with the front of house team
• Other operational leadership duties, as needed

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach and inspire strong team and café culture; direct reports include Café Manager/Front-of-House Manager and Kitchen Manager
• Create a coaching and development culture, which prioritizes excellent guest service, embrace a passion for food and coffee; promote and celebrate 49th Parallel culture.
• Lead hiring, development, training, and performance management of team, alongside and in support of managers
• Lead clear communications and build solid communications routines including communication to McGill team and café leadership team; maintain a healthy open communication approach with all café employees and nurture employee relations
• Build exceptional working relationship with managers to ensure Front of House and Back House communicates effectively

QUALIFICATIONS

• Significant/proven experience leading and coaching a team of passionate hospitality/service professionals to reach their highest potential
• Bilingual (French and English native or expert level – spoken and written)
• Knowledge of Montreal and Quebec culture, labour laws and restaurant specific cultural context
• Proficiency in Microsoft office suite (word, excel, outlook, PowerPoint)
• MAPAQ certification (or willingness to obtain, an asset)
• Experience managing employees in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated outstanding leadership, while serving as a role model
• Ability to lead and motivate the team to achieve departmental goals and individual KPIs
• Ability to give constructive and meaningful feedback; experience with performance management
• Willingness to receive and act upon feedback received from others
• Demonstrate and embody the company values throughout the department

Other skills:

• Passionate about service, food & coffee
• Exemplifies excellence in guests service and can coach and lead a team to do the same
• Knowledge of specialty Third wave coffee and café operations
• Ability to work under pressure and manage time effectively to achieve results
• Ability to build strong internal working relationships and be an effective communicator
• Have a “no job is too small” mentality: roll up your sleeves, boldly jump in and get it done!
• Have ability to see a project through from beginning to end while demonstrating the ability to both multi-tasks effectively and prioritize tasks.
• Positive outlook and be able to effectively receive and communicate feedback
• Growth mindset with a vision towards what’s possible
• Comfort leading a remote site while maintaining strong, positive relationships with head office