Most Baristas in the U.S. are under 30 years old and are often students seeking part-time work or fresh graduates looking to gain professional experience.
This makes it challenging for Hiring Managers to find candidates with coffee knowledge, excellent customer service skills and the ability to work well with others.
This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about hiring a Barista, from identifying your staffing needs to onboarding and implementing retention strategies.
Step-By-Step Guide To Hire a Barista
Follow these steps to find a Barista for your coffee shop.
1. Define your needs
The type of coffee shop you run and your business goals will help you identify the kind of Barista you need.
For large coffee chains
If you’re hiring for a coffee chain like Starbucks, it’s perfectly acceptable to consider candidates without prior experience.
They typically follow standardized recipes, so the training process is more focused on ensuring consistency in drink preparation and teaching employees how to perform basic coffee shop tasks, rather than requiring advanced skills in coffee-making.
With that said, here are the key skills and responsibilities you should look for if you’re hiring a Barista for a coffee chain:
Coffee Chain Barista
| Skills | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Cash handling skills | Operate POS systems and handle cash accurately |
| Ability to follow drink recipes | Prepare beverages quickly and consistently according to the recipe |
| Teamwork skills | Work efficiently with colleagues to meet customer demands during peak hours |
For specialty cafés
If you manage a specialty café or an independent coffee shop, you may need Baristas with knowledge of advanced brewing techniques who can create unique drinks and deliver exceptional customer service.
Specialty Café / Independent Coffee Shop Barista
| Skills | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Exceptional customer service skills | Create personalized experiences for customers |
| Advanced brewing techniques | Use various coffee brewing methods, such as pour-over, cold brew and espresso |
| Creativity | Customize drinks based on customer preferences |
For cafés requiring a supervisory role
If you need someone to supervise other Baristas, ensure smooth operations and provide training, consider hiring a Lead Barista. Below are the key skills and responsibilities required for this role:
Lead Barista
| Skills | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Leadership skills | Supervise and motivate junior Baristas to ensure efficiency and coffee quality |
| Ability to train other Baristas | Train new Baristas on drink preparation, customer service and daily tasks |
| Conflict resolution skills | Address issues among staff or with customers |
2. Create an effective job description
With a clear idea of the Barista you need, you’re ready to write the job description.
An effective job description does more than just list responsibilities and required skills, it also helps set expectations for both the employer and employee, ensuring clarity around key details such as job type, work conditions and growth opportunities.
Job type
Specifying whether you need a part-time or full-time Barista is important.
You likely need a part-time Barista if you have a limited budget, want to offer flexibility to attract a diverse range of talent and if your number of customers fluctuates throughout the year.
Meanwhile, hiring a full-time Barista would make more sense if you’re hiring for a lead or senior role, have a high customer traffic throughout the year and want to offer stability and a comprehensive benefits package to potential candidates.
You might consider a mix of both depending on your needs, budget and plans for your employees. If you need to hire a Barista for an event, for example, you need to consider if you’re hiring for a single event or you’ll need a permanent Barista.
The same goes if you need to hire a Barista for a party or hire a Barista for a wedding, since you might need a Barista for a one-time event rather than employing them full-time.
Work conditions
Clearly defining work conditions ensures transparency. Providing the following information upfront can prevent dissatisfaction once they start:
- Schedule, including typical working hours and whether you offer flexibility
- Work environment such as the atmosphere of your café and team dynamics
- Physical demands such as standing for long hours and lifting heavy items
Growth opportunities
Highlighting potential growth opportunities is important to keeping employees engaged and loyal. This can help you attract more ambitious candidates and demonstrate that you value long-term commitment. Consider including:
- Career advancement opportunities
- Employee recognition programs
- Provision of free training programs
Download our free Barista job description template.
3. Use all channels to find a Barista
This can include strategies such as posting a physical sign in your cafe, advertising on social media, posting on hospitality job boards, attending coffee events and seeking referrals.
Lead all of these efforts to the job description you’ve created. Consider it your hiring blueprint — everything you do should guide potential candidates back to this document to ensure consistency across all platforms.
For example, if someone sees your job opening posted in your cafe, include a QR code that will take them directly to the online job description when they scan it with their phone. You can also instruct your employees who would like to refer someone to always include a link to the job description so that interested applicants can learn more about the opening.
This way, you attract the right fit and streamline your hiring process, whether they find you online, through a sign or word of mouth.
4. Screen resumes
Once you’ve gathered all applications through the strategies you implemented, it’s time to screen the resumes. Resume screening helps you narrow down the applicants you’ll invite for the initial interview.
You can go about this in two ways: manual and automated resume screening.
Below, we’ve compared manual versus automated resume screening to help you decide which one would work best for your needs and budget.
| Criteria | Manual screening | Automated screening |
|---|---|---|
| Speed and efficiency | Slow and time-consuming, requires significant manual effort | Faster and more efficient |
| Consistency | Can vary depending on the reviewer | Consistent, applies the same criteria to all resumes |
| Bias | Higher risk of unconscious bias, influenced by personal perceptions | Lower risk of bias, though can still be affected by algorithmic design |
| Quality of hire | Potential for identifying unique, culture-fit candidates | Risk of overlooking qualified candidates if their resume doesn’t match exact criteria |
| Cost | Higher cost due to labor-intensive process | Lower long-term cost but higher initial setup for automation |
| Ideal use case | Best for small to medium coffee shops | Ideal for large coffee chains |
If you decide to manually screen candidates, start by identifying non-negotiable requirements for the role. Then, categorize resumes into three groups: Yes, Maybe and No.
