Intern, Hospitality Operations & Growth

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Internship Position Summary

Sun and Waves isn't just a restaurant, it's become a heartbeat of Spring Lake summers. Every plate and drink that goes out is a chance to create a memory for someone's best day of the year. We take that seriously, and we have a lot of fun doing it.

We're looking for a sharp, hungry, and genuinely curious Operations & Growth Intern to join our leadership team this summer. This isn't a "shadow and fetch coffee" kind of role. You'll be embedded in the business from day one, working shoulder-to-shoulder with ownership and our General Manager to sharpen our financial controls, tighten our systems, and push our guest experience to a whole new level.

If you love the energy of a busy restaurant, get excited about data and process, and want real-world business experience that actually means something — this summer has your name on it.

What you’ll do:

This role has four core lanes. You'll work across all of them, and over the summer you'll go deep in the areas where your talent shines.

1  |  Financial Controls & Reporting

• Build and maintain daily, weekly, and seasonal sales reporting dashboards
• Identify revenue trends, slow movers, and missed opportunities in our menu mix
• Help create P&L-level visibility so ownership can make fast, informed decisions
• Track labor costs against sales by daypart and flag when we drift out of range
• Support end-of-week financial reconciliation alongside our GM

2  |  Inventory & Cost Controls

• Establish and run weekly inventory counts across food, beverage, and supplies
• Track usage vs. theoretical to surface waste, over-portioning, and shrink
• Work with the kitchen to build out and standardize recipe costing on Toast
• Help set and monitor ideal food and beverage cost targets by category
• Create a purchasing rhythm and par system that keeps us stocked without over-buying

3  |  Toast POS Optimization

• Audit how our team currently uses Toast and identify gaps and workarounds
• Optimize our menu architecture — item builds, modifiers, combos — for speed and accuracy
• Build out reporting templates so our leadership team has actionable data daily
• Train front-of-house on best practices: table management, check flow, tip reporting
• Work with ownership to explore and implement Toast features we aren't using yet

4  |  Speed of Service & Guest Experience

• Observe and map our current order flow from ticket to table — find where time is lost
• Partner with the kitchen on ticket timing, expo communication, and rush prep
• Work with FOH leadership on table turn strategy during peak summer hours
• Help design and maintain a service standards checklist the whole team buys into
• Gather and analyze guest feedback and turn it into concrete action items

What you’ll have:

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Business, Hospitality, Finance, or a related field
• You've worked in a restaurant or food service environment — you know the pace and you love it
• You're comfortable with data: spreadsheets don't intimidate you, and you know how to tell a story with numbers
• You communicate clearly and confidently with a team — from the dishwasher to the owner
• You're an operator at heart: you see something inefficient and your first instinct is to fix it
• You have experience with — or are a fast learner of — POS systems (Toast experience is a serious bonus)
• You show up sharp, stay humble, and thrive when things get fast and chaotic (peak Saturday lunch, anyone?)
• You take ownership of your work and follow through without being chased down

A bit about us:

Founded in 2013 by Mike and Alex Faherty and Kerry Docherty, Faherty is a family-run lifestyle and apparel brand fueled by purpose and optimism. Our goal: to build a new American legacy by creating high-quality, sustainably minded, feel-good favorites that will bring you joy to wear.

We feel a deep responsibility to do things differently: to promise comfort without compromising quality. To hold ourselves to a higher standard with a lower environmental impact. To leave the world a better place than we found it.

We recognize the impact the fashion industry has on the world, and we’re dedicated to learning how to be better stewards of the planet. We believe the power of conversation and connection can make real change, and we’re committed to supporting people and organizations doing work that we believe in.

Our passionate leadership team comes from different backgrounds but share a singular goal: to deliver on our promise of comfort and craftsmanship. To work side-by-side in a collaborative, energetic, and creative environment every day, like the family we are.

We welcome everyone — and we mean everyone. We believe a diversity of viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds only serve to make our team stronger, which is why we strongly encourage those from historically and systemically marginalized communities to apply: BIPOC, women, and people in the LGBTQIA+ community, to name a few. We strive to lead consciously, bravely, and inclusively — and to reflect those values in our work. Employees should embody the five core values of the Faherty team:

1. Always Innovate, constantly seeking creative ways to improve and drive forward.
2. Bring Day One passion, energy, and grit to every challenge, iterating relentlessly to exceed expectations.
3. Move forward as one with a shared purpose, All Together, fostering inclusivity and collaboration across teams.
4. Harness the Power of Positivity, even when things get tough we’re leading with optimism and resilience in every interaction with our team, customers, and communities.
5. Deliver with a Timeless focus, ensuring quality and long-term impact in all efforts.

Remain compassionate. Stay focused. Seek joy. Let’s make the world a better place!