Job Duties and Working Conditions
A cafe assistant supports the daily operations of a cafe or coffee shop. Your job duties may include:
- Taking food and beverage orders
- Stocking pastry displays and other inventory
- Cleaning the facility
Cafe Attendants are responsible for:
- Cleaning tables
- Taking dirty dishes to kitchen
- Refilling glasses
- Seating customers
- Assisting servers by taking food to the table
- Working the entire shift standing on their feet
Minimum Age and Qualifications
There is no minimum age to start casual or part-time work in NSW, but you have to be at least 14 to do door-to-door sales work. Fifteen is the most common minimum age for cafe work, subject to child labor laws.
Typical qualifications for Cafe Assistant jobs include:
- A high school diploma or general education degree (GED)
- Retail, hospitality, and/or customer service experience preferred
Responsibilities and Skills
Responsibilities common to cafe assistants:
- Prepare and serve coffee and tea drinks that meet quality standards
- Properly handle and maintain all equipment
- Respond to orders, questions, concerns, and complaints in a polite and efficient manner
- Accurately handle cash and credit card payments, following appropriate cash-handling procedures
- Serve customers quickly and efficiently
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of all the menu offerings
- Observe relevant health and safety standards
Cafe assistants should work well in teams and chaotic environments, multitask, and accurately take orders. Some employers require high school diplomas, while experience in the sector is preferred.
Job Outlook
Earnings often come from tips split between servers and attendants. Opportunities fluctuate with cafe success, and many smaller cafes eliminate attendant positions by adding their duties to servers and hosts. However, food service jobs should increase 8% through 2018.