Don’t Hire a Bitter Barista

Recently, a barista in Seattle, Washington was fired after being revealed as the author of the Bitter Barista blog, which featured snarky comments about customers and his boss.

Obviously, snarky is not a good attitude for most coffee houses. We recommend cultivating a friendly atmosphere to win repeat customers and word of mouth traffic.

We’re guessing this bitter worker’s boss knew about the attitude long before the blog (and accompanying Twitter feed) went public. If you’ve read Seven Steps to Success in the Specialty Coffee Industry, you already know where the coffee shop manager went wrong. He hired for skill, not attitude. Mr. Bitter had nearly seven years of barista experience before being hired.

We’ve found that it’s fairly easy to teach a barista to pull a perfect shot of espresso.  But you cannot train someone to be friendly. It’s simply a part of their disposition.

When you interview potential employees, look for friendly, outgoing people who enjoy interaction with customers.  And you won’t end up with a bitter barista.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has roasted and packaged quality, great-tasting coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 300 small business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program.  If you have questions about how to open a coffee shop, give us a call at 888-800-9224.