What Makes a Successful Barista?

You don't just want to be any barista.

Nope.

You want to be a successful barista with all the benefits that come with it. In addition to making money on wages and excellent tips, you will have your choice of top coffee shops to work for and position yourself to be a coffee shop owner in the future.

But what does it take to be a successful barista?

There are a lot of essential ingredients that enable a barista to be successful. No matter how busy or demanding a barista's job will be, this article will help baristas excel at their jobs, manage their customers better, and enjoy themselves more!

Today's post will talk about several attributes you need to be a successful barista and reap the full benefits.

 

Further Reading: How to be Barista Fast With No Experience

 

What Makes a Successful Barista?

 

Having a Positive Attitude

We have to get the most apparent factor out of the way first!

A positive attitude can dramatically impact your level of success as a barista. But you already know that! Furthermore, a positive attitude doesn't just affect your barista job, but everything else you do in life!

Your positive attitude makes your deliverables better – that is, delivering the best beverages, customer experience, as well as being a better team member.

Can you train for a positive attitude? In short, yes! If you would like to improve your overall positivity and attitude, I recommend maintaining awareness as your goal.

This general awareness of maintaining a positive attitude is critical. For example, when confronted with a challenging situation, I immediately think, “How can I look at this in a better way?” or “How can I be my best at this very moment?”

Pause and then act.

One of these two questions will train you to maintain the awareness you need to keep a positive attitude. All of these things will lead to your coffee shop success.

 

People Skills

I admit “people skills” is a vague term.  People skills is a blanket term for your effectiveness in positive interaction with others.

In reality, it's just how you get along with people:

• Are you able to quickly adapt to a variety of personalities?
• Are you able to work with people pleasantly?
• Are you able to handle awkward situations positively?
• Can you create a memorable experience as a barista?
• Are you able to sell more products when interacting with customers?

As a barista, you could encounter hundreds of people per day; the majority of them will be your customers. Yet, successful baristas navigate the brief moments they share in a positive, professional manner that exudes confidence, calm, sometimes humor, and maturity.

 

Make Excellent Coffee

Successful barista makes excellent coffee – consistently. Successful baristas strive to create delicious beverages on every pour. While perfection 100% isn't realistic, trying 100% of the time is.

Though the majority will be espresso-based drinks, today's baristas will have to make a variety of teas, smoothies, energy drink concoctions – as well as alcohol-based beverages. So have fun and try to deliver your very best with every drink.

A successful barista will delve into the various drink recipes, much like a bartender, and deliver high-quality drinks. Dedicate yourself to the process of learning and getting better, and your excellence will follow.

 

Be Informed about Your Coffee Origins

A successful barista will appreciate and pay attention to the subtle differences with coffee from various countries.

Every country or every coffee region has its unique taste and sensory experience. A barista should appreciate these differences and try to articulate them so that their customers can experience the coffee better. This knowledge and passion will offer an exceptional experience to their customers.

Get to know the nuances of coffee regions by attending coffee cuppings or coffee tastings. Many roasters and many coffee shops offer coffee tasting to highlight the coffee they offer. Make use of the opportunities and delve into the variety of delicious flavors coffee offers!

 

Further Reading: Requirements to be a Barista

 

Be Knowledgeable of the Coffee Science

Understanding the science behind various aspects of coffee, such as coffee growing, coffee processing, coffee roasting, coffee brewing, or extraction, will allow you, as the barista, to understand the critical differences in taste and sensory experience that coffee offers.

For example, shade-grown coffee in Guatemala that is washed may taste different from coffee grown and naturally dry-processed in Ethiopia. Likewise, a coffee lightly roasted until right after the “first crack” will have a different taste from a darker espresso roast.

When it comes to coffee, you will have to opportunity to learn the science behind all aspects of this unique agricultural product.

A successful barista will include this broader view of the plant, cherry, and seed to make the best beverage possible.

 

Successfully Deal with Customers

A successful barista knows how to manage hard-to-please customers. A successful barista can leverage self-confidence and assuredness to placate customers' expectations.

Sometimes, this may mean apologizing for getting an order wrong or different than what was asked. Coffee shops are busy, occasionally loud, and chaotic environments. Standing behind a steaming espresso machine can be distracting. In other words, there are plenty of opportunities for innocent misunderstandings. 

Always take the side of making it exactly how the customer wants it. Additionally, problem-solving with a smile is what a successful barista does best.

 

Be Welcoming & Inclusive

A successful barista always welcomes every customer who walks through the door or drives up to the service window. The best way to do this is to find common ground with each customer, which is easy.

After all, a successful barista puts aside politics, culture, race, and everything in between – and centers on the very thing that brings you together – coffee!

One could argue that in the United States, politics and divisiveness have seeped into every aspect of our lives. However, coffee shops and the baristas who work at the coffee bars have an opportunity to shine by putting all that aside by providing each customer with an excellent beverage and interaction.

Being inclusive and welcoming to everyone who enters is central to successful baristas. It also makes good business sense.

 

Be Reliable

Successful baristas are reliable. They show up to work on time. They complete the job on time and try their best every day. A successful barista brews coffee to the recipe and knows how to dial-in coffee. Coffee shop owners are always searching for trainable staff, but more importantly, they look for reliable and honest baristas to serve coffee.

Being reliable is one of the key fundamental aspects of being successful at anything you decide to do. Being known for your reliability will propel you to succeed at school, work, or in your personal life. Likewise, a barista who is reliable is often successful.

 

Enjoying What You Do

Being a successful barista requires stamina. To have stamina in any setting, you must enjoy what it is you are doing. It's really that simple.

And lucky for us, coffee is easy to enjoy. Coffee is an incredible product with countless taste varieties, numerous roasting profiles, and countless ways to serve it – from a balanced espresso shot to a frappe, there's so much to enjoy.

Since coffee has many aspects – roasting, brewing, and latte art, there are many things to geek out about.

Being a successful barista means that you are doing something that you really love to do.

 

The Right Opportunity

Being a successful barista also means finding the right opportunity. By working in a positive and supportive atmosphere, you will find your ability to thrive.

Sometimes, this is not always possible. The truth is that not every coffee shop will provide you the opportunity to enjoy what you do – and learn, grow, and develop.

Some coffee shops have a culture built entirely on different ethics, a vision, or a mission. Many coffee shops may not have the vision to rally behind at all. You may need to look elsewhere if this is the case, though this may not always be possible.

As you can see, your success is dependent on many factors. One factor is being in an environment where you feel supported, encouraged, and valued.

At times, to develop as a successful barista, you might have to make a tough decision and leave. Sometimes, leaving a toxic coffee shop to find another place of employment is the only way to be the successful barista you are aiming to be.

Further Reading: Requirements to be a Barista

What Makes a Successful Barista?

A devotion to learning, training, and sharing coffee are elements that make a successful barista. The great thing is that you don't need much to get started. You need to jump right it and embrace the wonderful world of coffee. First, explore and try coffee blends, visit coffee shops and local coffee roasteries. Next, read as much as possible about retail coffee to get the knowledge that will set you on the path to being an experienced barista.

Brought to you by Barista Training Academy, “The Beginning Barista,” Your Ultimate Prep Guide to Getting Your First Job as a Barista” is an ultimate resource that is available online. It is affordable for anybody who is looking to start a career in the coffee industry. For more information, visit our blog.