How To Become A Server/Barista: What It Is and Career Path

What is a server/barista and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A Server/Barista is responsible for making and serving quality beverages, like coffee, cappuccino, or tea, and foods, including sandwiches, muffins, or cookies. Their duties include packaging coffee blends, presenting and explaining menu items to customers, preparing food orders, and working the cash register.

They make use of coffee grinding and brewing equipment, accessories, and supplies. This is to prepare and sell orders by following prescribed recipes and preparation techniques. Also, they clean and restock work and dining areas, empty trash, and sanitize equipment and utensils. Additionally, they update signage and displays to entice customers.

The basic educational requirement for this role is a high school diploma or its equivalent with previous work experience in retail, hospitality, or any related role. Applicants must possess communication, multitasking, listening, maths, problem-solving, and customer service skills. The Server/Barista earns an average salary of $22,120, which is about $11.0 an hour. The range falls between $19,270 and $26,300.

ScoreServer/BaristaUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,749

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%

Asian 6.49%

Black or African American 9.64%

Hispanic or Latino 18.63%

Unknown 6.92%

White 57.47%

Gender

female 71.79%

male 28.21%

Age - 21

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 21

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a server/barista

Explore server/barista education requirements

Most common server/barista degrees

Bachelor's

47.8 %

High School Diploma

26.3 %

Associate

17.9 %

Start to develop specific server/barista skills

Skills	Percentages
Cleanliness	23.77%
Wine	16.95%
Customer Service	10.93%
Multitasking	9.77%
Presentation Standards	9.29%

Research server/barista duties and responsibilities

Open and close the cafe, work a POS system, manage inventory, stock the cafe.
Practice organization and cleanliness while managing individual tasks.
Greet and seat customer, take orders through POS system, and deliver food and drinks to customers.
Cash handling experience, maintain cleanliness of restaurant, ensure customer satisfaction through superior customer interaction.

Prepare your server/barista resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your server/barista resume.

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