How Much for a Good Barista in Your market?

[eldub]

I'm curious as to the going rate for a dependable barista in your area. We might be looking for a couple of dependable people to run the front end of our shop and I'm all for fair compensation. Matter of fact, I'd rather pay a bit more than the competition and rest easy knowing the front end is covered and the person doing it is content.

Any and all views are appreciated.

scott

 

[shadow745]

Finding somebody that is dependable, honest, good with people and knows what they're doing behind a bar can be difficult to find at any price.

IMO if you find somebody that fits the bill I'd say $10/hr & tips to start would be reasonable as most places around here pay minimum wage. Most seem to look at barista work as being "just a job" and treat it as such. Then again, with so much automation being implemented I can understand why.

In our operation I refused to hire anybody as I'd rather stay open less hours than give customers less than 100% just for the sake of making more money.

I do suggest putting any potential employees through their paces. 1st item of interest would be whether or not they even like or appreciate coffee. If not, SEE YA! In our 2.5 year journey we met several shop owners/"baristi" that didn't like any form of coffee. Needless to say their product was indicative of just that.

 

[eldub]

Thanks for the input shadow. That number is in line with my thinking as well. ($10/hr) We'd rather not have employees, either. But I don't see any way for me to roast beans, develop wholesale accounts, attend farmer's markets AND run the front of a coffee/tea shop at the same time.

The wife has a well paying corporate gig, but she really wants out of health care. Our goal is to get to the point where she can quit her job and take care of the front end of the shop, but there's no way she'll do that until we're able to make ends meet with shop revenue.

scott

 

[PinkRose]

I have no doubt that you'll be able to find someone with experience for $10 a hour (plus tips). I'm glad you're thinking along those lines.

An employee who feels "valued" is less likely to feel "entitled," and then start ripping you off.

Most places start off with mimimum wage (or no more than $8 an hour), which is okay if they're just looking to hire teenagers after school. The employers who try to pay mimimum wage are only asking for trouble in the long run. As the old saying goes.... You get what you pay for.

Rose

 

[CCafe]

I could be wrong in stating my mind here but I think it would be nice for time to change and quit tipping in general. I like the idea of making a person more then just an "employee attitude" that has been handed down for countless ages. I wouldn't mind paying a slightly higher price knowing full and well that it is for the compensation of a long term employee who is going to take the time to remember my name and my drink.

I'd rather forgo the idea of tips and raise the employee pay to a level that generates the type of person who wants to come to work, then the type that feels this is just another shift at the old cafe. I know the new minimum for most starters is $8/hr but to start a person at $12 or even $14/hr and have a slightly higher cost for drinks to compensate just seems to be way I would go if it would work.

I'd also state to the public that we don't take tips because we pay our employee's a wage that you can live on by yourself. Also state the reason why our beverage and food prices are slightly higher then our competition.

People have come to believe that paying a person minimum wage and giving them tips is the way they make their money. But so many industries out there are running on this mentality and its because of that there are so many people out there just barely scraping by on it. That's what makes me sick about tipping. Tipping may work great for some bars and high end restaurants, its the other 95% of the industry that we sweep under the rug and try to hide from plain view with our ignorance.

 

[Moka-Pot]

I've never worked anywhere that involved tipping, but it all feels a little demeaning to me - to both the tipper and the tippee.

I'm a standard 20% tipper and always round up, so I feel like I'm generous - but, I'm never comfortable with it.

That being said, a family member used to bartend & it was nice when the nightly tips came out to several hundred dollars. We won't talk about the private parties where the hourly wage was $2.35 through an agency and the big spenders who wanted the private bartender didn't tip anything at all.

 

[eldub]

CCafe: I doubt we'll change the mentality of society in general, but I agree about paying a living wage without having to rely on tips. So, I'm not sure discouraging tips is the answer. (Some customers will tip and others won't, no matter what a shop has for a policy, imo.)

I think paying a decent wage to hired help might be the solution and any tips coming in would then be considered a cherry on top of the paycheck, rather than a necessary component allowing them to pay the bills.

Thanks for the input, all.

scott

 

[DirtyDave]

Since we don't have a cafe..........
What would you work for ($)?
To find an employee that actually knows what they are doing, and who cares about the quality of the coffee they are presenting to your customers......
These are questions that we chose to bypass, but they are knotty.
Profit sharing perhaps.

 

[pretty]

I think if you want a good one then that would be higher than $10. You can do it yourself first, you can be a good barista just a bit of a practice. If you are thinking of a better one then expect a higher price.