What does a Barista do?
Baristas are employees who work on assembling drinks available in the restaurant cafe. They are expected to be familiar with the menu offerings related to non-alcoholic beverages, such as coffee, tea, or chocolate, available in the restaurant. They are also expected to be familiar with the ingredients needed to make such drinks. They are in charge of managing the inventory and ensuring that the ingredients needed are readily available. Baristas are also expected to be able to make drinks in a quick yet accurate manner.
Barista responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real barista resumes:
- Used Microsoft excel and QuickBooks to manage payroll, receive orders and payments, create invoices and update customer accounts.
- Supervise a team of employees and run store operations while
- Provide excellent customer service, keep shop/equipment cleanliness, order/stocking of coffee/food/drink items.
- Recognize by supervisors and customers for excellence in customer service, punctuality, and positive attitude.
- Provide legendary customer service and cultivate relationships with customers all while creating handcraft beverages up to Starbucks standard.
- Provide customers Starbucks quality service by interacting with customers, making quality beverages, and maintaining an excellent store environment.
- Open the bistro, as well as clean and close the bistro.
- Fast pace, multitasking job.
- Use Facebook to advertise and gain more customers.
- Handle sales transaction at retail counter by operating micros.
- Brew coffee and tea and fill containers with request beverages.
- Handle all barista, server, and bartending duties during a shift.
- Coordinate with chef for daily specials as well as allergies and food ingredients.
- Utilize culinary knowledge to prepare, serve, and cook food to fill orders.
- Administer payroll, complete paper work, and write up schedules, inventory and purchase supply lists.
Barista skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Baristas are proficient in Cash Handling, Food Products, and Punctuality. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Baristas that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cash Handling, 27%
Follow operational policies and procedures, including cash handling for safety and security reasons.
- Food Products, 18%
Provided quality beverages and food products by adhering to recipe and presentation standards while exhibiting creativity when requested by customers.
- Punctuality, 11%
Maintained regular and consistent attendance and punctuality as well as trained new team members with positive reinforcement and respectfully encouraging coaching
- Presentation Standards, 6%
Prepare quality beverages in a timely matter and sustain exceptional customer satisfaction by adhering to all recipe and presentation standards.
- Operational Policies, 4%
Follow Starbucks operational policies and procedures, including safety regulations and security procedures.
- Customer Service, 3%
Provide legendary customer service while adhering to Starbucks beverage repeatable routine, in order to deliver a consistent customer service experience.
Most baristas use their skills in "cash handling," "food products," and "punctuality" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential barista responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a barista to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "food and beverage serving and related workers must listen carefully to their customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared to the customers’ request." Additionally, a barista resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "managed the cash register maintained cleanliness within the store strong customer service and communication skills 40+ typing skills"
Customer-service skills. Another essential skill to perform barista duties is customer-service skills. Baristas responsibilities require that "food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry." Baristas also use customer-service skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provide excellent service and foster guest satisfaction by anticipating and fulfilling needs of customers in fast-paced coffee shop"
Physical strength. baristas are also known for physical strength, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to barista responsibilities, because "food and beverage serving and related workers need to be able to lift and carry stock and equipment that can weigh up to 50 pounds." A barista resume example shows how physical strength is used in the workplace: "strengthened customer relations and product knowledge. "
The three companies that hire the most baristas are:
- SStarbucks6,622 baristas jobs
- CCompass Group USA696 baristas jobs
- AAramark381 baristas jobs
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Compare different baristas
Barista vs. Certified barista
A server/barista is someone who makes and serves beverages and foods, such as coffee, tea, and sandwiches or baked goods. He/She or she should be able to explain menu items to customers to ensure customer satisfaction. Other responsibilities include knowing food and beverage quality controls and updating displays to attract customers. The core skills that a server/barista should possess include excellent listening and communication skills and the ability to cope up with a physically demanding work environment. A candidate with a high school diploma or equivalent could qualify for the position.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between baristas and certified barista. For instance, barista responsibilities require skills such as "cash handling," "punctuality," "starbucks," and "food service." Whereas a certified barista is skilled in "coffee drinks," "food safety," "store operations," and "process payments." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that certified baristas earn slightly differ from baristas. In particular, certified baristas are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a barista. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Barista vs. Barista trainer
A Lead Barista provides quality customer service and demonstrates knowledge of coffee equipment, products, and menu products. Lead baristas serve all products with friendly and individualized attention towards each customer. They are responsible for making a difference to customers by educating them about our premium coffees. They establish relationships with customers and foster a positive and friendly store environment. They also assist new team members in the training program and provide technical guidance.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that barista responsibilities requires skills like "punctuality," "starbucks," "food service," and "good communication." But a barista trainer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "starbucks coffee," "beverage quality," "food safety," and "caf."
Barista trainers earn similar levels of education than baristas in general. They're 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Barista vs. Server/barista
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a barista is likely to be skilled in "cash handling," "food products," "punctuality," and "operational policies," while a typical server/barista is skilled in "wine," "multitasking," "bistro," and "caf."
When it comes to education, server/baristas tend to earn similar degree levels compared to baristas. In fact, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Barista vs. Lead barista
Updated January 8, 2025
