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Barista = drinks + dishwashing + moping + vacuuming ??

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  • Barista = drinks + dishwashing + moping + vacuuming ??

    I just came back home after a long shift of dishwashing, vacuuming, moping, and making about 20-30 drinks in a cafe where I work as a part time barista apart from my IT day job.

    I took part time barista work to polish my coffee skills and learn a bit more about this sweet drug, but I feel that there is not enough coffee making work in the evenings and we (baristas) end up doing just cleaning and housekeeping. Is this a normal practice everywhere?

    I understand that a barista is required to keep their area and machines clean but cleaning for 3-4 in a 5 hour shift? I may just sound dumb to many people here, but I'm really curious what you guys think and have experienced as baristas?

    PS: Please forgive my cranky mood.

  • #2
    "If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean."

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    • #3
      Are they paying you by the hour or paying you to make 20-30 coffees per shift?

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      • #4
        In my award, it says that I must do anything lawful which is directed, but not in such a way as to promote deskilling. You could argue that someone hired as a barista, who spends the majority of their time not making coffee, is being deskilled by the management.

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        • #5
          Our grandparents used to call it 'opportunity'.

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          • #6
            I hate it when the barista is moping, baristas should always look happy.

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            • #7
              Welcome to the realities of barista life.
              Some members of the public as well as baristas to be seem to think it,s all about the glamour of coffee making, but what they don,t realize there are other facets to a barista,s job.
              Not just the cleaning, mopping and washing but also restocking, packing and unpacking chairs and tables, etc.
              In a small cafe, the barista is very much an all rounder. He or she will have to man the til, make coffees, wash and prepare food or stock up the cake display.
              In a higher volume cafe, the barista spends more time making coffees and there,s a runner as well as a cashier employed.
              For anyone starting a job, they should satisfy themselves regarding what is required so that they don,t get dissolutioned.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Hildy View Post
                You could argue that someone hired as a barista, who spends the majority of their time not making coffee, is being deskilled by the management.
                Sounds like a casual job and if he was trying that angle the employer would probably start derostering and depaying to avoid the deskiling. I agree with the mantra 'if there's a time to lean there's a time to clean'. What do you think you should be doing?

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                • #9
                  I think most hospitality jobs are like that - lotsa cleaning. 10 years in bars and restaurants and I reckon I cleaned more than I served. And we had 18gal kegs to lug around as well.

                  30 coffees in 5 hours isn't much workload. Maybe spend a few seconds more on each coffee to make them stunners and the customer load will increase as the word spreads about the stunning evening coffees at the café? If you're making coffees you can't be cleaning.

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                  • #10
                    Back in the days of my cafes, the ones who got work were those who were prepared to pull up their sleeves and do whatever was required.

                    I think that if you own the cafe you can decide what you do- to your ultimate profit or demise. If you work in one, make yourself the most valuable employee and things will improve in time. If the toilets need to be cleaned- do it!

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Hildy View Post
                      In my award, it says that I must do anything lawful which is directed, but not in such a way as to promote deskilling. You could argue that someone hired as a barista, who spends the majority of their time not making coffee, is being deskilled by the management.
                      Actually working, whilst at work, would probably count as a skill these days!

                      Most occupations come with some kind of menial task, often related to circumstances rather than core skills. In my company (an engineering consultancy), we have a kitchen cleaning roster. Everyone (including management) shares the responsibility). Same goes for cleaning up the boardroom after meetings.

                      It would be easy for someone with 30yrs experience and on $300k p.a. to claim it was a poor use of their time and skills, but in my experience everyone recognises it's a necessary inconvenience and just does it.

                      Big companies often have cleaning staff to do that type of thing, but for us, the overheads are an unnecessary expense.

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                      • #12
                        Crikey Abi, not much sympathy from this lot is there.

                        As an aside my wife and I had a meal at a local Italian restaurant/pizza place last Saturday night, they were booked out, one waiter in particular really had her skates on and was very good at what she was doing, as the evening progressed and things started to slow down this girl immediately went into cleaning mode, polishing surfaces, cleaning glass cases etc, we were thoroughly impressed with her work ethic and in particular attention to detail, as well as the fact that the slow down was not a signal to slack off but just the opposite, keeping the place spotless, and it showed.
                        The interesting thing is that its invariably females who go above and beyond when it comes to cleaning, we blokes somehow reckon its below us.
                        I know this probably doesn't help your cause, guess it is something to reflect on.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Hildy View Post
                          You could argue that someone hired as a barista, who spends the majority of their time not making coffee, is being deskilled by the management.
                          You could, but you'd be a bloody pillock.

                          If you feel you're too good for what they're getting you to do and there's somewhere that will make better use of your talents, go there. If not, you aren't good enough to be "too good" for menial tasks.

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                          • #14
                            So, I've finally quit! Tonight is my last shift.

                            But by looking at the replies, it seems that Barista is not a specialised role since many agree it's ok to do menial tasks. If I were 19yo, studying and working part-time in a cafe - I wouldn't (or shouldn't) mind doing menial tasks, but if I'm a knowledgeable professional wanting to specialise in coffee industry - I'll be taken aback.

                            I've not worked much in the hospitality industry, but wherever I've worked (IT sector & Agencies) - if someone is hired for a specific role, we train them in that field and help them develop skills, not expect them to do admin work and answer calls at the reception desk.

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                            • #15
                              That's fair enough, but how much investment in training are they going to put into a guy who comes in for five hours during their quietest times?

                              I think it's more a factor of you being there during the times when the most cleaning/etc would be done than anything else; if you were there during peak then you'd get the experience you're looking for.

                              Weekend work an option?

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