What does a cafe associate do?
A cafe associate performs various support tasks to help maintain the smooth flow of operations at a cafe and ensure customer satisfaction. They ensure that the shelves are stocked with fresh and high-quality products by conducting regular evaluations and inspections, disposing of expired goods, and adding new products as necessary. They may also prepare or serve orders, make drinks using machines, and assist customers by answering inquiries or processing their payments. Moreover, a cafe associate must maintain an open communication line with co-workers and report to managers regularly.
Cafe associate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cafe associate resumes:
- tip counting and figuring for employees.
- Prepare and serve specialty coffee drinks, smoothies and teas.
- Better than average wine knowledge, both old and new world.
- Train in all areas of retail including point of sale (POS), shipping and handling.
- Enter all orders into the POS system accurately and efficiently.maintain a high level experience in a fast pace environment.
- Maintain cleanliness around the department; also, communicate with members in a professional and respectful manner when assistance are needed.
- Used commercial culinary equipment including espresso machine, commercial ovens and bread slicers.
- Load dishwasher and hand-wash items such as pots, pans, plates and silverware.
- Have some experience using deep fryers.
- Create Facebook and other social media accounts for athletes and business owners to promote their upcoming activities or increase sales.
Cafe associate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 32% of Cafe Associates are proficient in Safety Standards, Food Service, and Groceries. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Cafe Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Safety Standards, 32%
Defined and maintained food quality and safety standards.
- Food Service, 30%
Cashier, Customer Service Rep., Ordering product, Stocking merchandise, Food service and cleaning.
- Groceries, 13%
Cash register and ringing up alcohol and groceries.
- SAM, 7%
Clean lobby and soda machine and sometimes required to help out in Sam's Club Bakery.
- Dishwashers, 3%
Loaded dishwasher and hand-washed items such as pots, pans, plates and silverware.
- Cleanliness, 1%
Greet, prepare and serve meals and beverages to visitors and hospital employees Maintain cleanliness throughout kitchen and cafeteria
Most cafe associates use their skills in "safety standards," "food service," and "groceries" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential cafe associate responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a cafe associate to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "food and beverage serving and related workers must listen carefully to their customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared to the customers’ request." Cafe associates often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "developed skills in customer service, group work and communication, multitasking, and executing in a fast-paced food services environment. "
Customer-service skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling cafe associate duties is customer-service skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry." According to a cafe associate resume, here's how cafe associates can utilize customer-service skills in their job responsibilities: "prepare drink orders for customers collect customer orders or complaints"
Physical strength. This is an important skill for cafe associates to perform their duties. For an example of how cafe associate responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "food and beverage serving and related workers need to be able to lift and carry stock and equipment that can weigh up to 50 pounds." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a cafe associate: "worked with public all day strengthened customer service skills, cashier, and learned how to properly use pos system. ".
The three companies that hire the most cafe associates are:
- Walmart591 cafe associates jobs
- Scheels12 cafe associates jobs
- Panera Bread11 cafe associates jobs
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Compare different cafe associates
Cafe associate vs. Food prep
The primary duty of a food prep is to accomplish various food handling and preparation tasks according to the direction of supervisors, chefs, or cooks. One can work in different establishments or industry where there is food involved. Among the responsibilities will mostly revolve around doing light to moderate chores such as cleaning the kitchen and sanitizing utensils, preparing the required ingredients and ensure its quality and quantity, be in charge of food storage, and assist by performing basic cooking tasks.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, cafe associate responsibilities require skills like "groceries," "sam," "culinary," and "product knowledge." Meanwhile a typical food prep has skills in areas such as "good communication," "math," "dexterity," and "manual dexterity." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Food preps tend to make the most money working in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $28,945. In contrast, cafe associates make the biggest average salary, $29,858, in the retail industry.food preps tend to reach similar levels of education than cafe associates. In fact, food preps are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Cafe associate vs. Food preparer
A food preparer or food preparation worker is the person who executes routine tasks under the supervision of chefs, food service managers, and cooks. Food preparation workers slice meat, cut vegetables, and prepare cold foods. They prepare ingredients of food for recipes as they assist cooks and chefs. Their duties and responsibilities include sifting, marinating, food safety, grating, and knife skills. They are also expected to weigh and measure dry and liquid ingredients.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, cafe associate responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "sam," "taking care," "culinary," and "food orders." Meanwhile, a food preparer has duties that require skills in areas such as "work ethic," "strong work ethic," "kitchen utensils," and "basic math." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, food preparers earn a lower salary than cafe associates. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, food preparers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $29,828. Whereas cafe associates have higher pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $29,858.food preparers earn similar levels of education than cafe associates in general. They're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cafe associate vs. Kitchen staff
The kitchen staff consists of preparation workers who execute several routine tasks as directed by chefs, food service managers, and cooks. These works should have the ability to follow cooking instructions and deliver well-prepared meals. Their responsibilities include the cleanup of dishes, cooking equipment, and the working stations. They also take charge of food safety regulations, storing and sorting of ingredients, and preparing foodstuff.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from cafe associate resumes include skills like "groceries," "sam," "taking care," and "culinary," whereas a kitchen staff is more likely to list skills in "sanitation standards," "quality food," "meal preparation," and "kitchen equipment. "
Kitchen staff earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $30,914. Cafe associates earn the highest pay from the retail industry, with an average salary of $29,858.Most kitchen staff achieve a similar degree level compared to cafe associates. For example, they're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cafe associate vs. Food handler
Types of cafe associate
Updated January 8, 2025
