Having a smooth, clean and organised workflow is essential to any specialty coffee barista. Here are some of the many benefits of having a well developed system and workflow.
SPEED - It should be obvious but the more organised you are, the faster you can maintain pace in a busy work environment. In professional kitchens they call it “mise en place” but the same applies to coffee bars. Having a place for every single piece of equipment / accessory and being well prepared will mean you focus less on the little things and focus more on the customer and delivering their coffee in an efficient manner.
QUALITY - Once again, the more organised you are as barista, the easier it is to focus on producing quality coffee consistently. Recipes should be dialed in, equipment should be clean and milk should be fresh. Quality should never sacrificed for speed and having a great workflows means you can have the best of both worlds.
CLEANLINESS - Hygiene and cleanliness is so important in a cafe. Clean equipment and a clean workspace often equates to cleaner tasting coffee. Just because people may not see what you are doing doesn’t mean you shouldn’t maintain the highest standards. However, the reality is customers CAN often see what you are doing and don’t want to be confronted with messy benches, crusty steam wands and dirty jugs. Good workflow should always incorporate the standard of cleaning as you go, regardless of how busy you are.
SERVICE - The less you have to worry about the system, the more you can focus on the customer. Customer service and hospitality is at the heart of being a barista and without it, we may as well just make coffee at home. How can we better serve our customers? Smile, build a relationship, respect their time and put some love into what you are doing.
UNITY - A clear system is good for everyone in the team. A good head barista should set the tone and develop a clear and quality focused system that brings everyone’s skills together. There should be absolute clarity on the best way to serve each coffee in a timely manner.
FUN - Coffee should be fun! Often the reason we choose coffee as a career (or even as an interim job) is not just because we love coffee but also because of the thrill of a busy morning rush. The reality is coffee can also be stressful but having a dedicated and organised workflow will make it easier to relax and just have a good time.
Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below but for now, check out this video of our workflow for making a long black, flat white and latte at Melbourne Coffee Academy.
Want to be a barista and develop your workflow? Check out our Barista Apprenticeship program.