What makes a truly fantastic event barista?

Hiring an event barista to serve speciality coffee at your event is the simple, yet effective, way of treating your guests to something delicious. At conferences and trade shows, it can help you to attract more visitors to your stand too.

During a busy day, receiving a freshly prepared coffee is a moment of calm that should be savoured. And the service you receive from your barista should be a part of this.

In the world of mobile coffee, excellent customer service is especially important because each barista also represents your company. The quality of the service and coffee they provide reflects back on your brand.

At The Barista, hiring talented, friendly event baristas has always been an integral part of our mobile coffee service. Not only do they do justice to our home-roasted coffee, but they make the very best impression on our client and their guests too!

So, what makes a fantastic event barista?

Well, first and foremost, professional barista training, of course!

An event barista has to know their coffee inside out. They should be able to listen carefully and get each customer’s order exactly right. Unlike serving a customer in a café, you have one chance to impress and then they’re off! Making an outstanding coffee under pressure is very important.

But, coffee making aside, there are a few other important things to consider. From problem-solving to organisational skills, there’s a lot that goes into planning a successful mobile coffee stand. To delve a little deeper, we asked some of The Barista team to tell us what they think…

 

Hannah

‘I think a friendly, approachable demeanour is so important. After all, you’re often the first person to greet guests as they wander over. You might be able to make a dozen coffees a minute, but if you’re not making guests feel welcome, then what’s the point!

‘It’s also useful to have a good understanding of both the venue and the client. You’ll likely be asked questions by attendees and it helps to know the answers. Events are busy, loud and sometimes stressful – you have to be prepared for absolutely everything and be very patient.’

Tom 

‘You have to have a genuine passion for coffee and take pride in your work. Not only does this mean making excellent coffee, but it also means taking care of presentation on behalf of the client. The coffee bar has to be right down to the finest detail and it needs to stay neat, tidy and presentable.

‘Every event is different and you are arriving at new venues all the time. There are lots of external factors that you can’t plan for, so it helps to be able to deal with the unexpected and adapt to various challenges. Oh, and you have to be on your feet for a long, long time!’

Sam 

‘With a mobile coffee bar, it’s worth remembering that the baristas aren’t just expert coffee makers; they are also a self-contained events team. It’s a service that goes above and beyond simply preparing outstanding coffee.

‘Our team are all trained to take the coffee bars on the road and this includes setting up, stocking, serving, packing up and leaving – all while there may only be one or two of them! In this way, each barista develops a real understanding of what goes into successfully serving our clients.’

We’re a pretty well-oiled machine when it comes to mobile coffee and our event baristas are some of the best in the business. But don’t just take our word for it! Take a look at some of our testimonials and see what our customers have to say.

Got an event coming up? Read more about coffee for your event stand or get in touch to find out more about what we do.