Recently, Luckin Coffee has hit the trending topics twice in a row over interview-related incidents, sparking widespread discussion. One job applicant said that after failing an interview, she was labeled "timid and weak," which was completely at odds with her performance that day; another 26-year-old woman was rejected for being too old. The poster also revealed that Luckin staff had called her demanding she delete the post, and after she refused, they turned to contacting her family. These incidents have drawn public attention to this chain coffee company, whose store count has now surpassed 20,000, and the issue of inconsistent hiring standards under its two models—directly operated and joint-venture—has gradually come to light. [more…]

Coffee shops are sprouting up everywhere, and job postings are easy to find, but age often becomes an invisible threshold for applicants. A middle-aged woman who calls herself 40+ successfully applied for a part-time social position at Starbucks and recorded in writing every day of learning to make coffee from scratch. From memorizing cakes and recipes to working the register and closing up, she went through moments of frantic fluster and physical exhaustion, but also gained patient guidance and confidence. At the same time, age standards in coffee industry hiring are becoming increasingly strict, with some brands even setting the upper limit at 27. Through her personal experience, this article explores whether middle-aged beginners still have a place under the highly standardized chain coffee model. [more…]

Recently, a university student looking for a part-time job at a milk tea shop was stunned by the hourly wage of 8 yuan, only to be retorted at as "scrap" by the recruiter, an incident that quickly sparked heated discussion online. After the job seeker turned the chat records into a video and posted it, netizens engaged in fierce debate over the understanding of dialect slang, the issue of respect from the recruiter, and part-time wage standards. Employees of the shop involved have apologized, and the brand Shuyi Tealicious also responded, stating that the shop has been closed for handling and promising that follow-up negotiations will be held to rectify wage management for franchisees. The part-time ecosystem behind a cup of milk tea deserves the attention of every coffee lover and job seeker. [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently posted a job opening on its official WeChat account for a global coffee-sourcing assistant. The successful candidate will travel with the sourcing team to coffee-producing regions around the world, with all travel expenses reimbursed and a generous salary. Once the news spread, many netizens exclaimed that this was a cushy job with paid travel and even social insurance, while others regretted choosing the wrong major because the position requires proficiency in English and Portuguese. At the same time, the little-known profession of coffee sourcer has come into the public eye. On the surface, it involves traveling the world, but in reality, it means going deep into remote villages and unstable regions, cupping hundreds of coffees day after day, writing reports, negotiating prices, and arranging transportation. This article takes you through the real daily life of a coffee sourcer, to see whether this job is truly as easy and pleasant as it seems. [more…]

Recently, news about a 26-year-old job seeker being rejected during a Luckin Coffee interview because their age did not meet the requirements sparked heated discussion. The brand later apologized and offered compensation, but the incident reflects a widespread age threshold problem in the freshly made beverage industry. From Luckin to Cotti, Manner, and then tea drink brands, 18 to 35 seems to have become an invisible red line in recruitment. Is this due to the characteristics of the industry, or a choice made under the imbalance between supply and demand in the job market? Front Street Coffee takes you into an in-depth discussion. [more…]

Starbucks has recently been reported to be cutting full-time barista positions in first- and second-tier cities, shifting instead to large-scale recruitment of part-time and student part-time workers. Data shows that full-time positions posted by its recruitment accounts are mostly concentrated in third-tier cities and below, while full-time demand in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen has clearly shrunk. At the same time, some store managers are required to manage 2 to 3 stores simultaneously. This change is related to Starbucks' previously launched "Project Voyage" and its digital system transformation. Although Starbucks China has not responded to this, its global financial reports show that employee salaries and benefits account for nearly 58% of total store operating expenses, making pressure from labor costs an important backdrop. Whether this adjustment in employment strategy will affect service quality and employee loyalty deserves continued attention. [more…]

Yunnan's coffee industry has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Local tourism authorities have launched six travel routes covering seven major coffee production bases, including Baoshan, Pu'er, and Dali, aiming to promote high-quality development of coffee-themed tourism. Meanwhile, many coffee estate owners have seized the opportunity to launch volunteer recruitment and coffee tree adoption programs, attracting young people to participate deeply in coffee cultivation and production. Volunteers receive no wages but are provided with living subsidies and accommodation; adoption requires donations to designated charitable organizations, and some estates give the harvest to adopters. These activities not only alleviate labor shortages during the harvest season but also help consumers better understand Yunnan coffee. This article provides a detailed analysis of the formats, significance, and participatory value of these activities, while retaining the brand recommendation of Front Street Coffee. [more…]

