Frequently Asked Barista Interview Questions with Answers

It's not wrong to say that working as a barista is a dream job for people who enjoy having coffee. If you love working in a busy environment and are willing to learn how to prepare signature drinks such as cappuccino macchiato and more, this is your bet!

However, being a barista entails more than just serving coffee to customers. There's more to the job role. It also involves preparing the beverages, cleaning the service area, preparing the menu list, recommending the drinks to customers, ordering the stock supplies, and more. To crack the interview and stand out amongst other candidates, you need to ace a few skills, such as performing mundane or repetitive tasks and working efficiently.  

If you're thrilled to start your barista career, read this blog, as it will give you a rundown of all the barista interview questions and intelligent answers that will help you crack the interview!

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Table of Contents

1) Who’s a Barista? 

2) Top 15 Barista interview questions and answer

 a) What makes a great Barista?

 b) Could you mention a situation where you’ve smartly dealt with a demanding customer?

 c) How do you analyse what drink you should recommend to a new customer?

 d) Could you tell the difference between the signature drinks like a latte, a macchiato, and a cappuccino?

 e) What would encourage you to work every day?

 f) According to you, what’s the key to offering top-notch customer service?

 g) Which drink do you enjoy and which do you hate to prepare?

 h) What are your strengths and weaknesses, and how do you cope with your weaknesses?

 i) Could you mention a situation where you did your best and the customer was still dissatisfied with the services?

 j) Why do you want to work with us?

 k) Do you juggle cleaning your workspace and preparing the drinks?

 l) How well can you fit into a team environment?

 m) According to you, what construes good customer service?

 n)  What would you do if you run late for a shift?

 o) How would you deal with a situation when you accidentally saw one of your co-workers stealing from the register? 

3) Conclusion

Who’s a Barista?  
 

A Barista is someone who’s an expert at preparing and serving coffee and coffee-infused beverages. It involves drinks such as espresso, cappuccino, iced coffee, and latte. Also, a barista has extensive knowledge of the different kinds of coffee originating from around the world. 

Top 15 Barista Interview Questions and Answer

Here are the listed 15 questions that will help you to crack the interview:  

1) What makes a great Barista? 

A skilled Barista should be familiar with all the signature coffee beverages and be willing to learn more about coffee and different drinks. Also, they should have curiosity and a passion for coffee beans. 

2) Could you mention a situation where you've smartly dealt with a demanding customer? 

Dealing with demanding customers in the past reflects what you will be like in such a situation in the future. It also says a lot about the candidate's knowledge of customer service. Always start with a story describing how you've handled similar situations and further mention how you have empathised with the customers. 

3) How do you analyse what drink you should recommend to a new customer?  

It's great to start by mentioning past situations where you've given recommendations to new customers. If they were impressed with the suggestion, it's always a cherry on top! 

4) Could you tell the difference between the signature drinks like a latte, a macchiato, and a cappuccino?  

Undeniably, a Barista must be proficient at serving the café's signature coffee drinks, but they should also know how to prepare other popular beverages such as cappuccinos, macchiatos, and lattes. This question is a great way to assess a candidate's skills and how much experience they have in preparing drinks. Make sure to express your passion for coffee-making and impart technical knowledge on different coffee terminologies and layering techniques. 
 

5) What would encourage you to work every day?  

Generally, an interviewer will ask this question to test whether you always need new challenges to come to work every day or are content with the usual routine. The intelligent answer to this question is to emphasise routine jobs and the dedication to doing the best job possible until it reaches perfection. 

6) According to you, what’s the key to offering top-notch customer service?  

It's essential to show the right attitude toward customer service by addressing problems positively. It also builds faith in customers regarding your ability to redress their grievances. 

7) Which drink do you enjoy and which do you hate to prepare?  

This question is asked in the interview to gauge a candidate's skills and confidence. Also, it shows self-awareness about what one's good at, the technical knowledge, and how to hone the skills to improve it. 

8) What are your strengths and weaknesses, and how do you cope with your weaknesses?  

It's the most frequently asked question in an interview. This question best suits the Barista role, as they must interact as co-workers and servers. If a candidate is aware of their strengths and weaknesses, the chances are high that they will fit in well with the customer base and the staff. An ideal candidate must always be open to constructive criticism. 

9) Could you mention a situation where you did your best, and the customer was still dissatisfied with the services?    

The interview questions are not always about mentioning the best things about oneself. Most companies do ask about negative past situations as it shows self-reflection, a desire to improve, and the way the candidate fixes the customer's problems. 

10) Why do you want to work with us? 

This question is quite tricky, and a candidate should start by mentioning their passion for coffee and the job role, the quality of service provided by the café, and the positive environment. 

11) Do you juggle cleaning your workspace and preparing the drinks?  

It's asked to test a candidate's multitasking abilities. Working in a fast-paced work environment makes it a tad difficult to constantly clean up the clutter without slowing down on the task. Also, keeping a workspace clean helps you remain productive and efficient. 

12) How well can you fit into a team environment?  

Working in a team environment helps the team members remain more productive at work. Also, when working in a team, one puts their best foot forward and finishes the tasks more efficiently. It helps to stay motivated and ensures that the work keeps going. 

13) According to you, what construes good customer service? 

Good customer service revolves more around giving the best possible services to the customers and resolving their problems. If the issue can’t be entirely resolved, making the best efforts to solve it also paves the way towards helping them. 

14) What would you do if you run late for a shift? 

If it ever happens, the best way is to inform the manager about the delay by giving a plausible explanation and apologising for it. 

15) How would you deal with a situation when you accidentally saw one of your co-workers stealing from the register? 

If you witnessed such a situation, the foremost thing to do is to notify the supervisor and let them know about the situation.   
 

Conclusion

A Barista's job can be highly stressful as everything has to be well-organised to offer the best customer service. However, if you have a passion for making and serving coffee, you will enjoy this job. If this is your dream job, preparing well for the interview is essential to land in the best place! 

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