Operations & Staffing

Barista Job Description Template

A barista job description for a cafe or a coffee bar inside a restaurant, written for a job that is part craft and part counter service. Edit the duties, pay and schedule, then copy the finished post into your job board or print it for the interview.

Pre-filled for a coffee bar inside a restaurant. Edit any field or line; the preview updates as you type and is what prints and copies.

Responsibilities

Requirements

Nice to have

What we offer

Preview

Barista

Copper Skillet Coffee Bar

Spokane, WA · $18.00–$20.00/hr plus tips

Part-time or full-time; opening shifts start at 6:00 a.m.; weekends required

We're a busy neighborhood coffee bar inside a full-service restaurant, pulling espresso from 6 a.m. and serving brunch on weekends. We're hiring a barista who can keep a line moving without letting drink quality slip, and who treats regulars like regulars.

Responsibilities

  • Dial in espresso each morning and adjust grind through the day
  • Prepare espresso drinks, drip, pour-over and cold brew to our recipes and timing standards
  • Steam and texture milk and plant-based alternatives for latte art
  • Take orders on the POS, handle cash and card payments, and close out the drawer
  • Keep the bar, grinders and espresso machine clean, including backflushing at close
  • Restock cups, milk, syrups and pastries; record waste and temperature logs
  • Answer menu and allergen questions accurately and follow the allergy procedure

Requirements

  • Able to stand for a full shift and lift 40 lb (milk crates, bean bags)
  • Reliable for early opening shifts and weekends
  • Food handler card where your state or county requires one
  • Comfortable with a fast line and direct guest contact

Nice to have

  • Six months or more on a commercial espresso machine
  • Latte art and manual brewing experience
  • Experience with a restaurant POS

What we offer

  • Shared tip pool paid out every payroll
  • Free drinks on shift and a staff meal
  • Paid training on espresso, milk and brewing
  • Paid sick leave as required by state and local law

What a Barista Actually Does

A good barista job post describes two jobs at once. One is technical: dialing in espresso every morning, steaming milk to a consistent texture, and making the same drink the same way at 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. The other is a fast counter-service job: taking orders, handling the till, keeping the line moving and remembering regulars. Posts that only describe the first attract hobbyists; posts that only describe the second attract people who leave in a month.

In a restaurant coffee bar the role often stretches further: brunch drink programs, batch cold brew for the dinner menu, and helping the servers with beverage tickets. Say so in the post if that is the job.

Pay and Tips: Say It Plainly

Put the hourly rate in the post. The Labor Department's O*NET database files baristas under the broader fast food and counter workers occupation (SOC 35-3023), and federal wage surveys report that whole group rather than baristas alone, so local job postings and your own state's minimum wage are the better guide for what to offer.

If baristas share tips, explain how. Federal rules let an employer that pays the full minimum wage include back-of-house staff in a mandatory tip pool, but managers and supervisors can never keep employees' tips, and a number of states do not allow a tip credit at all, so tipped staff earn the full state minimum before tips. The tip distribution calculator covers the federal rules and how to split a pool by hours.

Requirements That Hold Up

  • Physical: standing for the shift and lifting milk crates and bean bags are real requirements; state the weight.
  • Food safety: many states and counties require a food handler card within days of hire. Ask for it if yours does.
  • Allergens: milk, soy and tree nuts are on almost every coffee menu. Baristas must know which drinks contain them; see the food allergy chart.
  • Experience: list espresso experience as preferred, not required, unless you will not train. Good attitude plus two weeks of training beats an experienced barista who hates mornings.

How to Use This Template

  1. Replace the cafe name, location, pay and schedule with your own.
  2. Cut duties that do not apply; add the drinks or equipment that make your bar different.
  3. Keep requirements to what you would actually turn someone away for.
  4. Copy the post into your job board, or print it to hand to candidates.

Related Tools & Guides

Server Job Description

The front-of-house role baristas most often cross-train into

Restaurant Interview Questions

What to ask a barista candidate, and what not to

Tip Distribution Calculator

Split a counter tip jar or card tips by hours

Server Training Checklist

Adapt the five-day plan for the coffee bar

Front of House vs Back of House

Where the barista sits in the team