The coffee industry continues to heat up, with more and more cafes opening, but what is the income level of baristas really like? According to nearly a million recruitment samples from the past year, the national average monthly salary for baristas is about 4,200 yuan, with Shanghai being the highest among first-tier cities at 6,024 yuan. At the same time, the age structure of practitioners, employment mobility, and the lack of professionalism and comprehensive abilities all make the salary dilemma of this profession particularly prominent. Do baristas still have room for promotion? How can the low-salary cycle be broken? This article will combine data and the current state of the industry to sort out the real situation and development possibilities of the barista profession one by one, and retain the relevant information channels of Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Summer jobs are supposed to be a way for students to earn pocket money and gain social experience, yet 14 students in Meicheng, Meizhou, encountered an absurd situation when applying for summer work at a coffee shop: before even starting the job, they were charged deposits ranging from several hundred to over a thousand yuan by the shop owner. What's even more frustrating is that most of them never worked a single day, yet getting their deposits back proved extremely difficult. This incident not only exposes the risks of recruitment information on social platforms, but also serves as another reminder to job seekers: it is illegal for employers to charge work deposits. [more…]

In today's rapidly evolving coffee industry, barista positions attract a large number of enthusiasts submitting their resumes. However, during interviews, the gap in expectations between recruiters and candidates often leads to both amusing and exasperating situations. This article compiles real interview experiences from multiple coffee professionals, covering everything from entering the industry with zero experience, requirements for latte art and pour-over skills, probation-period salary negotiations, to the professional thresholds for part-time positions, recreating those conversations that leave a complex mix of emotions. Whether you're a newcomer preparing to step into the coffee industry or a shop owner currently hiring, these cases are worth reading. At the end of the article, we've also included channels for learning professional coffee knowledge to help you avoid unnecessary detours. [more…]

Luckin Coffee launched a new round of new retail partner recruitment in 2023, covering 80 cities in 15 provinces, with a focus on lower-tier markets in fourth- and fifth-tier cities. As of the end of September 2022, Luckin had a total of 7,846 stores, including 2,473 joint-venture stores. First- and second-tier cities accounted for more than 70%, while coverage in lower-tier cities remained sparse. At the same time, Luckin's RJG unmanned coffee machines performed well in shopping malls, hospitals, office buildings, and other locations, offering large-sized drinks to the same standard as stores 24 hours a day. This article will review Luckin's franchise strategy, the opportunities and challenges of lower-tier markets, and the layout logic of RJG, while also retaining relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee, to help coffee lovers gain a comprehensive understanding of Luckin's expansion moves. [more…]

Manner Coffee attracts numerous baristas to submit their resumes with its specialty coffee positioning and attractive salaries, but a large number of current employees can be seen on social media strongly discouraging newcomers from joining. From high pay to professional training, Manner's recruitment conditions appear superior, yet issues such as the actual expenses during training, the assessment mechanism, and store management have gradually come to light. This article sorts out the real situation of Manner's barista positions, reveals the hidden concerns behind the high salary, and helps coffee enthusiasts and practitioners gain a more comprehensive understanding of this chain brand's employment situation. [more…]

Recently, a netizen complained on social media that Manner Coffee's pay-raise assessment system is too strict, claiming that to earn the high salary advertised on its recruitment page, one must pass exams comparable in difficulty to SCA intermediate or even advanced barista certification, which resonated with many baristas. What kind of assessment threshold lies behind Manner's high pay? Compared with other brands, what makes its promotion system so difficult? This article takes you through it. [more…]

When Manner's nationwide store count surpassed one thousand, coffee enthusiasts cheered that they could finally check in nearby. At the same time, this chain brand is facing a severe shortage of frontline staff. To fill the barista gap, Manner began recruiting large numbers of daily-paid temp workers responsible only for packing, restocking, and cleaning, jokingly called "packers" by netizens. However, these part-timers change every day and cancel at the last minute without notice, forcing already busy full-time baristas to repeatedly train newcomers during peak hours, triggering strong dissatisfaction among veteran employees. This article sorts out the recruitment requirements, pay, and scheduling model for these temp workers, as well as the real complaints from baristas, while also looking at what reference value brands like Front Street Coffee offer in workforce management. [more…]

