Job Information
- Location: Haftt Cafe & Hookah Lounge, 980 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
- Schedule: [Full-time/Part-time]; evening, late-night, weekend, and holiday availability required
- Reports to: Server Lead / Manager on Duty during shifts; General Manager (or ownership, until a General Manager is in place) for overall performance
- Classification: Hourly, non-exempt (overtime eligible)
- Base Pay: Starting at $18.47 per hour, plus tips, with more offered based on experience
About Haftt
Haftt Cafe & Hookah Lounge is a social dining and lounge destination offering Persian kabobs, pizzas, appetizers, salads, desserts, Persian tea, nonalcoholic beverages, and hookah. Haftt does not serve alcohol.
Our goal is to provide a comfortable, welcoming experience supported by attentive service, consistently prepared food and hookahs, safe handling practices, cleanliness, and genuine hospitality.
The Role
As a Server, you will handle table service, hosting, reservations, cashier duties, takeout, and guest communication.
This is a combined front-of-house position. During regular service you may cover several of these at once - greeting and seating guests, running a section, answering the phone, taking takeout orders, and handling payments. During peak periods you will be given a separate primary assignment, either serving or host/cashier, so that no one is trying to do everything at the same time.
You are the guest's main point of contact for the entire visit. Order accuracy, product knowledge, timing, and clear communication with the kitchen, café, hookah, and support teams are what make the experience work.
Servers who perform well may be trained toward the Server Lead position as the team grows.
What You'll Do
Table service
- Greet guests promptly, present menus, and set the tone for the visit.
- Learn Haftt's full food, tea, beverage, and hookah menus, including ingredients, preparation, allergens, pricing, and recommended pairings.
- Answer questions and make recommendations confidently without pressuring guests.
- Take orders accurately and enter them into the POS system, including modifications, allergies, and special requests.
- Confirm allergen and dietary requests with the kitchen and follow allergen procedures exactly.
- Time courses appropriately and coordinate with the kitchen, café, and hookah teams so items arrive together and on time.
- Deliver food and beverages to the correct guests, or coordinate delivery with food runners and support staff.
- Check back after delivery to confirm accuracy and satisfaction, and maintain attentive follow-up throughout the visit.
- Refill beverages, clear finished items, and keep tables clean and comfortable during the meal.
- Suggest tea, beverages, desserts, appetizers, and hookah appropriately to enhance the guest's experience.
- Present checks, process payments accurately, and thank guests on departure.
Hosting and reservations
- Greet and seat arriving guests, manage the waitlist, and quote accurate wait times.
- Answer the phone professionally and take reservations, questions, and messages.
- Maintain the reservation book or system accurately, including party size, timing, seating preferences, and special occasions.
- Manage seating flow and table rotation in coordination with the Manager on Duty so sections are balanced.
- Communicate table availability with bussers and support staff so resets happen quickly.
- Manage the entrance area, keep it clean and welcoming, and follow entry and identification-checking procedures.
Cashier and takeout
- Operate the POS and cash register accurately, and handle cash, cards, and digital payments according to company procedure.
- Process checks, splits, refunds, voids, and adjustments only as authorized, and report every one to the Manager on Duty.
- Take, enter, and confirm takeout and pickup orders, including quote times and special requests.
- Package takeout orders accurately and completely, including utensils, condiments, and receipts.
- Verify takeout orders against tickets before handing them to guests or delivery drivers.
- Reconcile assigned cash and report shortages, variances, or irregular transactions immediately.
Communication and coordination
- Communicate sold-out items, delays, substitutions, and guest concerns to the Manager on Duty immediately.
- Coordinate hookah orders with hookah attendants and confirm that all charges, adjustments, and replacements are recorded accurately.
- Coordinate with support staff on running food, clearing, resetting, and restocking priorities.
- Never provide unauthorized complimentary items, discounts, replacements, or adjustments.
- Escalate complaints, allergen incidents, injuries, and policy violations to the Manager on Duty promptly.
Cleanliness, setup, and safety
- Complete assigned opening, closing, cleaning, restocking, and side-work responsibilities.
- Keep service stations, dining areas, the entrance, and restrooms clean and stocked as assigned.
- Assist with clearing, sanitizing, and resetting tables and running food when needed.
- Follow handwashing and apron or glove-change procedures when changing assignments.
- Follow all food-safety, sanitation, age-verification, and workplace-safety procedures.
- Notify management immediately of unsafe guest behavior, suspected underage tobacco use, spills, injuries, damaged property, or fire hazards.
- Participate in pre-shift meetings, product training, and performance coaching.
- Follow established service standards, written procedures, checklists, and management instructions consistently.
