Barista

We are seeking a skilled and hospitality-driven Barista to join our dining team. In this role, your primary focus will be managing the coffee bar and crafting exceptional specialty beverages for our students, staff, and guests. You will ensure the beverage service area is immaculate, fully stocked, and welcoming. Additionally, you will work collaboratively with the culinary team to support daily dining operations by performing other operational tasks assigned by management, including cashiering, food service, and dining room care.

Duties and Responsibilities
• Craft high-quality beverages, including espresso, coffee, tea, and seasonal specialty drinks, ensuring strict adherence to recipe, portioning, and presentation standards.
• Calibrate, operate, and maintain coffee bar equipment, including espresso machines, grinders, and brewers, keeping them clean and operational throughout service.
• Maintain, clean, and sanitize the coffee bar, food contact surfaces, and adjacent service stations in accordance with health and safety regulations.
• Stock and organize all coffee bar supplies, ingredients, and staples (milk, syrups, beans, cups, lids, and napkins) per specific client guidelines.
• Provide excellent customer service by greeting guests warmly, answering menu questions, and delivering a prompt and courteous beverage experience.
• Perform other responsibilities assigned by the manager, which include:
• Clean and buss tables in the dining hall to ensure a rapid turnaround time and a pristine environment for waiting guests.
• Work at the cashier station to process transactions accurately, manage payments, and verify guest check-ins.
• Serve on the food line during peak meal service periods, maintaining portion control and line efficiency.
• Perform routine maintenance assignments for the beverage station area, including sweeping, wiping down tables, and waste removal.
• Assist the culinary team with other duties as directed by the Food Service Manager and/or Chef, which may include assisting with inventory, product deliveries, or special event preparations (e.g., recruitment, homecoming).

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Required Skills and Abilities
• Communication
• Organization
• Detail-Oriented
• Collaboration

Preferred Education and Experience
• Experience: 1–2 years of experience as a Barista in a specialty coffee, restaurant, or campus dining setting preferred; 1–2 years of general customer service experience.
• Certifications: Ability to obtain and maintain any applicable licenses and certifications (e.g., state sanitation license).
• Education: High school diploma preferred.

Special Demands & Physical Requirements
• Environment: This job operates in a kitchen environment housed with equipment such as espresso machines, coffee brewers, ovens, stoves, dishwashers, and chef's knives. The employee is frequently exposed to heat, steam, and noise.
• Physical Effort: The employee is occasionally required to reach, lift, bend, kneel, stoop, climb, push, and pull items weighing 30 pounds or less.
• Stamina: Requires the ability to stand for extended periods of time.
• Instructions: Requires the ability to follow written and oral instructions and procedures.

Compensation & Schedule
• Pay Range: $19-20 USD per hour plus tips
• PT & FT availabilty

Shifts: Mon-Fri 6:30-2:30pm and occasional weekends during events.

At Upper Crust Food Service we believe great food does more than fill plates, it creates connection, strengthens communities, and transforms everyday experiences. Across college campuses, K-12 schools, camps, and Greek housing, our teams bring hospitality to life through fresh food, meaningful relationships, and service people can count on. While we began serving fraternity and sorority communities more than 15 years ago, we've grown into a national hospitality partner supporting a wide range of dining programs across the country. No matter the setting, our purpose remains the same: to show up for the people we serve and for one another.