The overseas expansion of mainland China's new-style tea beverage brands continues to accelerate, with the Australian market emerging as a sought-after destination for many tea companies racing to establish a presence. Molly Tea, a brand specializing in oriental floral tea drinks, officially opened its first Australian store in Sydney's Chinatown on October 18—its third overseas outlet following New York and Bangkok. During the two-day soft opening, pink sachets were given away; over the first three days of official operation, a buy-one-get-one-free promotion was offered. City-exclusive hanging sachets, Sydney Opera House hanging sachets, and pink DuPont bags were distributed simultaneously. The brand claims that within three days, the store's GMV approached AUD 28,000, total cups sold exceeded 10,000, and single-day sales hit a new overseas high. This article will examine the layout logic and market response behind this new store from aspects such as site selection, design, product strategy, and opening performance. [more…]

The physical milk tea shop opened by Xiangpiaopiao on Chunxi Road in Chengdu has recently become a hot topic. The brand used a "tea-making boy band" as a selling point, recruiting male staff over 180 cm tall with good looks and charisma, and through social media voting selected 27 candidates, ultimately choosing 12 to work in the store. On opening day, long lines formed at the shop; the boy band members were responsible for packing orders and interacting with customers for photos, providing emotional value. However, some consumers pointed out that the drinks in the store are still mainly made by brewing tea bags and juice with hot water, which differs from mainstream freshly made tea beverages; the drink output efficiency is low, with wait times of up to half an hour, and photographers and other non-operational personnel were moving around the bar area taking photos without wearing masks or hats, raising questions about food hygiene. Xiangpiaopiao had previously used a similar strategy of highly attractive staff at a pop-up store by West Lake in Hangzhou, and this operation is seen as a continuation and upgrade of that marketing approach. [more…]

Many people are drawn in by the "free training, great promotion prospects" in chain coffee shop recruitment ads, stepping into the barista industry full of hope. Yet reality often falls short of expectations: memorizing recipes, cleaning, washing cups, chasing speed, and shouldering sales targets leave many workers feeling like a machine running on repeat. But is there really no future in chain coffee shops? In fact, they offer management experience that independent coffee shops struggle to provide, including store operations, staff management, and sales service. Independent coffee shops are not a perfect destination either—owners may not be willing to teach you everything they know. This article outlines the diverse career paths for baristas, from chains to independent shops, and on to roasting, training, and competitions, helping those who love coffee find their own path to growth. Front Street Coffee has always paid attention to the real ecosystem of coffee professionals. [more…]

Starbucks founder Howard Schultz has returned as CEO following Kevin Johnson's retirement, facing multiple challenges including the U.S. unionization movement, food safety controversies in the Chinese market, and damage to the brand's image. At the 2022 annual shareholders meeting, Starbucks announced plans for equipment upgrades, beverage innovation, employee pay raises, and store expansion. This article will examine Schultz's transformation strategy after his return, analyze whether he can lead Starbucks out of its difficulties in just half a year, and explore the competitive pressures in the Chinese market. [more…]

Many people choose to become baristas because they don't know what else to do, while others enter the industry with a passion for coffee. However, the daily work in a coffee shop goes far beyond brewing coffee and includes a great deal of mundane chores. Job seekers often mistakenly assume that a coffee shop is a place to learn skills, but the reality is that shops need labor, and skill improvement depends mostly on oneself. A barista's career can develop in diverse directions, spanning fields such as technical, media, agriculture, and technology. Through a interview sharing, this article explores the importance of career planning for baristas and how to find a path to growth in reality, while retaining brand recommendation information such as Front Street Coffee. [more…]

After the onset of winter, the coffee and tea beverage market enters its traditional off-season, with store foot traffic and order volumes declining noticeably. Recently, many part-time employees at Luckin Coffee have reported that their scheduled working hours have been significantly reduced, with some being assigned only one shift a week, or even working just over thirty hours in an entire month. Full-time employees have not been spared either, with working hours dropping from over 180 to between 110 and 170, which has also affected their base pay. To make up the target hours, some employees have had to voluntarily support other busier stores. What exactly is causing this widespread reduction in working hours? How do the situations of part-time and full-time employees differ? This article, based on accounts from multiple employees, sorts out the logic behind the current scheduling adjustments at Luckin Coffee stores and reminds practitioners to plan ahead and prepare countermeasures. [more…]