Seasonal Jobs at The Back Kitchen
Each summer we hire a small team of Café Staff to help us run our seasonal, volunteer-led community cafe on beautiful Amherst Island.
Not Currently Hiring
Applications for the 2026 Season are now closed. We typically post our seasonal Café Staff openings in the early spring each year — if you’re interested in joining the team next summer, check back here in spring, or subscribe to our newsletter to hear when applications reopen.
About The Back Kitchen
The Amherst Island Community Café, also known as the Back Kitchen, is a seasonal volunteer-led restaurant that aims to serve good quality food, support local organizations, hire and train local students, and to promote and host local events.
Our patrons are Island residents as well as those who visit us throughout the summer months. Employees of the Back Kitchen work as a team to provide popular food items at the only public restaurant on the island.
About the Role
Café Staff
Seasonal — summer position
- Demonstrated skills or a willingness to develop skills in cooking, food preparation, dishwashing, cleaning, welcoming and serving customers, taking orders, using a Point of Sale system, and handling payments.
- These positions develop recognized kitchen facility practices and skills, and provide workplace training for greater responsibility in the future.
- Staff may be required to work split shifts.
What the Job Looks Like
Café Staff provide customer service, prepare menu items to order, and keep the Café clean. Staff rotate through all aspects of Café operation including working in the kitchen and the front of house, ensuring that patrons have an enjoyable Café experience by providing superior customer service and quality food in a pleasant environment.
Reporting to the Café Manager (or in the absence of the Café Manager, Team Lead) staff carry out all aspects of Café operation including taking orders in person and by phone, food preparation, presentation, serving, presentation of bills and acceptance of payment, dishwashing, and cleaning. Duties may vary, depending on how busy the Café is, but generally staff will be assigned to either the kitchen or the front of house for each shift.
Typical Duties
- Prepares and presents food according to Café standards
- Prepares food and cooks menu items to order
- Cleans the kitchen and washes dishes
- Disposes of garbage and recycling materials
- Complies with food handling standards and all permits and policies including public health & safety, and emergency requirements
- Prepares food for special events and catering, when necessary
- Greets customers, takes orders in person or on the phone, serves food, uses Point of Sale equipment, and accepts payment
Qualifications & Skills
- Exceptional commitment to customer service
- Ability to work in a fast paced environment
- Ability to learn tasks and improve upon them as season progresses
- Demonstrated skills or a willingness to develop skills in cooking, food preparation, dishwashing, cleaning, welcoming and serving customers, taking orders, using a Point of Sale system, and handling payments
- Completion of training in food handling (arranged by employer), customer service, and cash management or willingness to complete training as required
- Experience serving customers
- Flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances
Hear About Next Season’s Openings
Seasonal Café Staff postings typically go up in early spring. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when applications open for the next summer season.
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