Barista duties and responsibilities

Although Baristas are mainly responsible for making and serving beverages to customers, they may have other duties. These may include:

• Greeting customers in a friendly manner and taking food and drink orders
• Preparing and serving beverages such as drip coffee, espresso-based drinks, tea and other specialty drinks
• Preparing and serving food items such as soups, sandwiches and pastries
• Answering customers’ questions about menu choices
• Promoting and recommending menu options to customers
• Taking payment from customers
• Tracking and ordering inventory for cafe and beverage supplies, such as coffee beans, milk, napkins and cups
• Maintaining espresso machines, grinders, coffee machines and other equipment by cleaning, troubleshooting and scheduling repairs
• Keeping the work environment and cafe seating area clean, sanitary and organized
• Responding to and resolving customer concerns or complaints
• Evaluating and modifying processes to improve efficiency and quality of service
• Attracting new customers and refining the menu

Barista skills and qualifications

Baristas need a variety of skills to memorize drink recipes, learn how to operate equipment and provide efficient customer service. A successful Barista should possess the following skills:

• Excellent listening and communication skills to effectively interact with coworkers and customers
• Basic coffee knowledge, such as how to prepare common coffee beverages, although advanced knowledge, such as roasting and grinding processes, coffee bean sourcing and flavor differences, can be helpful
• Exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills to interact in a positive manner and prevent or resolve conflicts
• Strong teamwork abilities to work efficiently in a fast-paced and high-volume environment with other Baristas
• Attention to detail to manage specific customer requests as well as a high-volume beverage assembly line with minimal errors
• Time management and organizational skills to work efficiently and effectively in a high-volume workplace

Benefits for full-time employees include but are not limited to the following with an employee contribution: Medical, Dental, Vision, Short-term Disability, and Long-term Disability after 90 days of employment. Employer-provided Basic Life Insurance and Basic AD&D are provided after 90 days of employment. 401K eligibility is available to full-time employees after 90 days of employment, part-time employees can qualify to participate in a 401(k) plan after two consecutive years of working at least 500 hours. Currently, 401K Match is $0.50 on the $1.00 of an employee’s contribution up to 6%; there is a 5-year vesting period. Applications for all positions are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Salamander Collection is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law. Salamander is a drug-free workplace and participant in E-Verify.