What You'll Bring
- Prior restaurant serving, hosting, or cashier experience is strongly preferred.
- Genuine hospitality and warm, professional communication with guests.
- Ability to learn and confidently describe a full food, tea, beverage, and hookah menu.
- Strong POS ability and accuracy with orders, checks, and payments.
- Comfort handling cash and following till, payment, and reconciliation procedures exactly.
- Ability to manage several tables and competing requests at once without losing accuracy.
- Willingness to move between serving, hosting, cashiering, and takeout as the shift requires.
- Ability to take a single primary assignment during peak periods and stay focused on it.
- Composure and patience during busy, noisy, late-night service.
- Ability to handle complaints calmly and know when to escalate to the Manager on Duty.
- Working knowledge of food safety, allergen handling, sanitation, and age-verification requirements.
- Schedule flexibility, reliability, and punctuality.
- Dependable evening, late-night, weekend, and holiday availability.
- Willingness to assist with bussing, running food, resetting tables, restocking, and cleaning.
- Respectful communication with cooks, baristas, hookah attendants, support staff, and management.
- Comfort working in an environment where hookah smoking occurs.
- Ability to accept feedback, correct mistakes, and consistently apply corrected procedures.
How Success Is Measured
Performance in this role is evaluated on order accuracy, guest satisfaction, sales performance, response time, and cash accuracy.
Practical Skills Evaluation
Selected candidates may be asked to complete a paid working interview or practical skills assessment, as permitted by applicable law. The evaluation may include:
- Greeting, seating, and serving guests during live service
- Describing menu items, ingredients, and allergens accurately
- Entering orders, modifications, and payments in a POS system
- Taking a takeout order by phone and verifying it against the ticket
- Managing a section and competing table requests
- Handling a guest complaint and describing your escalation decision
- Handling cash and reconciling an assigned till
- Coordinating with the kitchen, hookah attendants, and support staff during a rush
- Completing opening, closing, or side-work assignments
Prior job titles alone will not replace the need to demonstrate the practical skills required for the position.
Certifications and Requirements
- California Food Handler Card required within 30 days of hire.
- Must meet all legal and company age requirements applicable to working on the premises where tobacco is served.
- Must follow all identification-checking and age-verification requirements.
- Completion of Haftt's service, POS and cash-handling, age-verification, sanitation, and emergency-procedure training.
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
- Ability to bend, reach, twist, and perform repetitive service and cleaning tasks.
- Ability to safely lift and carry approximately 25-30 pounds, including trays and bus tubs.
- Ability to work safely around hot food and beverages, hot charcoal, glass equipment, and cleaning products.
- Ability to work in an environment where hookah smoking occurs.
- Evening, late-night, weekend, and holiday availability as required.
Schedule and Work Environment
This position regularly includes evening, late-night, weekend, and holiday shifts. Setup, cleaning, restocking, and closing responsibilities may take place before or after published guest-service hours.
The workplace may be busy, social, noisy, smoky, and fast-paced. Servers work around food, tea, hookah smoke, tobacco products, hot charcoal, and cleaning products.
Because Haftt operates with a relatively small team, employees may be assigned to serving, hosting, reservations, cashiering, takeout, bussing, table resets, restocking, or cleaning based on business needs. During peak periods, separate primary assignments are given so that one employee is not covering serving and host/cashier duties at the same time.
Haftt provides training on its menus, service sequence, POS and cash procedures, sanitation, and guest-service expectations. Employees are expected to retain and consistently apply that training.
Pay and Benefits
- Base pay: Starting at $18.47 per hour, plus tips, with more offered based on experience
- Tips distributed according to Haftt's applicable tip-distribution policy
- Complimentary staff meal during eligible shifts
- Employee dining discount
- Paid sick leave and other benefits as required by applicable law
- Product training and a path toward the Server Lead position as the team grows
Tips are not guaranteed. Actual tips vary based on hours, shift assignments, sales, guest volume, seasonality, and the applicable tip-distribution arrangement.
How to Apply
Please apply directly through the job platform where you found this posting.
Questions about the role, or a request for a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, may be sent to careers@hafttcafe.com.
Equal Opportunity and Fair Chance Employment
Haftt Cafe & Hookah Lounge is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, demonstrated skills, experience, performance, availability, and legitimate business needs. Haftt does not discriminate based on any characteristic protected by applicable law.
Haftt will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with applicable California and local fair-chance requirements.
Salary
Starting at $18.47 per hour
Benefits
Tips
Job Type
Full time, Part time
Schedule
10 hour shift, 8 hour shift, Weekend availability, Night shift