Job posting

Cafe Associate - Water Bar

NonExempt, Part Time
Hourly $17.50-$22.50
Location: Onsite
Reports to: Culinary Lead
Direct Reports: None

Our Cafe Associate represents the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) by assisting with the daily service and preparation of food and beverage offerings at our new Water Bar Cafe + Provisions located in the museum. The Cafe Associate is responsible for ensuring a safe, positive, and memorable experience for clients and guests while providing above and beyond food and beverage service and welcoming hospitality. This service-oriented role is primarily meant to support MMAM’s growing and dynamic enterprising services, including expanded private events, food and beverage sales, and retail and rental opportunities.

Responsibilities may include:

Prepping, storing, and taking inventory of all food and beverage menu items
Daily preparation and organization of menu items
Maintaining POS system and assisting Kitchen Manager with inventory control
Cleaning of utensils, dishware, restaurant equipment
Creation of menu items and all components for food and beverage
Seating, ushering, and ensuring clients are comfortable, feeling inspired, and having a lasting and memorable experience
Operating cash registers, point of sale, taking guests' payments
Ensuring the cafe and nearby location is operational, clean, organized
Proactively and warmly welcoming guests, responding to questions, and offering assistance–always showing the highest quality of customer service
Ensuring a safe, secure, and enjoyable environment for all
Maintain food safety and sanitation standards
Proactively promoting MMAM’s mission, vision, and values, while also sharing information about the Museum’s other services

POSITION SPECIFICS:

Part-Time, Non-Exempt
Flexibility to work a varied schedule, including evenings and weekends required (the cafe position works in shifts based on operating hours)
Estimated Hours: up to 30 hours per week, Thu - Sun, 4-8 hour shifts, subject to change
Work location: On location
Benefits: eligible for Part-Time benefits outlined in the MMAM Employee Handbook, including PTO, SIMPLE IRA retirement plan with employer match, and cafe, retail and program discounts.

Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often only apply to jobs if they meet 100% of the qualifications. As no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply if you feel that much of the following matches your experience:

You’ll likely demonstrate:

Experience with cooking, kitchen coordination
Excellent written and verbal, interpersonal, and organizational skills
Excellent customer service and communication skills
Flexible to work evenings and weekends as needed
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time
Must be able to lift at least 30 lbs

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is committed to being an inclusive workplace. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities and audiences we serve. We are dedicated to fair and inclusive employment practices for all individuals. The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is an equal opportunity employer and will consider requests for reasonable accommodations based on disability or sincerely-held religious beliefs possible without undue hardship.

About MMAM:

Values - You are a champion of

Centering your work in Community and Collaboration.
Stewarding Sustainability, Equity and Hospitality.
Operating with Honesty, Transparency and Trust.
Being Bold and Brave.
Always Enterprising, Always Outstanding.

Mission

To create meaningful art experiences that explore our relationship with water.

Vision

To spark wonder and create a more compassionate and connected world for all.

About

Before there ever was a Minnesota Marine Art Museum, there was a Maritime Heritage Society, a community group dedicated to preserving and sharing stories about life on the river. Their commitment set in motion the creation of a museum to showcase art inspired by water. MMAM opened in 2006 with the vision of creating a nationally recognized center for arts and culture in Southeast Minnesota. The initial collections consisted of traditional marine paintings and regional folk art. After expanding the quality and diversity of its collections, evolving the exhibition program, adding an annual roster of educational programs and temporary exhibitions, and enlarging its facility, today’s MMAM is a dynamic and surprising experience for tens of thousands of visitors a year.

MMAM operates from Mni Sota Makoce (Land Where the Waters Reflect The Clouds), the traditional homeland of the Dakota people. Residing here since time immemorial, Dakota still call Mni Sota Makoce home, with four federally recognized Dakota nations and many more Dakota people residing in what is now the state of Minnesota. Due to continued legacies of colonization,, genocide and forced removal, generations of Dakota people remain disenfranchised from their traditional homeland. Presently, Mni Sota Makoce has become a refuge and home for many Indigenous nations and peoples, including seven federally recognized Ojibwe nations. We humbly encourage our audiences to reflect upon the historical legacies held in the lands they occupy.

MMAM is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to make our communities—social, cultural, and natural— better off than we found them. Built on a former industrial site, the museum’s five-acre gardens—our 7th Gallery—are not only a source of natural beauty, they are the base of MMAM’s sustainability goals. The land has transformed to become a biodiverse ecosystem that sequesters carbon and improves climate sustainability. From the roots of the plants to the roof of the museum, MMAM is working to achieve Net Zero by 2040.

To apply:

Please submit your resume, two professional references, and a cover letter to MMAM by email at hello@mmam.org. Applications must be received by 8am, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

Interviews will be held the week of July 7, 2025. Start date tentatively set for July 15, 2025.