Interview Questions to Ask Barista Position Candidates

Here’s a list of potential interview questions tailored for a coffee shop barista role. These questions cover customer service, coffee knowledge, technical skills, and teamwork:

General Background and Experience

1. Can you tell me about your previous experience as a barista or in the coffee industry?
2. What drew you to the coffee industry, and why do you want to work as a barista?
3. What do you enjoy most about working in a coffee shop environment?
4. Have you ever worked in a fast-paced environment? How do you handle busy periods?

Coffee Knowledge and Skills

5. Can you explain the difference between an espresso, a macchiato, and a cappuccino?
6. What’s your process for dialing in an espresso?
7. How do you ensure consistency in making coffee drinks?
8. Are you familiar with different brewing methods (e.g., pour-over, AeroPress, French press)?
9. Can you talk about your milk-steaming technique and how you create latte art?
10. What is the importance of grind size, and how do you adjust it for different brewing methods?
11. What steps do you take to ensure a perfect extraction when making espresso?

Customer Service and Interaction

12. How would you handle a customer who isn’t satisfied with their drink?
13. What’s your approach to making recommendations to customers who are new to specialty coffee?
14. How do you engage with regular customers while maintaining focus during busy periods?
15. Can you describe a time when you dealt with a difficult customer and how you resolved the situation?

Teamwork and Time Management

16. How do you prioritize tasks during a busy shift when there are multiple orders?
17. Describe a time when you had to work as part of a team to meet high customer demand.
18. How do you ensure that you maintain cleanliness and organization in a busy coffee shop?
19. What’s your experience with opening or closing procedures in a coffee shop setting?
20. How do you stay organized when working on multiple drink orders at once?

Learning and Growth

21. What do you do to stay up-to-date with new trends and developments in coffee?
22. Have you ever taken any courses or certifications related to coffee (e.g., SCA barista training)?
23. Is there a particular area of coffee or barista work that you would like to improve or learn more about?

Technical and Equipment Skills

24. Are you familiar with maintaining and cleaning espresso machines and grinders?
25. Can you walk us through your process of calibrating an espresso machine at the start of your shift?
26. Have you worked with a POS system in a coffee shop? How do you manage orders efficiently?

Passion and Motivation

27. What is your favorite coffee drink to make, and why?
28. What excites you most about working with coffee, and how do you share that passion with customers?
29. What do you think makes a great cup of coffee, and how do you ensure that every cup meets that standard?

Hypothetical and Situational Questions

30. If a customer orders a drink that you think could be made better with a slight adjustment, how do you approach that conversation?
31. How would you handle a situation where a customer has a complicated or unusual request that you’re unfamiliar with?
32. You notice a regular customer seems unhappy or quieter than usual. How do you address this situation?
33. If the espresso machine suddenly stops working during a busy period, what steps would you take?

Closing Questions

34. Why do you want to work at our coffee shop in particular?
35. What makes you stand out as a barista compared to other candidates?
36. What are your long-term goals within the coffee industry?
37. How would you describe your ideal work environment in a coffee shop?

These questions are designed to gauge a candidate's coffee knowledge, technical expertise, customer service approach, and ability to handle a fast-paced environment, making them ideal for a coffee shop barista interview.