Head Barista in Penarth

Reporting to the Restaurant Manager, the Head Barista is responsible for serving food and beverages to guests in the assigned outlet, providing a courteous, professional, efficient and flexible service consistent with the standards of the hotel and in line with Kempinski’s DNA values in order to encourage sales and maximize guest satisfaction.

Overall Objectives:

• Lead coffee operations and ensure consistent beverage quality.
• Develop recipes that are standardized, repeatable, and service-proof.
• Recommend, take orders, prepare, and serve food and beverages to customers.
• Train and mentor team members on brewing techniques and customer service.
• Innovate and introduce seasonal or signature coffee creations.
• Curate a comprehensive coffee, tea, and beverage program.
• Able to grind, blend, brew, highlight differences between items, and answer customer queries about the menu politely and efficiently.
• Connect with customers to build a loyal customer base.
• Monitor inventory and ensure efficient waste management.
• Perform cashiering duties and manage outlet opening and closing procedures.
• Perform routine cleaning and maintain a clean, organized environment in accordance with health and safety regulations.
• Adhere to food and beverage safety and hygiene policies and procedures.
• Deliver flawless service to the highest standards, as required by the department and the hotel.
• Fully understand the concept of the restaurant and being able to act as a guardian in terms of service provided, food and beverages served and the guidance of the team.
• Attend the daily Food & Beverage Meeting in the absence of the Restaurant Manager.
• Other ad-hoc duties.

Requirements:

• Warm, pleasant, friendly and confident, with good interpersonal skills.
• Possess good command of English.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a specialty coffee shop or hospitality environment with a focus on coffee and beverage execution, with leadership exposure.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety rules and procedures.
• Creative thinker with an eye for flavour balance and drink innovation.
• Passionate about specialty coffee, beverage culture, and hospitality excellence.
• Strong technical knowledge of espresso machines, grinders, brewing methods (V60, French press, Aeropress, batch brew), milk chemistry, and sensory evaluation.
• Hands-on experience with cold brew systems, pre-batching techniques, matcha preparation, and beverage R&D.
• Solid understanding of beverage scaling, shelf life, HACCP practices, and batch consistency control.
• Skilled in calibrating grinders and adjusting brew ratios, TDS, and extraction times.
• Proven ability to multi-task and manage high-volume beverage production with accuracy and speed.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills, with a collaborative, team-first mindset.
• Barista certifications (SCA Barista Skills, Latte Art, Brewing Foundation/Intermediate) are an advantage.
• Experience in Barista competitions is an added advantage.