Barista: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a barista?

Bringing on a new barista can impact your existing team and customer base. An excellent barista hire can:

• Adapt to and improve your current menu, creating the classic drinks while possibly providing customers with new options
• Manage behind-the-bar inventory, everything from cups and lids to beans and milk
• Develop a great rapport with new and regular customers
• Provide general maintenance and cleaning of the equipment and facilities

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance barista

Freelance baristas are slowly becoming a more common occurrence in the coffee industry. Some baristas work in a freelance capacity and cover shifts at various coffee shops on short notice. This can benefit both the barista and the establishments they work for. By working for multiple businesses, a freelance barista has knowledge concerning how individual shops run and marketing ideas as well as new coffee recipes. They also promote reliable coverage on short notice.

However, coffee shops should always have at least one full-time barista on staff to ensure consistency, a friendly, familiar face for the customers and knowledge of how you want your shop to be known. 

What are the types of baristas?

Although there isn’t a well-defined hierarchy of baristas, there are a few different roles a barista might fill depending on the type of company they work for. They often have similar responsibilities, such as grinding beans, extracting coffee, frothing milk and pouring. These roles include:

• Chain baristas: Baristas who work in chain restaurants are often given a specific set of rules they have to follow. When hired, they’re trained by other baristas or store management on how to operate equipment. They serve customers lattes, cappuccinos and other common types of coffee. 
• Privately owned coffee shop baristas: Baristas who work at mom-and-pop coffee shops are often given more freedom when it comes to the drinks they serve. While they undergo the same types of training as chain-store baristas, they may be encouraged to come up with unique drinks and serving styles. 

Where to find baristas

To find the right barista for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Post help wanted flyers. Hanging flyers around the neighborhood can bring in applications for potential candidates. Set up interviews with these individuals to see if they fit the job. 
• Ask around other nearby coffee shops. Other coffee shops in the area may have information about quality barista candidates they couldn’t hire. Reach out to these candidates to gauge their level of interest in the position and set up an interview. 
• Promote from within. Ask employees in your business if they’re interested in the job and conduct interviews with potential candidates. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your barista job on Indeed to find and attract quality barista candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Barista

A great barista candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

Hard skills:
• Ability to use common coffee brewing equipment
• Solid comprehension of health and safety standards
• Comprehensive understanding of your point of sale system

Soft skills
• Team-oriented attitude
• Cheerful demeanor and friendly attitude
• Creative problem-solving capabilities

Writing a barista job description

A thoughtful description is important to finding qualified barista candidates. A barista job description includes a compelling summary of the role within your business or storefront, a detailed list of daily duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your barista job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting . These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on barista jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Barista
• Coffee
• Teen
• Cashier
• Coffee shop
• Hiring immediately
• Cafe
• Food service
• Boba

Interviewing barista candidates

Strong candidates for barista positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Accounting platforms used and familiar software
• Maintaining accuracy in accounting

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of barista interview questions for examples (with sample answers).