What Does Barista Pay Look Like at Coffee Machine Chains?

A blogger's review of first-tier city job postings found that the highest barista salary among chain coffee brands was not Starbucks or Luckin but NIO, the coffee brand under the electric vehicle maker, which listed 9,000 to 13,000 yuan a month with 13 months' pay. Across the domestic industry, average pay sits at 5,084 yuan, with a median of 5,000 yuan.

Part-time hourly wages generally run from 15 to 30 yuan, below rates for hourly workers and domestic helpers. Chain brands lean on stable coffee machines to lower their demands on barista skill, while independent shops face stiff competition. Former NIO staff said the posting left out duties such as running events, taking photos and chatting with customers.

After the National Bureau of Statistics released the 2023 average annual wage data for urban unit employees, a blogger compiled the monthly salaries of baristas at chain coffee brands in first-tier cities. The results showed that the highest-paying brand was not a well-known name like Starbucks or Luckin, but NIO, the coffee brand under electric vehicle company NIO, whose job postings listed a monthly salary of 9–13k with 13 months' pay. Behind the high pay, however, the job description was vague about the actual work involved, and former employees revealed that the role in practice required extra duties such as running events, taking photos, looking after children, and chatting with customers. At the same time, the average pay for domestic baristas is only 5,084 yuan, with a median of 5,000 yuan, and part-time hourly wages generally range from 15 to 30 yuan—even lower than those of hourly workers and domestic helpers. Chain brands rely on stable equipment to lower their demands on barista professionalism, while independent shops are under pressure amid fierce competition, leaving baristas with increasingly narrow room to pursue higher pay and promotion.

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Not long ago, the National Bureau of Statistics released the 2023 national average wage data, showing that the average annual wage of employees in urban non-private units was 120,698 yuan, while that in private units was 68,340 yuan.

Subsequently, a blogger compiled information on the monthly salaries of baristas at some chain coffee brands in first-tier cities from a recruitment platform. After comparison, it was found that the highest-paying brand was not the familiar Starbucks or Luckin, but NIO, the coffee brand under automaker NIO, whose job posting stated "9–13k, 13 months' pay."

The blogger also noted that these job postings often gave vague descriptions of key information such as the specific work content and labor intensity at the store, making it difficult for applicants to judge what kind of working conditions they would actually face after joining.

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Take the NIO barista position that netizens envy as an example. Although the pay is considerable, according to revelations from former employees, the job posting did not explain that the role required duties similar to entertaining talent, nor did it mention additional tasks such as participating in events, helping with photos, looking after children, and chatting with customers. The real work pressure could only be understood through personal experience.

The work intensity at chain brands is even greater. Once the rush hour hits, orders pour out of the ticket machine one after another, and the coffee machines and staff behind the counter must run continuously for five or six hours, completing and packing each order one by one according to customer requirements. Many people report that once the store opens, let alone eating on time, there is not even a spare moment to drink a sip of water.

Such high-intensity work should, in many people's view, come with higher pay, but the reality is not so.

In 2023, the average annual wages of employees in urban non-private units and urban private units were 131,418 yuan and 80,685 yuan, respectively.

According to recruitment platform data, the average pay for domestic baristas in May this year was 5,084 yuan. Recently, the median barista salary has been 5,000 yuan, with more than half of baristas earning between 4,000 and 6,000 yuan. However, this is only the salary level shown on the recruitment side of the platform; the actual take-home income of baristas is difficult to determine.

In addition, many chain coffee brands are also recruiting part-time baristas on recruitment platforms. Part-time hourly wages vary between 15 and 30 yuan depending on the city and region, lower than the 55 yuan/hour for hourly workers and 45 yuan/hour for domestic helpers, so much so that some baristas joke that their income is not even as good as that of a cleaning lady.

On the other hand, when chain brands switch to excellent equipment with stable output, their reliance on barista professionalism drops sharply. Brands only need staff to complete the drink-making process efficiently and repeatedly like assembly-line workers, so the wages offered to coffee practitioners are usually not very high.

As for independent coffee shops that emphasize baristas' professional abilities, many are under considerable operating pressure in an environment of accelerating industry competition, and some can barely survive, making it naturally difficult for operators to offer higher pay.

In addition, under long-term user education through low-price strategies, more and more people drink coffee simply to wake up or refresh themselves, which has led some consumers to believe that baristas do not need much professional expertise and only need to be able to operate the machine and make basic coffee. In such an environment, it has become increasingly difficult for baristas to seek promotion in the professional field and pursue high salaries.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.