For applicants in the Yes group, proceed with the initial interview. For those in the Maybe group, assess their potential for growth, schedule the initial interview and then move them to either Yes or No, depending on the outcome.
When declining applicants for the initial interview, consider asking if they’re open to staying in your talent pool for future roles that might better match their skills. This allows you to build a network of potential candidates for future needs.
If you want to skip all these steps, you can choose to automate the screening process. Applicant Tracking Systems such as Breezy HR, Workable and Harri can help you streamline the process by automatically sorting, filtering and ranking candidates based on your predefined criteria.
5. Conduct interviews
Conducting initial phone interviews after resume screening allows you to share more about the role and see if the candidate is a good fit. This is also an opportunity to discuss benefits or salary if it wasn’t included in the job description.
Candidates who pass the initial interview can proceed to the final interview stage, where you can further evaluate their cultural fit with your organization and assess their technical and behavioral skills through carefully curated interview questions.
6. Do a background check
Background checks are especially important for customer-facing positions and roles that involve cash handling. This can include criminal record checks, credit checks, drug screenings and employment verifications. Be sure to inform candidates and obtain their consent before conducting any background checks to ensure legal compliance.
If you see a red flag, don’t dismiss the candidate right away. Give them an opportunity to answer any questions you may have.
PRO TIP: At this point, rank your candidates from best to least preferred. This way, you’ll have options in case your top candidate doesn’t work out after the background check.
7. Make the offer
After identifying the best candidate, give them a call to inform them of your decision and confirm details such as salary, starting date and work schedule. This gives the candidate the chance to ask questions before sending a formal written offer.
Once you’ve sent the offer via email, give the candidate time to review but set a specific deadline. If they accept, immediately start the onboarding process. If they decline, ask for feedback to improve your hiring process, then move to the next best candidate on your list.
8. Create a retention program for your Baristas
As a Hiring Manager, your work doesn’t stop once you’ve hired a candidate. It’s important to keep employees satisfied and engaged throughout their time with your organization.
Here are some common retention challenges and solutions to keep employees happy and motivated:
Low pay
Even if you don’t have a large budget, offering small raises regularly can make a difference over time.
For example, a $1 increase in hourly wage every six months can show your employees that you value their work.
If frequent raises aren’t possible you can opt for annual raises instead to give your Baristas something to look forward to and acknowledge their loyalty. You can also do performance-based incentives or bonuses if they’ve hit target sales.
Limited advancement opportunities
Promotion can be particularly challenging in small coffee shops. What you can do instead is have them attend workshops and training sessions to show your Baristas that you care about their professional development.
Exposure to rude customers
82% of employees in the hospitality industry reported experiencing violent customers.
Exposure to such situations every day can lead to burnout. Help your Baristas by equipping them with tools to manage these situations professionally and ensure they feel supported.
Creating a respectful and supportive work environment, offering de-escalation training and stepping in when necessary can all help prevent burnout and foster long-term satisfaction.
More Tips To Hire a Barista
Below are additional tips to help you hire the right Barista.
1. Get creative with the job title
Instead of calling your team members “workers” or “employees,” consider using titles that elevate the role and align with the sense of purpose and pride that can come with the job.
Titles like Artisan Barista, Coffee Artist or Partner (like Starbucks uses) convey a sense of expertise, belonging and value beyond the basic task of serving coffee.
This small change in wording can have a big impact on how potential candidates perceive the job. It also helps set a more positive tone and aligns the role with a career pathway, rather than just a stop-gap job.
2. Give yourself time to hire
While you may be under pressure to fill the position quickly, rushing the hiring process can lead to mistakes and mismatched hires that will cost you more in the long run. Take your time to review resumes, conduct thorough interviews and assess candidates’ cultural fit.
The hiring process is an investment in your business, so it’s better to wait for the right person rather than filling the spot hastily just to avoid being short-staffed.
3. Hire for personality over technical skills
While Baristas need to have some level of technical skill (like making drinks or handling the register), their personality is far more critical.
The best Baristas are those who can create an inviting, friendly environment for customers while efficiently handling the tasks at hand. Coffee shops are social environments, and the customer experience is deeply influenced by the barista’s ability to connect with people. Look for candidates who enjoy interacting with others, are personable and exude positive energy.
4. Include an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement
This will ensure that potential applicants know that your business is committed to hiring diverse candidates and providing equal opportunities for all.
A simple statement like:
“We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage individuals from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.”
This not only reflects good hiring practices but also helps create a welcoming, non-discriminatory work environment that attracts a wide pool of applicants.
5. How much does it cost to hire a Barista?
On average, a Barista in the U.S. earns $34,825 per year or $16.74 per hour. However, salaries can vary significantly depending on location, experience and the type of establishment. It’s best to research the current market rate in your city to ensure competitive pay and attract the best candidates.
Written by Rea Gierran
With a background in Communication Arts, Rea’s expertise lies in content marketing and copywriting. Her published works can be seen on online news websites such as Rappler and Adobo magazine. Outside of her work, Rea takes on the role of a “momager” for Shiro, a TikTok dogfluencer.
Reviewed by Stefan Petrov
With over 10 years of experience as a writer and editor, Stefan has worked in the automotive, IT, health and hospitality industries. Familiar with Google Search Console and other SEO tools like Ahrefs and Semrush, Stefan uses his experience to create content that’s visually appealing to the user but also ranks in the SERPs.
