What Is A Barista’s Role In Malaysia ??

According to Monster.com, a barista’s roles are no greater than promoting coffee by educating our dear beloved customers (yeah, like the society) by selling, grinding and brewing coffee to the customers. Brewing through different equipments, accessories and supplies. Oh and not to forget preparing and serving a variety of coffee drinks, along with serving pastries and meals.

“Wait really? How am I supposed to sell those bags of black beans?” They look the same to me when I started working as a barista in Starbucks.

I thought I would never be able to do promoting and selling. That was long time ago and that I was a very task-oriented person. After been through a structured training plan and team managing system, I became more customer-oriented person. Nah, it’s not that simple.

However, since then I never care how poor my language. All I care is educating our customer how magical is each bean. Hence, I got fascinated with coffees around the world.

I’ve tried almost bad and good coffees and still trying as this can’t be stopped reason being the plantation evolves, technology enhances, taste tends to vary and so coffee adventures never stop here unless you stop observing or wondering.

A barista’s role is as simple as educating and elevating society knowledge of the industry by just selling and brewing coffees.

However to be precise, a barista’s duty begins with persistently accomplishing every task that keeps the café business running smoothly. And this includes cleaning the toilet and grease trap every single day.

When I was a junior, I was trained by a lady senior who was a very skeptical (or I should say OCD or perfectionist) in getting tasks accomplished in our shift’s checklist.

It annoyed me a lot back at that time. Then I realized just one crucial reason, not long after we’ve got unannounced third party drop by at our café. Basically they just check our responsibility in keeping a safety and healthy working environment and preserving food and drinks standards.

We didn’t score the worst, but we sort of lost the hygienic score in a food and beverage serving café. Technically, a hygiene score is as important as keeping the goal gate clear from the soccer ball.

Exaggerating? Well you’ve heard of the banana leaf incident, oh I believe the world has seen the news too.

Not accomplishing the checklist is just a baby steps, incidents like the banana leaf restaurant has just caused such sickening reputation – perhaps if that’s the only shop you’re running, then it’s no longer a smooth running business. What’s worst is just closing down the business and everyone is safe! Hey, that’s good news! If you’ve heard of any death incidents from café or restaurants food poisoning, it has not just the destroyed the business, if you can handle the law.

Aside from running the business smoothly, barista is duty to ethically taking every step that preserves coffee standard in brewing and serving for each cup to each individual. Anyone that’s heard of me working as a barista showed an impressive expression that’s saying “Oh! Then you must be an expert in making coffee!!” or “Can’t wait to try the coffee you make!”. However, every barista knew this is not how we meant. But, it also doesn’t mean just a job. Sometimes, if the person never heard of the post, I’d just added with “a coffee maker or server in café” without explaining much. Do you think it’s just that?

While teacher’s teaching, barista serves, police catches, accountant counts, chef cooks and etc.

It is as special as a simple post. Every post plays an important part supporting each other in your neighbourhood while you’re serving coffees. I’d always know that I play an important part serving their cuppa and making their day.

“Itadakiimasu…” It means as “Welcome”, in welcoming whoever walks into the premise. Once we heard it a lot and we’re still hearing it. But do you see who’s welcoming you? It’s essential to welcome your customer. It’s an easy task while not having eye contact and smiling to the person who’s walking in.

Don’t be silly. It’s never just a task in your duty. It’s crucial rather than essential. Not just by saying the word itself. If you never know how to make the customer feels welcoming, no matter how many times you shouted or how loud it is, it doesn’t serve the purpose if your customer doesn’t feels like coming back again.

Losing one cuppa to serve means losing the chance to serve the friend or the family as well. More of the loss than you think. What else is more important than creating a welcoming atmosphere? It’s equally important as a duty to generate more transaction.

Hence, it’s important to handling feedbacks optimistically. Anyone knows how to handle a complaining customer by listening. Be optimistic and looking at the bright side, those wise once said,

“Look at the bigger picture dear. Those who keep complaining always comes back and those who’s silent, you’d never see them again until you’ve decided one day and you popped by at your neighbourhood competitor’s café.”

That’s not a coincidence isn’t that? Well, good ones cares too much so they complain, other than listening, also try to find out if they’re your potential customer. Those who never said a thing, make them come back or wish they would. Most of all, when a customer gives positive feedback, never take it for granted. Deep down you know, other than social, there must be reasonable points of being just good. So to negative feedbacks, there must be some reason to what’s happening.

Anyhow, be optimistic, listen, and take every feedback as an opportunity to improvement.

Duty as a barista includes socialising. It’s a marketing thingy, like what a PR does. I believe everyone agrees with me that publicly maintaining the relation with customer helps to elevate the café’s reputation too. Yes is, respectively. Just remember to go back to your duty that’s all, the team needs you.

For introverts, I really don’t know how to encourage you to step out and starts blabbing. Anyway, information for dummies are on the air, just find ways to empower yourself.

Speaking of empowering, last but not least, be courageous. Brewing, serving and cleaning are not easy task yet they are physically achievable tasks. Mentally, we’re ought to grow by enhancing our knowledge, skill sets hence through experiences.

It’s a duty to stay connected with others in the industry. Be it a friend or a foe, they bring opportunities to improvements in ourselves as well as the society.

Every job in the industry requires listening, verbal communication, customer focus, basic safety, people skills, action oriented, and the most important is attendance. It’s basic to all human. We all have it, it’s just the matter of which is real dominating, stronger, average, weaker or totally sucks in it. So do a barista’s requirement.

However, to be mentally stay hungry requires lots of curiosity, and having the urge to experiments. Passion isn’t the only motivation to everyone. Identifying the determination in continuing the journey helps oneself to be courageous and motivates others too.

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