Cass Café · 4620 Cass Avenue · Detroit
Working at
Cass Café
A real job, at a real place, with real history — and a structure designed to take care of the people who make it work.
The Place
What You're Walking Into
Cass Café opened in 1993 and ran for nearly thirty years as one of the most important gathering places in Detroit — artists, musicians, activists, students, and the quietly brilliant finding each other over lentil soup and cheap beer. It closed in July 2022. The Chalfonte Foundation is bringing it back, at the same address, with the same name, and a clearer version of what it always meant to be.
The building at 4620 Cass Avenue is a real cultural institution — home to gallery exhibitions presented by detroit contemporary, puppet performances by PuppetART, and broadcasting by Village Radio Detroit. Your job is to help run the food and beverage operation at the center of all of it.
Public Hours
Mon–Fri 7 AM–7 PM
Public Opening
November 6, 2026
Your Schedule
A Job You Can Actually Plan Around
The only hours Cass Café is open to the public are Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 7 PM. That's it. No standing evening shifts, no seven-day grind. You know what your week looks like, and your weekends belong to you.
Evening and weekend events — dinner concerts, gallery receptions, private rentals, and other ticketed programs — are scheduled at least a month in advance. When they happen, staff can sign up for additional shifts, or are assigned based on the event's needs. These events always end by 11 PM or midnight. Occasional special events may run later, but those are exceptions planned well ahead of time, not standing late nights.
Before November 6, the pre-opening period runs on a calendar of private, ticketed, and VIP events — tasting dinners, investor and member gatherings, gallery openings. This is the testing and training phase, where the kitchen and service team practices in real conditions before the public restaurant opens.
Open Roles
Who We're Looking For
Management · Salary
General Manager — Restaurant & Food and Beverage
Owns the food and beverage operation: kitchen, bar, day service, scheduling, ordering, inventory, financial reporting, staff management, and compliance. This is the operational center of everything. Deep restaurant experience required. Compensation reflects that — this role cannot be undercompensated and will not be.
Management · Salary
Director of Arts & Cultural Programming
Owns everything outside food and beverage: gallery exhibitions, performance scheduling, PuppetART relationship, youth and educational programs, and the cultural elements of private and ticketed events. Coordinates directly with the General Manager whenever an event needs food and beverage service. Arts management or programming experience preferred.
Management · Part-Time
Events Coordinator
Owns the master calendar for private and ticketed bookings. Handles inquiries, rental contracts, scheduling, and client communication, connecting each booking to the General Manager or Arts Director as needed. Part-time, with the potential to grow as event volume builds.
Kitchen · Salary
Executive Chef
Leads the kitchen team through prep and production — all cooking happens before the café opens each day. Works with Marianne Audrey Burrows and Regan Rodriguez on menu refinement and recipe standardization. Knowledge of plant-forward, naturopathic, and whole-foods cooking essential. Great Lakes regional sourcing experience a plus.
Kitchen · Hourly + Tips
Prep Cook / Line
Early morning shift — arrive between 4:30 and 5 AM, complete prep and production before the café opens at 7 AM. This team makes everything the day service staff will assemble and serve. Disciplined, precise, focused. Out by noon.
Day Service · Hourly + Tips
Counter & Floor Staff
Assembly, service, and guest experience during the 7 AM–7 PM public window. You are not cooking — everything is prepared before you arrive. You are assembling, plating, and serving from prepared components. Deep knowledge of the menu and genuine care about the guest experience matter more than cooking experience.
Bar & Juice · Hourly + Tips
Bartender / Juice Bar
Bar and juice bar service during public hours and for private and ticketed events. The bar is Michigan-sourced wherever possible — Great Lakes craft beer, Michigan wine, and fresh-pressed juice cocktails. Experience with fresh juice programs and farm-to-bar sourcing a real plus.
The Kitchen Model — What Makes This Different
The Cass Café kitchen operates on a prep-before-open model. Everything is cooked and produced before the café opens each day. The kitchen team works a concentrated early shift — in before dawn, out by noon — and day service staff assemble from prepared components throughout the service window. No live cooking during service hours. This means a calmer kitchen, more consistent quality, and a team that isn't running on adrenaline through a dinner rush at 8 PM. It also means the morning prep team and the service team are distinct groups with distinct schedules — you know which one you're joining when you apply.
Compensation Philosophy
What We Believe
The investors in Cass Café are taking on the financial risk of this venture. The employees are not. Staff compensation is set to be fair and livable from day one — not started low with a promise to raise it later. All gratuities are shared across the full house, not siloed by section or station. Management roles are salaried at market rates, with a stock option component that creates equity upside as the business grows.
We're also developing affordable housing options — within walking or biking distance of the café — as an additional benefit for staff who want to live close to where they work. The goal is a team that doesn't spend a third of their income commuting to a job that's supposed to support them.
Employee Stock Ownership — After Three Years, You Own a Piece of This
Cass Café, Inc. has an Employee Stock Ownership Pool — 7,500 shares of Common Stock set aside for employees. After three qualifying years of employment (non-continuous — life happens, and good employees who leave and come back are welcome), you receive equity in the company. 100% vesting at the three-year mark. This isn't a promise for later. It's written into the corporate structure right now, before the doors open.
Get In Touch →
Roles are being filled ahead of the pre-opening phase beginning August 2026. Early conversations welcome.
